New from Leica: the D-LUX 6 and the V-LUX 4 Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Leica has just announced two updates to their line of point and shoots: the D-LUX 6 and the V-LUX 4. These new cameras build upon the Leica brand's notoriety and quality, with the inclusion of improved-upon image sensors, faster lenses and higher resolution electronic viewfinders, while still maintaining many of the innovative features from their predecessors.

Leica D-LUX 6

The Leica D-LUX 6 features a newly developed 1/1.7” 10MP CMOS sensor, which is paired with an updated image processor. Together, these technologies afford a high level of image quality, clarity and more natural color rendering while also contributing to high low-light sensitivity up to ISO 12800. A newly designed Leica DC-Vario-Summilux lens has also been incorporated and it features a 3.5x optical zoom range. This 4.7-17.7mm f/1.4-2.3 ASPH lens (equivalent to 24-90mm in 35mm format) is about one stop faster than the D-LUX 5, enabling it to isolate subject matter more effectively for shallow depth-of-field applications. This faster maximum aperture also pairs well with the high ISO sensitivity, making this an ideal tool for existing-light photography in almost any situation. The increased speed from the reformulated image processor also boosts the HD video performance and enables the D-LUX 6 to record Full HD 1080p movies in both AVCHD and Internet-friendly MP4 codecs. Additionally, the continuous shooting rate has risen to an impressive 12 frames per second.

In regard to design, the D-LUX 6 integrates a manual aperture ring for greater direct control of exposure settings. This ring provides physical satisfaction when altering your f-stop and provides an additional point of contact for stability. An integrated neutral density filter also contributes to exposure control and is accessible through a sliding switch located on the rear of the camera. This ND filter can reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor by three stops, providing even greater control of selective focus and exposure lengths. The 360° panoramic function has been enhanced by the inclusion of a spirit level that helps to ensure even horizon lines and the aligning of different subject planes. Monitoring and review of imagery can be done on the high resolution 3-inch 960K-dot LCD, or via the optional EVF 3 viewfinder, with an effective resolution of 1.4 million-dots and the ability to tilt upward 90° for better low-level viewing.

The D-LUX 6 records images in either JPEG or RAW format, which can be further enhanced during post-production with the included Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 download.

Leica V-LUX 4

The Leica V-LUX 4 features similar improvements to the D-LUX 6 and is essentially a well-rounded refinement of the V-LUX 3. This point-and-shoot camera has a Leica DC-Vario-Elmarit 4.5-108mm f/2.8 ASPH lens (equivalent to 25-600mm in 35mm), giving you a large 24x optical zoom range. This lens has been greatly redeveloped and now supports the wide f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout the entire zoom range, enabling shorter shutter speeds for less camera shake when working with longer focal lengths. The lens is well-balanced by a 12-megapixel 1/2.33” CMOS sensor, which provides a high level of image quality and sensitivity up to ISO 6400.

Besides high quality still imagery, Full HD 1080p movie recording is also supported at 60 fps in the AVCHD format. Alternatively, you can save your videos in a slightly more compressed, but Internet-friendly, MP4 codec for easier uploading to websites. When recording video, zooming is possible throughout the entire 24x optical range, as well as quickly switching between still and motion captures. Sound is recorded via an integrated stereo microphone with a built-in wind-cut filter.

Monitoring and image playback are both possible on the tiltable and rotatable display, which is beneficial for working at a variety of angles, or with the high-resolution 1.3 million-dot electronic viewfinder. This viewfinder’s resolution is a significant improvement over the V-LUX 3 and ensures smoother motion, higher sharpness, more vivid colors and contrast and a fuller display of camera information and settings. The improved responsiveness of the EVF also combines well with the fast autofocus response time of less than 0.1 second and quickened start-up time of less than 1 sec.

Along the same lines as the D-LUX 6, the V-LUX 4 includes the ability to record 360° panoramic images, high speed burst shooting up to 12 frames per second, JPEG and RAW file formats and a free download of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 for post-production processing.