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Editorial Review :
The Leica V-Lux 20, with a high-performance super-zoom lens with focal lengths ranging from 25-300mm, makes it ideal for almost any photographic situation.
Customer Review :
Own Both the Leica V-Lux 20 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7, And............
......I do notice several things the V-Lux 20 does better than the DMC-ZS7.......
The color rendering seems to be more true on the V-Lux 20 (the ZS7 has a slight "cyan" cast), fewer blown highlights (maybe the biggest drawback of the ZS7), and most-importantly- superior noise reduction. The Leica's internal NR is in my opinion comparable to the very best post-process noise-reduction products out there, including Topaz DeNoise 4. (Most point-and-shoot cameras I prefer the minimum NR setting, the Leica I prefer the default setting. I actually get better results from the camera's own NR, with either no or minimal post-processing. On the other hand, the ZS7's NR is more typical for in-camera NR, where I use the minimum settings, and then fixed with more-intense post-processing.) The video also seems to have more resolution and less highlight clipping. (Although the vertical streaks from bright lights is exactly the same as the ZS7.) The question will come down to whether these advantages justify the price difference. I say it's a close call. But if I were to sell one of the cameras, I'd sell the ZS7, only because I do think the V-Lux 20 does yield noticeably better performance, and I think it's the best mega-zoom point-and-shoot available as of right now.
PROS:
- Best image quality of the currently-available mega-zoom compacts I've tried.
- Superb color rendering- Superior to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7.
- Good low-light performance (although can be improved with post processing).
- Very good resolution with videos. (Comparable to the Sony DSC-HX5V in spite of 720p specs.)
- Superb autofocus during videos. Rarely loses focus during zoom. Minimal "motor noise" during zoom.
- Fewer blown highlights relative to the Panasonic ZS7.
- Camera's internal noise reduction comparable to the very best post-process products out there.
CONS:
- The long zoom range and small sensor still cause noise and low-light problems.
- Requires settings adjustments for best IQ. ("Sharpness" set to "-1" reduces "edge artifacts" without sacrificing resolution; "ISO" set to "ISOMAX1600" and "I.EXPOSURE" set to "Standard" improves low-light performance.)
- Image quality still not at a level of the Leica X1 or D-Lux 4.
- Video has exact same vertical streaking from bright lights as the Panasonic ZS7. (The Sony HX5V does not have this flaw.)
- Sample variation/quality control: Had to exchange camera due to a misaligned lens.
- Somewhat excessive "distortion correction" at widest zoom angle. Image slightly "stretched" radially toward the edges. (Although most recent compact cameras have this flaw.)
- High price a judgment call for the stated advantages. If zoom or video isn't a requisite, better IQ can be had elsewhere for the price.
Rating : 
Legendary Leica Quality
This is just a wonderful little camera.
High quality, superb build, legendary Leica quality.
Nice photos, feature rich.
The GPS is so handy.
Highly recommended.
Rating :
Over Kill
First let me start by saying I have never bought a digital camera that did not come with a memory card.(this is my 3rd). This $699 camera did not. I called Willoubhy's and they said I would have to buy one. So I bought an 8GB card for $42. It works fine for still pictiues but not for video. I called again and they said someone should have told me that I needed a HIGH SPEED memory card. I am waiting for Willoughby's to send me one. No where in the instructions that came with the Leica was that stated. You must first put in a disc that comes with the Leica in you computer for instructions on how to use the camera. What if you don't have a computer. It is well over 100 pages if you deside to print it all. Still, I could not find anything on the memory card for taking video's. If not for the name "LEICA" I think a Japanese camera, that has a Leica lens, would do just as well for one quarter of the price. There is just too much on the camera that you will never use. The pictures are good but so is my Cannon Sure Shot. I had to end up buying a $200 case for the Leica because no other case would fit. I do have to say that the 25MM to 300MM zoom is the best part of the camera.
Rating :
Not quite a Leica.
I am inclined to agree with reviewer RT about the V-Lux 20. I too own the D-Lux 4, and also a Nikon D3S. I was looking for something of Leica quality, but with the added reach of the extra zoom lens. I bought my D-Lux 4 a year ago with a then-in-place rebate from Leica, so I paid exactly the same for my D-Lux 4 as I just paid for the V-Lux 20, so they are worth comparing.
What I have found upon trying the camera out for a few days:
1) GPS: Tags all your photos with place, date and time. Handy if you travel A LOT. Otherwise, a novelty and major battery suck. The GPS draws power even when the camera is off, unless you put it into airplane mode. Presumably this is to have current coordinates on hand when you power it up. The GPS can be slow to 'latch on' when taken out of airplane mode. It took 10 minutes to triangulate the signal with an unobstructed 360-view of the sky in the San Francisco area. If this were a car navigation system, you'd have arrived at your destination by then.
