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› Summit Creative Tenzing 50L backpack
PRICE: £1450
LEICA-CAMERA.COM
SPECS › Lens 24-75mm f/1.7-2.8 (35mm equivalent) › Sensor size Micro Four Thirds › Resolution 21.7 megapixels › Shutter speed range 60secs to 1/16,000sec › Sensitivity ISO 100 to 25,000 › Max continuous shooting 11fps (no AF) › Image stabilisation No › LCD 3in touchscreen, 1.84m dots › Max video resolution 4K/30p › Connectivity USB-C, HDMI Type D › Media SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II › Dimensions (wxhxd) 130x69x62mm › Weight (with battery and memory card) 397g › Autofocus points 49 › EVF OLED, 2.36m dots “What’s more, the viewfinder is as much substance as it is style, with 2.36 million dots showing scenes in great detail”
Is this new compact Leica model really deluxe? See how it stacks up against similar cameras on the market Leica D-Lux 8 the specification of the Leica D-Lux 8 is a dead ringer for the Panasonic Lumix LX100 II, which can be picked up for roughly £500 less. But, as I’ve TESTED BY ROGER PAYNE
mentioned, this camera isn’t for people purely focused on spec. There’s little doubt the D-Lux 8 is a very pretty piece of kit. Clean and simple, the design is an aesthetic tour de force, borrowing much from the Q3 model. In some respects, the camera’s looks do come ahead of its functionality. The most obvious example is the distinct lack of grip, which I found left overall handling lacking. I also found the lack of a tilting rear screen less than ideal. The Rangefinder-style OLED EVF is much more appealing and certainly ties in with the Leica look. What’s more, the viewfinder is as much substance as it is style, with 2.36 million dots showing scenes in great detail and making for easy framing. Speaking of framing, the aspect ratio selector switch sitting on top of GET IN FRAME The excellent viewfinder on the D-Lux 8 allows you to see that you’re capturing the scene you want
IF YOU’RE LOOKING at a Leica from a spec perspective, you’re looking at a Leica for all the wrong reasons. Owning one is supposed to be a special experience – one left for a discerning few. Not someone who’s making their purchasing decision based on megapixel count or the number of dots on a rear LCD screen. Admittedly, since the days Henri Cartier-Bresson was using a Leica to record some of photography’s most iconic documentary images, the company has transitioned a little. The legendary Frenchman’s favoured Rangefinder models are still available, but recent years have seen compact cameras with greater mass market appeal arrive on the scene; the D-Lux line-up a perfect example. It’s no secret that, although these compact cameras wear the Leica badge and have its hallmark minimalist styling touches, their internals bear a striking resemblance to Panasonic cameras. In this case,
Issue 118 | Photography News 37
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