A review of the Leica C-Lux 1 Digital Camera
When you hear the name Leica, you instantly think quality, detail, knowledge and experience and this digital camera looks to have taken on all of these characteristics. Have Leica excelled themselves again with the C-Lux 1 or is this rather expensive digicam just a pretty face? Design |
| Leica are very clever in the way that they seem to keep all of their cameras, new or old, looking timeless and well, Leica-ish. Other manufacturers designs can blend into one another and if the name was covered up, you would be pushed to guess who made it, but with Leica they have an air of sophistication and age and can make a high-tech digital camera look old fashioned, but still cool. The C-Lux 1 is no exception to the rule, with dimensions of 94mm (w) x 51mm (h) x 24mm (d) it is pretty small and palm sized. The controls are kept to a neat minimum, as on top there is the power button, shutter release and anti-shake buttons. The mode selector dial is positioned in the top right corner and half protrudes from the camera so you can use the edge of your thumb to turn it to select your mode. Next to the dominating 2.5in LCD is the d-pad with menu option in the centre and two small buttons underneath, which are delete and playback. The front of the camera is gorgeous, a true fashion statement, especially in the silver finish as it doesn’t appear as dated as the black. There are 3 different coloured stylish cases available, red, black and Cognac brown, and we suggest that if you purchase the silver model, a case is a must as the finishing is susceptible to scratches. |
| Features |
| The Leica C-Lux 1 carries the excellent and completely necessary combination of high sensitivity (up to 1600 ISO) and Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) ensuring the most sharp, crisp and clear images even of moving subjects. A pretty average 6 megapixels is just about all is needed with the above combination and they do seem to work well together with some quite good photos as proof, more detail from these images would have been better though, but the colours are amazingly bright and sharp. There are 15 scene modes including, portrait, soft skin, landscape, sport, self portrait, food, party, candlelight, fireworks, snow, baby and high sensitivity, so you can experiment with these and create the perfect shot with a little assistance from your new best mate. The toning effects are also quite handy to produce more interesting shots with black & white, sepia, bluish and reddish. With the C-Lux 1 you'll be able to shoot high-impact pictures in vivid color, because the extensive focal-length range of the Leica wide-angle-to-telephoto zoom lens is the 35 mm equivalent of a 28-102 mm. |
| Performance |
| This is a simple, user friendly digital compact and the majority of options are based within the easy to use menu which is quick and straightforward to follow. We like the fact that the LCD screen can be switched to an energy saving mode, which makes the screen darker, but you can still see the excellent image quality of your shots. The battery just keeps on going and will take 320 shots (CIPA) before packing up, which is usually suffice in most common shooting situations. Thanks to its mega short shutter delay and precise autofocus, it can be relied upon to capture valuable, unique moments and above all, it’s instantly ready to take those spur-of-the-moment snapshots. |
| What's In The Box? |
| Battery, Battery charger, 64mb SD card, USB cable, AV cable, AC Cable, wrist strap, CD software. |
| Overall Opinion |
| With clear and crisp shots, easy to use menu, and stunning looks there is no denying that the Leica C-Lux 1 is a great digital camera, but at £380 we were just a bit concerned that you would be paying for the name more than anything else. |
| By Hayley Malyon |
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Pros + High Sensitivity up to 1600 ISO + 6 Megapixels + 64mb card supplied |
Cons - Expensive |
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Picture Quality 9/10
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Battery Life 9/10
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Setup Simplicity 8/10
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Build Quality 9/10
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Ease of Use 8/10
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Overall Rating 
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14/11/2006
at 10:25:50am
