Leica D-Lux 8 review

What is the Leica D-Lux 8?

The D-Lux 8 is the cheapest entry point to the Leica digital camera range, so if you’ve always promised yourself that you’ll own one, this is the model to make your dreams a reality.

In truth, it’s a lovely piece of design with minimal buttons, dials and switches that provide access to the features and functions you’ll use the most.

The results are good too, but I personally don’t think there are enough changes over the previous model.

This is more of a D-Lux 7.5 than a D-Lux 8, with developments focused on changing small things rather than offering major leaps forward in resolution or video options.

The Leica experience

If you’re looking at a Leica from a spec perspective, you’re looking at a Leica for all the wrong reasons. Owning one is supposed to be a special experience – one left for a discerning few. Not someone who’s making their purchasing decision based on megapixel count or the number of dots on a rear LCD screen. 

Admittedly, since the days Henri Cartier-Bresson was using a Leica to record some of photography’s most iconic documentary images, the company has transitioned a little. The legendary Frenchman’s favoured Rangefinder models are still available, but recent years have seen compact cameras with greater mass market appeal arrive on the scene; the D-Lux line-up a perfect example.

Leica D-Lux 8 design

It’s no secret that, although these compact cameras wear the Leica badge and have its hallmark minimalist styling touches, their internals bear a striking resemblance to Panasonic cameras. In this case, the specification of the Leica D-Lux 8 is a dead ringer for the Panasonic Lumix LX100 II, which can be picked up for roughly £500 less. But, as I’ve mentioned, this camera isn’t for people purely focused on spec.

There’s little doubt the D-Lux 8 is a very pretty piece of kit. Clean and simple, the design is an aesthetic tour de force, borrowing much from the Q3 model. In some respects, the camera’s looks do come ahead of its functionality. The most obvious example is the distinct lack of grip, which I found left overall handling lacking. I also found the lack of a tilting rear screen less than ideal.

The Rangefinder-style OLED EVF is much more appealing and certainly ties in with the Leica look. What’s more, the viewfinder is as much substance as it is style, with 2.36 million dots showing scenes in great detail and making for easy framing.

Leica D-Lux 8 powerzoom

Speaking of framing, the aspect ratio selector switch sitting on top of the 24-75mm powerzoom lens offers a great way to switch between the four framing options – 4:3, 16:9, 1:1 and 3:2 can all be accessed quickly, allowing you to work out which ratio best suits your scene.

Bear in mind that, while the Micro Four Thirds sensor offers 21.7 megapixels, you’ll never see this pixel count in full effect as the different ratios crop the sensor. The highest resolution available is 17 megapixels in the 4:3 ratio. Surprisingly for a new camera model, the sensor is also exactly the same as the one that appeared in the D-Lux 7. The battery is the same as well, for that matter.

Leica D-Lux 8 upgrades

Rather than a healthy increase in megapixels, Leica has focused on luring customers in through other aspects of the specification. The EVF is an upgrade, plus there are camera control updates, a USB-C connection for charging on the move and Raw files are now recorded in the universal DNG format.

I also enjoyed using the Leica Fotos app, which is available for iOS and Android devices as a free download. Pairing the D-Lux 8 was seamless and this makes it easy to download files ready for sharing, as well as offering remote control.

How does the Leica D-Lux 8 perform?

In use, the little Leica is functional without being exceptional. I found it slow to power up, so I tended to leave the camera on between shots, which resulted in faster battery drain. The powerzoom is also quite slow to operate; whether finessing framing or trying to rack from wide to telephoto, the speed remains mono-paced.

The menu system is logically laid out and quite easy to navigate, simplifying function setting. There is also good exposure control, with the shutter speed dial on the top-plate and aperture ring on the lens making it easy to access the desired PASM exposure mode. A top-plate thumbwheel, which previously only offered exposure compensation, is now customisable.

Whether you’re shooting stills or video, the results come out well. The 24-75mm zoom offers sharpness and detail throughout the range and the autofocus is assured. However, if you’re shooting continuously with autofocus you’ll only get two frames per second. Use manual focusing and this jumps to 11 frames.