2) Lens: amazing range with significant extra reach over the D-Lux 4. However, the picture quality suffers. Noticeable softness when compared to the D-Lux 4. Not significantly better than Canon Powershots, which run half the price. (I own two Powershots as well.) However, color rendition and contrast are superior to Canon point-and-shoots. See the focal length sample photo I uploaded to to the V-Lux 20 product description here on Amazon. [UPDATE: I ran some side by side comparisons with my Powershots, and the Leica lens is not as soft as I first perceived. It is noticeably sharper than the Canons, and does not suffer from much edge softness at very wide angles. Also, the optical zoom in this camera is very impressive for a point-and-shoot. However, you have to be in the right mode otherwise you invoke a little extra (digital) zooming, which is not great.]
3) No RAW. May be a non-issue to some, but I always shoot RAW with my D-Lux 4 and there have been a few amazing shots that I was glad I was able to post-process and get the most out of them. The V-Lux 20 has two JPEG modes: compressed, and less compressed, and you can also choose the aspect ratio and image file size. The lowest appears to be a 'notepad' image size of about 2 mpx.
4) Slower lens: more image noise and less options for shooting in low light than the D-Lux 4, which sports an f2 lens.
5) Build quality. As RT said, definitely not up to the quality of usual Leicas, including the D-Lux 4. It feels flimsy and lightweight. The controls do not feel as smooth and precise as the D-Lux.
6) No hotshoe or viewfinder. Probably not an issue for most people, like me. I never used the external Leica flash and I don't know anyone that ever used the external viewfinder on the D-Lux 4, especially as a fixed viewfinder is fairly useless with a zoom lens. But these might be important for you.
7) Integrated hand grip. Unless you've used the D-Lux 4 without a hand grip, you won't know how important this is. On the D-Lux 4, it's an expensive option; here, it's designed into the body.
8) Integrated lens cover. Very useful.
9) Movie mode. Seemingly the same as the D-Lux 4: 720 HD. One nice touch is there is now a single dedicated button on the back of the V-Lux to start recording a movie. Handy for candid moments. Also, the full focal length of the zoom works during movie mode, which is great. The D-Lux 4 cannot zoom while shooting movies. And the zoom on the V-Lux is dampened, meaning you cannot jump from widest angle to maximum telephoto quickly -- this is a good thing in my opinion as it paces the zoom to be more pleasing to the viewer. Lastly, it seems like the maximum continuous length of movie you can shoot in HD is about 8 min 30 sec. At this point recording will stop and whatever's left in the buffer will be written to disk. Once this is done, you can start another 8 min 30 sec of movie taking. In theory this is fine, but when I was shooting my kids in a 20 minute play, I lost some in the middle. I expect the V-Lux is not being positioned as a replacement for a dedicated movie camera. Also, if you are a Mac user, the movies created with the V-Lux can be imported into iMovie and Final Cut Pro without conversion as they are Picture-JPEG format. (My Nikon D3S, on the other hand shoots 720 HD as .AVI files which cannot be used in Mac editing software without conversion.)
10) Hard-to-find case. People who spring this kind of money for a point and shoot don't want to protect their investment with a ten dollar case from China off eBay. They want the absurdly overpriced but beautifully made Leica case. However, I got an email from Leica today saying that the first shipment of cases won't be in for several weeks, and those are already pre-sold. It could be months before the case actually becomes available. [Update, 06/03/10: the V-Lux case is trickling into the channel. I managed to order one on from an authorized Leica dealer on eBay who had three in stock.]
11) Aesthetics. OK, looks matter. It's a Leica. It has a red dot. As Einstein said, "Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler." The V-Lux 20 has just enough controls, and they are laid out very well. The on-screen menu system leaves a bit to be desired, but then again I've never seen an on-screen menu on any digital camera that didn't look like it came off a DOS computer. The form factor of the body is excellent.
12) No LCD cover. The D-Lux 4 didn't have one either, but most of the back is taken up by the LCD and it WILL get scratched. Do what I did and get the excellent DuraSec adhesive screen protectors. They're made in Germany, and for a few bucks you can buy a pack of 5 that will fit both the D-Lux and V-Lux.
