D-Lux 8 | Our Review

Leica recently re-entered the enthusiast compact camera market with the launch of the Leica D-Lux 8. The camera combines a relatively large 22MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm) CMOS sensor (for images of up to 17MP) with a fast f/1.7 - 2.8 aperture stabilised zoom lens offering an equivalent 24-75mm range. best of all for the photography enthusiast, a high level of direct control is available, with the camera's shutter speed, aperture value and ISO or exposure compensation controlled directly by their own dial or wheel. 

The viewfinder is much improved over the previous generation model, and now features a larger 2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder and 1.84 million dot rear touchscreen. The camera body has been redesigned with design clues taken from the Leica Q3 and now features a much simpler and intuitive interface and menu system. 

D-Lux 8 at a glance:

• £1450
• 4/3" CMOS Sensor, 22 MP / 17 MP (total/effective)
• Leica DC Vario-Summilux 10.9 - 34 f/1.7 - 2.8 ASPH lens (35mm equivalent: 24-75mm)
• Digital Compact Camera
• Supports DNG file format
• Unique Leica design and intuitive user interface
• Connects seamlessly to Leica FOTOS App
• External flash included
• USB-C Charging Cable
• UHS-II card compatibility 

Our Review

As stated above, the camera is built around a 22MP Four Thirds sensor, only Leica employs its sensor in a rather unique way. The camera never uses the entire sensor area to create an image, instead cropping the image to offer a range of aspect ratios with the same diagonal angle of view. These can be selected by adjusting the aspect ratio dial which is positioned on the top of the lens next to where it fixes to the camera. 

The largest output size is in the 4:3 ratio setting, at 4736 x 3552 px or 17 megapixels. This 4:3 ratio offers the highest quality images and corresponds to an image area of 15.8 x 11.9mm. Then the 3:2 and 16:9 modes get progressively wider but lower, at 4928 x 3288 px (16.2MP) and 5192 x 2904 (15.1MP) respectively. There's also a square format mode, which is simply a 12.6MP crop from 4:3, which is perfect for social media users wanting to upload directly to instagram. 

The 10.9-34mm f/1.7-2.8 Leica DC Vario Summilux ASPH lens gives a 24-75mm equivalent angle of view. The large f/1.7 aperture, coupled with the relatively large sensor, helps to provide the blurred backgrounds and shallow depths of field often associated with much larger camera and lens combinations, and provides real life creative effects often not associated with small, compact cameras. Optical stabilisation is built in, and the lens has a thread for 43mm filters. Raw files are recorded in the user-friendly DNG format, which means they should be recognised by most processing software. The camera can also output JPEGs, with a range of additional filters available within the jpeg settings which include vivid and natural colour and high contrast or natural black and white- during testing I became particularly fond of the high contrast black and white filter for street photography. 

Continuous shooting is available at 11 frames per second, however this comes with focus needing to be fixed and in 10-bit raw. Once the continuous speed is dropped to 7fps, you get live view between frames and at 2fps, the camera offers continuous autofocus and the full 12-bit raw output. The shutter speed dial on top of the camera is marked from 1 second to 1/2000 sec with the mechanical shutter actually providing speeds from 60 seconds to 1/4000 seconds. These are selected using an electronic dial or the touchscreen, depending on how the camera is set up. Engaging the electronic shutter extends this to 1/16,000 second, which allows shooting at large apertures in bright light without the help of a neutral density filter. 

Video recording is available in 4K resolution at 30fps, or Full HD at 60fps with video clips being limited to 29 minutes in length, and sound being recorded through the cameras built-in stereo microphone. 

The Leica D-Lux 8 may be of a similar size to the previous generation camera however its very different in terms of its design. The control layout has been dramatically simplified from the previous D-Lux 7, and now matches the intuitive design ethos that Leica introduced with the premium Leica Q3. The camera body shape also echoes the Q3, with a flat front and curved ends which are ultimately inspired by Leica's iconic M-series rangefinders. 

Shooting with the Leica D-Lux 8 is a joy- its compact and lightweight size means one can take the camera with you anywhere, whether around your neck or packed safely away in to your pocket, the camera is always ready for the next photography. And with its wide range of direct controls and simplified interface, its a camera that makes the user feel like they're in full control of the image making process, providing precise control over image composition and allowing one to adjust all the main exposure parameters whilst holding the camera up to your eye. 

The Leica D-Lux 8 is available to order now from Leica Store Manchester with a range of accessories including various coloured leather hand cases, automatic lens caps, straps and camera grips also available to order.