The Leica D-Lux 8 is an up to date 17MP fanatic zoom compact digital camera that makes use of a sequence of crops of a 4 Thirds sized sensor to offer a number of facet ratios. It is a light replace of the D-Lux 7 with refreshed look, revised interface and a much-improved viewfinder.
Key Specs
As much as 17MP photographs from a 22MP 4 Thirds (17.3 x 13mm) CMOS sensor
24-75mm equiv. 10.9-34mm F1.7-2.8 stabilized lens
2fps taking pictures with AF, 17fps with out
Captures DNG Uncooked information
Bigger, 2.36M dot OLED viewfinder
1.84M dot rear touchscreen
Up to date consumer interface
UHS-II card compatibility
5Gbps USB-C port
The D-Lux 8 is without doubt one of the solely fanatic compacts in the marketplace, however follows on from a number of the better of their sort. It combines a comparatively giant sensor, a vivid F1.7-2.8 zoom and a excessive degree of direct management for shutter velocity, aperture worth and ISO or publicity compensation. In lots of respects it is conceptually just like Fujifilm’s X100 sequence, however with a zoom.
The Leica D-Lux8 is out there from July 2 at a really useful worth of $1595, a $400 premium over the earlier mannequin.
Index:
What’s new
The D-Lux8 is a comparatively refined replace of the 2018 D-Lux 7, with a lot of the underlying {hardware} unchanged. The physique has been redesigned and there are some modifications to the controls and interface however the sensor and lens are the identical as these used within the D-Lux7 and the Panasonic LX100 II.
4:3
3:2
16:9
1:1
This sees it use the identical association by which all the sensor area isn’t used however as an alternative a alternative of three facet ratios which have the identical diagonal angle-of-view is obtainable. So you may change between 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 and keep the identical 24mm equiv. widest angle from the lens. The 1:1 setting is dealt with extra like nearly all of cameras and easily crops in from the default sensor area.
OLED viewfinder
Essentially the most vital change is the usage of a normal OLED viewfinder. Earlier fashions used field-sequential shows that will show their pink, inexperienced and blue elements one after the opposite. For some customers this may give distracting pink/inexperienced/blue fringing artefacts when their eye strikes across the body or they have interaction the menus as a result of they grow to be conscious that the three colours have not up to date to the identical diploma.
So though the viewfinder spec seems like a downgrade on paper, in observe its 2.36M dots (1024 x 768 px) may give a extra nice expertise than the two.76M dot-equivalent finder within the D-Lux 7.
The D-Lux 8’s finder can also be bigger, with a magnification equal to 0.74x, relatively than 0.7x within the earlier digital camera. Once more it seems like a small change however it ends in a a lot nicer expertise.
The rear display screen additionally sees a decision enhance, transferring to 1.84M dots (960 x 640 px), relatively than the 1.24M (∼786 x 524px) of the older mannequin.
DNG seize
The opposite vital specification change within the D-Lux8 is that it may well now seize its Uncooked knowledge in the usual DNG format, relatively than Panasonic’s RW2 information that the D-Lux 7 shot.
The D-Lux 8 additionally adopts a USB-C connector, relatively than the Micro B sort connection on the earlier mannequin. Likewise the digital camera’s Bluetooth capabilities have been introduced as much as the newer 5.0 LE normal, relatively than 4.2, however the Wi-Fi remains to be a comparatively fundamental 2.4Mhz connection.
Past this, a lot of what units the D-Lux 8 aside from its predecessor is its revised physique and interface. Leica has made an effort to deliver it into line with the Q3 full-sensor fastened lens digital camera, usually for the higher.
The way it compares
As talked about in the beginning of the article, the D-Lux 8 enters a much-reduced fanatic compact house, in contrast with the one its predecessor competed in. However there are nonetheless small cameras providing good picture high quality and photographer-friendly ranges of direct management, whilst many of the market retreats to the upper revenue margins of interchangeable lens cameras.
