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Leica Digilux 1 3.9 Megapixel 3x Optical/2xDigital Zoom Advanced Point-and-shoot Digital Camera (Leica-18211)
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More…| Overall rating | 74 |
| Image quality: To gauge picture quality, we take a series of shots, with and without flash, at 640 by 480 resolution and at the camera's highest resolution. We photograph a complex still life and a mannequin to see how well each camera captures details and subtle colorings such as skin tones. A panel of judges reviews the on-screen and printed photos and assigns image-quality scores; we then average those scores. | Fair |
| Ease of use | Good |
| Features | Very good |
| Maximum effective pixels/resolution | 3.9 megapixels/2240 by 1680 |
| Bundled media | 64MB Secure Digital |
| Focal range (35mm equivalent) | 33mm to 100mm |
| Aperture range | f2 to f8 |
| Shutter speed range (seconds) | 8 seconds to 1/1000 second |
| Viewfinders | Optical viewfinder, 2.5-inch LCD screen |
| Video/audio recording | Yes/yes |
| Semiautomatic/manual modes | Six scene modes; aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual modes; manual focus |
| Optional lenses | Wide-angle and telephoto |
| Software | Adobe Photoshop Elements, ACD Systems ACDSee |
| Battery score | Good |
| Battery life | 360 shots, 126 minutes |
| Battery type | One rechargeable lithium ion |
| Dimensions and weight (including battery) | 5 by 3.2 by 2.6 inches; 16.1 ounces |
| Support policy score | Outstanding |
| Support policies | Two-year parts and labor warranty; toll-free support for 24 hours daily |
Bottom Line
The Digilux 1''s retro looks will appeal to some and put off others. Its fast shooting may interest action photographers, but our tests suggest some exposure accuracy problems.
Leica Digilux 1
Digilux 1 3.9 Megapixel 3x Optical/2xDigital Zoom Advanced Point-and-shoot Digital Camera (Leica-18211) Review, by Carla Thornton September 25, 2002
The Leica Digilux's spare German design recalls a more elegant era when simple, black, and boxy was the favored look for cameras. Aiming for this higher artistic plane, the 1-pound Digilux 1's smoothly finished magnesium case sports a mode dial and a few judiciously placed toggles but few multipurpose buttons. As a result, you'll have to use menus to access some popular features, such as white balance. Fortunately, the camera's best and most highly touted feature as a "reportage" camera--fast shooting--is within easy reach. Flip the mode dial's stacked toggle and you can squeeze off up to eight full-resolution shots in a couple of seconds.
The 3X optical (2X digital) camera's next-best feature is its LCD, which measures a huge 2.5 inches diagonally. It's easy to view indoors and out (though its attachable LCD hood doesn't add anything). Third on the list is the 64MB Secure Digital card that comes with the camera and the Digilux's generous software bundle that includes Adobe's Photoshop Elements and ACD Systems' ACDSee.
However, not all of the Digilux's features match its film-noir elegance. Slightly stiff toggles, dawdling playback zooms, and the difficult-to-use English/German user's manual constitute the minor problems. Image quality is the major one: The 3.9-megapixel Digilux 1 landed near the bottom of the pack in our image-quality tests for its darkish shots in automatic mode--even outdoors on a sunny day. Large color swatches (such as the sky) displayed distracting artifacts. It handled our still-life shot the best, creating fairly sharp lines and good detail.
The Digilux 1 did its best work in a well-lit room with no flash; viewed on a monitor, these shots' colors were slightly off, but printed photos looked well exposed and realistic. Unfortunately, the Digilux 1 doesn't include an exposure lock, so you'll have to use manual mode to ensure the correct exposure for multiple photographs. However, most advanced photographers probably will operate in this mode anyway, given the Digilux's image-quality problems in automatic mode. The camera lasted a respectable 360 shots on one charge of its lithium ion battery.
UPSHOT: The Digilux 1's retro looks will appeal to some and put off others. Its fast shooting may interest action photographers, but our tests suggest some exposure accuracy problems.
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: mstephen1
Strengths: Great lens, very 35mm SLR like. Very user friendly. Final product, (pictures) fantastic.
Weaknesses: Expensive if you do not shop around.
Overall: As a old 35MM camera buff I have finally found a digital camera I feel comfortable with. This is my 8th digital camera and until now, all felt digital. The Digilux is a great find for me. I just recently sold a Sony 707. I believe the shots from the digilux are as good or better than the 707.
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Reviewed by: levpanh
Strengths: High image quality, excellent menu layout, good battery life, fast image record time, external flash mount, good autofocus
Weaknesses: Body is durable but dials and buttons seems weak
Overall: Instantly fell in love with this camera. Excellent image quality and user controls. Beautifully designed body and button/dials location. External flash mount works with my Nikon 35mm flash (SB28 in auto). This enables me to do creative things not possible with built in flash. If you want to use a digital camera creatively (know the basics of photography) get it. Not much too complain about!
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Reviewed by: bnphotog
Strengths: Clean design, easy to use, great image when used at the ISO 100 setting. Good flash coverage. Great LCD.
Weaknesses: Huge weakness: When used at the ISO settings of 200 and 400, the images pick up so much noise that they are virtually unusable. The quality is dreadful.
Overall: Overall, I love the Digilux, but will never use it at any ISO setting other than 100. This camera should not be purchased by anyone wanting to use it in low light situations at ISO 200 or 400. Leica should not have brought this camera out without solving the noise problem.
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