Leica V-Lux 5 Revealed: A True Premium All-Rounder Camera?
Leica has unveiled the V-Lux 5. Largely, in fact, almost entirely a rebadged Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II, it’s the heir to the V-Lux Typ 114; itself, a rebadged Panasonic Lumix FZ1000. Read on for more.
Beyond a handful of tasteful modifications, such as a polished pop-up flash housing, rounded edges, Leica branding and the [iconic] red dot, the V-Lux 5 is identical in specification to the FZ1000 II from Lumix.
It boasts the very same Vario-Elmarit 24-400mm [equivalent] F2.8-4 ASPH lens, which sits in front of a 20-megapixel 1″ type CMOS sensor.
The 2.36MP OLED electronic viewfinder [EVF] is absolutely identical to the V-Lux Typ 114 EVF, aside from a more magnified view [0.74x vs. 0.7x], but the three” articulating monitor on the rear of the camera does feature comes with a modest improvement in resolution when compared to the V-Lux Typ 114 [1.24 million pixels compared to 920k pixels] and is now touch-sensitive.
The V-Lux 5 is the first model in Leica’s range that can be used with the Leica FOTOS App. To use the app, users simply need to connect the camera to their iOS or Android smartphone via Bluetooth so it can be operated remotely. Photos and videos can then be transferred for post-processing or sharing on social platforms with ease.
The V-Lux 5’s battery can be powered via USB in addition to a main electric socket which is great news for those shooting on the move.
Technical data
| Camera name | Leica V-LUX 5 |
| Camera – effective pixels | 20.1 megapixels |
| Image sensor | 1″ MOS sensor, primary colour filter |
| Lens | 16x optical zoom |
| Zoom range | 9.1 mm to 146 mm(equivalent to 25 to 400 mm in 35 mm film format) |
| Aperture range | f/2.8 to f/11 (extreme wide-angle) – f/4 to f/11 (extreme telephoto) |
| Image stabilisation | Optical |
| Focusing range | AF: 30 cm (0.98 feet) (extreme wide-angle)/1 m (3.3 feet) (telephoto) to infinityAF Macro/MF/Snapshot Modes/Video: 3 cm (0.098 feet) (extreme wide-angle)/1 m (3.3 feet) (extreme telephoto) to infinity |
| Shutter system | Electronic shutter + mechanical shutter |
| Shutter speed | Stills (with mechanical shutter): B (Bulb) (max. approx. 120 s), 60 – 1/4000 sStills (with electronic shutter): 1 – 1/16000 sVideo: 1/25 – 1/16000 s1/2 – 1/16000 s (When [Exposure Mode] is set to [M] in Creative Video Mode and [MF] is selected) |
| Exposure | Programme AE (P)/aperture priority AE (A)/shutter speed priority AE (S)/manual exposure setting (M)Exposure compensation (1/3 EV steps, -5 EV to +5 EV) |
| Metering modes | Multiple/centre-weighted/spot |
| Monitor | 3.0″ TFT LCD (3:2) (Approx. 1,240,000 dots; field of view approx. 100%)Touch screen |
| Viewfinder | 0.39″ OLED Live Viewfinder (4:3) (Approx. 2,360,000 dots; field of view approx.100%) |
| Flash | Built-in pop-up flashAUTO, AUTO/Red-Eye Reduction, Forced ON, Forced ON/Red-Eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-Eye Reduction, Forced OFF |
| Microphone | Stereo (built-in) |
| Recording media | SD Memory Card/SDHC Memory Card*/SDXC Memory Card** UHS-Ι UHS Speed Class 3 |
| Recording file format | Still: RAW/JPEGVideo: MP4 |
| Audio compression format | AAC (2 ch) |
| Interfaces | Microphone (off-camera): 3.5 mm stereo jackRemote: 2.5 mm jackHDMI: Micro HDMI Type DUSB/charge: USB 2.0 (High Speed)/USB 2.0 Micro-B |
| Wireless | IEEE 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi compliant WPA™/WPA2™, infrastructure modeBluetooth version 4.2 |
Pricing and availability
Like several of Leica’s rebadged cameras, the price difference, when compared to the Panasonic equivalent is notable. The V-Lux 5 is available now, at $1,250, or well above the $899 for the FZ-1000 II, which is a bargain by Leica standards and will deliver Leica fans a genuine multi-use camera without the need to invest in a Leica interchangeable lens system.
The Leica V-Lux 5 is available from 10th July in London from the Leica Store Mayfair, Leica Store City, Leica Store Harrods and authorised dealers as well as online.
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