Sony’s RX100 Va remains to be a present mannequin, providing an analogous quick, vivid zoom and, after all, there’s maybe essentially the most seen small digital camera for photographers, the Fujifilm X100 VI.
Leica D-Lux 8
Sony DSC-RX100 VA
Fujifilm X100 VI
Ricoh GR III
MSRP
$1595
$999
$1599
$899
Sensor measurement(Crop issue)
183mm²(2.21x)
115mm² (2.74x)
369mm²(1.53x)
367mm²(1.53x)
Decision
17MP (4:3)
20MP
40MP
24MP
Zoom vary(FF Equiv)
24-75mm
24-70mm
35mm
24mm
Max aperture (Equal vary)
F1.7-2.8(F3.8-6.2)
F1.8-2.8(F4.9-7.7)
F2(F3.1)
F2.8(F4.3)
Viewfinder
OLED2.36M dots0.74x magazine
Pop-up OLED2.36M dots0.59x magazine
Hybrid Optical/Digital 2.39M dots0.66x magazine
None
Rear display screen
1.86M dot fastened
1.22M dot tilting
1.62M dot tilting
1.04M dot fastened
File codecs
USB connection
USB-C5 Gbps
USB-B (Micro)480 MBPS
USB-C10 Gbps
USB-C5 Gbps
Mic / Headphone socket
Sure / No
Sure / No
Sure / by way of adapter
No / No
Reminiscence card sort
UHS-II
UHS-I SDMemory Stick
UHS-I
UHS-I
Weight
397g
299g
521g
257g
The updates to the D-Lux 8 means it has top-of-the-line viewfinders within the class, and turns into one of many solely choices to make use of the quicker UHS-II SD playing cards (not that these stills-focused cameras particularly want it). Its sensor measurement means it is a bigger digital camera than the Sony however can provide a zoom, whereas you could transfer to a chief lens if you need a bigger sensor in a compact digital camera.
Physique and Dealing with
The D-Lux 8 has a considerably simplified physique and interface in contrast with the D-Lux 7.
The highest plate of the digital camera now has an influence button, relatively than the on-off change of its predecessor. The devoted publicity comp dial has been changed by a command dial with a customized button at its middle, which itself replaces the ‘A’ button that was current on the D-Lux 7.
This practice button and the 2 slightly below the shutter velocity dial and the button on the middle of the four-way controller may be configured to regulate any of 38 choices, from Publicity Comp and ISO Shutter Velocity Restrict to switching between the video and stills modes. You’ll be able to reconfigure the perform of a button by merely holding the button down for 2 seconds.
The command dial on the nook of the digital camera has 4 attainable settings: Publicity Comp, ISO, Off or Auto. The Auto setting sees the dial’s perform change relying on the place of the aperture ring and shutter velocity dial.
Shutter velocity dial
Aperture ring setting
Publicity mode
Command dial perform (Auto)
A
F-no
Aperture precedence
Publicity Comp.
Time worth
A
Shutter precedence
1/3EV shutter adj
A
A
Versatile Program
F-no
Time worth
F-no
Handbook Publicity
1/3EV shutter adj
Interface
There have been massive modifications to the D-Lux’s interface, too, giving it a detailed resemblance to that of the Q3 (it hasn’t gained the pink/yellow indication for stills/video taking pictures that we noticed on the SL3).
Urgent the menu button takes you to a settings panel display screen, from which you’ll be able to regulate any publicity worth that is not being set by the particular place of one of many dials (you may’t over-rule the aperture or shutter velocity controls). Beneath this are a sequence of icons that may be tapped or navigated to, to vary numerous digital camera settings.
To get to the primary menu you could press the menu button a second time or faucet the icon with three strains on the decrease proper of the settings panel. This takes you right into a 5 web page, 29-option menu.
Throughout the menu, scrolling up and down additionally scrolls between its 5 pages. Urgent proper modifications the present choice or takes you right into a sub-menu, the place required. Urgent left takes you again out of the sub-menus and again as much as the primary menu degree.