13) Battery life: disappointing. Leica rates it for 300 pictures. I got about 270, only five of which used flash. I suspect that the power-hungry GPS is the culprit here. Annoyingly, the V-Lux battery is very slightly different in size to the D-Lux Battery, so I cannot use my spare D-Lux battery. And the killer is that a spare V-Lux battery is a hundred dollars! Wow. My Nikon D3S uses batteries that cost about that much. But I get over 4,000 shots off one of those batteries, and it's a considerably more complex camera, powering autofocus lenses, viewfinders and 3 displays. I don't know if the V-Lux is 'chipped' -- meaning it will ONLY take the Leica batteries. The Panasonic (see below) is chipped, which has annoyed many owners.
14) Documentation: pretty much none in printed form. The manual (which you WILL need) is a PDF on a CD. I understand discount point-and-shoot makers adopting this strategy to shave a nickel off the retail price, but Leica? My D-Lux came with several printed manuals. And don't think it's Leica's effort to be more environmentally conscious... the burden of using electricity, resources and consumables is just being shifted from it to you! At this price, I expect a manual I can throw in my pocket or camera bag.
15) Camera strap: hand strap only. Leica supplies a hand strap with the camera, and that's all that will fit on the V-Lux 20. Unlike the D-Lux 4, the V-Lux only has one anchor point, so you can only fit a hand strap and not a neck strap. Unfortunately, the official Leica case for this model (Leica #18 700) also does not have a strap of any kind, and you can't add one either. It has a belt loop, so apart from (awkwardly) carrying it in your hands, you can only attach it to your belt. Personally, I like to keep a camera around my neck when I am out and about, so this decision with the V-Lux 20 is unfortunate, especially given it's aforementioned size. It won't easily -- if at all -- slip into a pocket either. Strange, for a camera aimed at the frequent traveler.
The V-Lux 20 is a curious beast indeed. It is pitched as a 'travel' camera, but it is quite big. It's about 70% larger than my Canon Powershot SD780. It's pitched as a 'family camera' judging by the 'notepad' mode and the 3 dedicated pre-defined 'scene' modes, but it's priced way beyond a family camera. It's also positioned as a 'semi-pro camera' with aperture, shutter priority and manual modes, but I doubt any pro would shoot with it due to the shortcomings mentioned above. For comparison, I have achieved results from my D-Lux 4 that are (sometimes) as good as my Nikon DSLR. Not a chance with the V-Lux.
An interesting side note: the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 is essentially the same camera. It was co-developed by Panasonic and Leica, and sports a Leica lens. The offspring of this marriage yielded two cameras: the DMC-ZS7 and the V-Lux 20. My understanding is that there are three main differences: the aesthetic styling of the camera, the JPEG processor (some say the Leica is better), and the price. The Lumix is half the price of the V-Lux 20.
I was initially unsure about keeping this camera or not, but I have decided to keep it as a backup to my D-Lux 4, and as something my whole family can use. Despite its quirks, it will make a decent family camera (with occassional one-button HD video shooting), and the reach of the (optical) telephoto is quite astonishing for a point and shoot.
My advice is: if extra lens reach and geo-tagging of images is really important to you, then the V-Lux 20 is a reasonable investment. Secondhand Leicas still sell for about 90 cents on the dollar (sometimes more.) Compare that to Canon or Panasonic.
However, if picture quality and shooting in low-light are more important, I would spring the modest extra money and get the D-Lux 4. Know that you will still need to buy the hand grip and dedicated case for it, so whichever route you choose, it really is an investment.
I be interested to hear from anyone with hands-on experience of the Lumix sister camera to the V-Lux 20.
Rating :
Too much money for an average camera
I bought this camera with the idea of having a compact multi-purpose camera that I could take everywhere. I was specially excited about the 12x zoom. However, this little camera is far, far from getting anywhere close to any existing Leica camera. I own the D-Lux-4, which is an amazing little camera. Its fast wide angle lens are superb, the construction of the camera is very strong and the camera has a very nice look. The only problem is that I can't take pictures of subjects that are far away. As I read somewhere, in this case my legs are my zoom. And that doesn't always work.
D4's shortcomings made me think of the V20 -with its 12x zoom- as the camera that I could take to every trip or event, without having to pack my DSLR with all its bulky lenses. I knew the lens aperture was not as good as the one you find on the D4, but I was ready to give that up. To my disappointment, the V20 was not up for the task. First of all, it seems like it is going to break if it falls off my hands. Its construction feels extremely weak, i.e. the V20 doesn't qualify for long trips or any harsh conditions. I wasn't impressed by the quality of the pictures I took either. For any practical matters, I couldn't find any significant differences between the pictures I took with the V20 and the ones that you can get with any point and shoot camera available at lower prices, i.e. Sony or Panasonic. Why should anybody pay USD 700 for a regular point and shoot? Maybe this little camera is just for the ones who want to add another red dot to their collection.
I am sorry Leica. The V20 went back to the seller today.
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