There’s one minor oddity, although: urgent left from the highest degree of the menu jumps you one web page to the left. However you press the Menu button to leap a web page to the suitable. That is barely uncommon habits because it’s extra widespread for left/proper or up/down button combos to ship opposing actions. The left/Menu mixture requires a bit extra acutely aware thought.
Most of key choices are within the settings display screen, and the power to shortly reconfigure the digital camera’s 4 customizable buttons means you may achieve fast or semi-quick entry to all of the photographic parameters you are prone to want. Just like the Q3 and different latest Leica cameras, the D-Lux 8 finally ends up being an impressively photo-focused digital camera: you might have direct entry to shutter velocity, aperture and both publicity comp or ISO, after which fast entry to the opposite. Every little thing else is considerably secondary to this, that means you may focus in your pictures, not the digital camera’s different capabilities.
Battery
The D-Lux 8 makes use of the identical BP-DC15 battery as its predecessor. This can be a profit by way of compatibility with broad availability. Nevertheless it additionally means it is nonetheless depending on a comparatively small 7.4Wh battery. Leica would not specify a CIPA-standard battery determine however we might guess at a quantity someplace within the sub-300 shot-per-charge area. It is definitely sufficiently small that you will wish to preserve observe of the place your USB-C lead is.
Preliminary impressions
Aspect-by-side with the Panasonic LX100 II you may see the digital camera has grown a bit bigger however displays a a lot cleaner, extra targeted design.
The D-Lux 8 is, in lots of respects, a D-Lux 7 with a belated facelift and a 2024 price ticket to match. Despite this, I discovered myself relatively liking it.
For a begin, I am delighted to see anybody nonetheless dedicated to creating fanatic compacts. The D-Lux 8 is expensive but when any producer is aware of easy methods to survive in a distinct segment market, I might be inclined to not wager towards Leica. And the D-Lux 8 is a genuinely higher digital camera than the 7, even when lots of the updates merely deliver the connections and card compatibility as much as newer requirements.
I discovered the transfer to a standard OLED viewfinder made a giant distinction, as I am usually relatively delicate to the rainbow tearing impact seen in field-sequential shows. The D-Lux 7’s finder refreshed shortly sufficient that it wasn’t too distracting, however eliminating the impact totally is definitely welcome. The 8’s autofocus can also be improved, with the AF monitoring displaying spectacular tenacity, which once more makes the digital camera nicer to make use of.
Nevertheless it’s the transfer to the brand new, stripped-down interface that impressed me most. The D-Lux 8 places the important thing photographic parameters proper at my fingertips such that I might simply give attention to images, relatively than fascinated with what bells and whistles the digital camera would possibly comprise.
Even after per week with the digital camera I discovered it tough to adapt to the mixture of the left and Menu buttons to maneuver left and proper by means of the menu tabs, however fortunately it is not essential to delve into the primary menu fairly often.
On the finish of my week with the digital camera, I discovered myself hit with an enthusiast-camera conundrum: ‘given the similarity of its management structure, why did not I get pleasure from it as a lot as I do the X100 fashions?’ And I am genuinely not sure. In lots of respects the Leica has a extra targeted interface than the most recent Fujifilms, which is unquestionably a bonus. It is also appreciably extra compact, which is a plus for a small digital camera. So why would not it really feel as particular?
I’ve three theories: is it that the motor-driven zoom induces a lag, and being a zoom requires a bit extra thought in regards to the framing choices in entrance of me? Is it that I do know the D-Lux 8 will not fairly ship the picture high quality that the bigger sensor and prime lens of an X100 can? Or is it, as a insightful buddy recommended, that it would not share the Fujifilm’s enticing coloration modes, such that the EVF would not maintain the identical promise that its pictures will look actually good?
I do not know for positive. However I favored the D-Lux 8 sufficient that I am unable to wait to pay money for one once more to see if it should discover a related place in my coronary heart.
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