Cameras and Photography Explained

Note: due to the tariffs, the price here in the US has currently gone up to US$1915, and the product is out of stock. 

What is It?
The Leica D-Lux8 is basically the third iteration of a camera that originally appeared as the Panasonic LX100. Since then, we’ve had the updated LX100 II/D-Lux7 pair, now we get just a sole D-Lux8, as it seems Panasonic won’t be having a version of this camera for themselves for the time being. 

If you’re used to the Panasonic LX100 design, the Leica D-Lux8 body is more rounded, and simplified in looks. I far prefer the Leica styling to Panasonic's, which felt a bit blocky and mailed in. The Panasonic bodies did have a very minimal front grip, though. Leica substitutes a clean, textured material to provide some minimal gripping ability.

All three variants of this basic camera have an interesting premise at their heart: use of an 4/3 sensor that is not used exactly like a 4/3 sensor is typically used. What do I mean by that?

Well, the image sensor at the heart of the D-Lux8 is a 22mp 4/3 sensor, but the camera only produces ~17mp images from it. Basically, the image circle doesn’t quite come to the usual 4/3 borders, so what you get from the camera are aspect ratios cropped to this slightly smaller image circle. Thus, what you get from the D-Lux8 is this:

• 4:3 aspect — 4736 x 3552 pixels = 16.8mp (approximately 2.2x crop from full frame)
• 3:2 aspect — 4927 x 3288 pixels = 16.2mp
• 16:9 aspect — 5152 x 2904 pixels = 15mp
• 1:1 aspect — 3552 x 3552 pixels = 12.6mp

The interesting thing that happens when you move the aspect ratio switch on the D-Lux8 is that the first three choices all have the same diagonal angle of view, so the built-in 24-75mm (equivalent) lens stays with a 24mm field of view no matter which aspect ratio you’re using. Only the 1:1 aspect ratio is actually a “crop”. 

That 24-75mm lens is stabilized (lens stabilization) and relatively fast at f/1.7 at the 24mm wide end and f/2.8 at the 75mm telephoto focal length. The lens extends outward when the camera is turned on, and at the front is a 43mm filter thread. An aperture ring on the lens lets you set apertures directly (up to f/16), or you can leave it at the A position to have the camera figure out which aperture to use. 

Close focus distance is normally 20” (.5m), but the lens also has a close up mode that provides 1” (.03m) at 24mm to 12” (0.3m) at 75mm.

The D-Lux8 also has a shutter speed dial, allowing you to directly set 1/8 to 1/2000 shutter speeds (plus flash, and some slower options). This dial also has an A position. With both the aperture and shutter speed options set at A, the camera is in Program exposure mode, or one of the Scene modes (e.g. Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Night Scenery, One Point Color). 

The shutter of the D-Lux8 is both mechanical (60s to 1/4000) and electronic (1s to 1/16000). Note that you can’t set all those values via the top-panel dial.

A third unmarked dial is typically used for exposure compensation. It also has a large button in the middle that will give you access to other things, such as ISO or white balance (see handling section, below). 

Thus, on first sight, the Leica D-Lux8 looks much like a simplified dials-based conventional camera. It’s anything but, really, though it can certainly be used that way for basic exposure tasks. 

Two small, unmarked buttons on the back control display view and photo/video, but the main controls on the back are Leica’s now standard user experience (UX) configuration: a large PLAY button, a large MENU button, and a Direction pad (with center button). The first does what you expect, while the MENU button might not. Instead of taking you directly to a text-based menu system, the MENU button takes you to a screen with an array of icons for common things you might want to change, and you can use touch on the Rear LCD (or the Direction pad) to change them. Actual “menus” are one level down from this, though there are only 29 options on 5 pages. So basically, most controls that you’d use on the D-Lux8 are physical, or touch on the Rear LCD after a button press. The camera looks simple, and it can be handled simply, as well.

That Rear LCD is a fixed-in-place 1.84m dot 3” touchscreen. No tilt, no swivel. 

The EVF is where one of the big changes from previous models comes: it’s now a 2.36m dot OLED viewfinder that’s also more visible to someone wearing glasses (now .74x magnification, up from .7x). The viewfinder is nicely bright, has a fast enough refresh to not seem so video-like (unlike the previous field-sequential models), and can display most of the settings you’d be interested in without (usually) getting in the way of the composition. That’s particularly true at 3:2 and especially 16:9, which is where I have my D-Lux8 set by default.

In terms of continuous photography, 2 fps with focus is the max. You’ll get either 12-bit DNG or 8-bit JPEG files. You can also set 7 or 11 fps, but that’s with fixed focus and only 10-bit DNG. That, coupled with the contrast detect focusing system mean that the D-Lux8 is not an action camera, but more of a casual, everyday carry camera.

While the D-Lux8 can record video, it doesn’t have an external microphone or headphone socket, so you’re pretty much stuck with what the stereo mics on the top panel can manage on their own. Also, without a swivel LCD, you can’t really frame vlogging style. Moreover, you’re limited to 4K/30P (8-bit 4:2:0 H264 Long-GOP at 100Mbps), and that comes with a heavy crop. There’s no Log mode, let alone raw function. Needless to say, there’s also a time limit on recording, the old European-tariff-avoiding 29 minutes. To me, video seems to be there because it can be, and is really only for emergency use, not dedicated use.

I glossed over ISO, so let me put some specifics there: ISO 100 to 25,000 is supported for stills, but video has a top ISO of 6400. 

Memory cards for the camera should be SD (UHS II is supported) and are housed in the bottom of the camera next to the battery. The battery is the BP-DC15, which provides 1025mAh at 7.2V. Some third party batteries provide more mAh, but consider this a small, short duration battery. So short that Leica has not provided a CIPA rating.

Leica provides a small CF-D flash unit with the D-Lux8, which has a GN of 7m at base ISO. Interesting, flash is synced to all mechanical shutter speeds.

The D-Lux8 is not real small, though note my comments in Final Words, below. At 14 ounces (397g), the camera has some heft to it for its size, but it’s one of the smaller large sensor compacts you can buy (the Sony RX100 models are smaller, a Fujifilm X100VII is larger).

The D-Lux8 for US$1600 (US$1910 after tariffs). While it says Wetzlar Germany on the back, I'm pretty sure this camera is manufactured by Panasonic in Asia somewhere.

Leica’s page for the camera.

Source of reviewed item: purchased

How’s it Handle?
Dealing with the current Leica UX is a bit like living with a new significant other for the first time. You’ll want things to work your way, but you’ll find an immovable object keeping that from happening.

One of two things inevitably happen: you break up, or you give in to the way things are. Some call this compromise, but it’s really acquiescence. 

My recommendation about the D-Lux8 (and other recent Leica cameras) is that you acquiesce. That may still leave you a bit frustrated at times, but at least you’ll understand what you need to do to move forward. 

The D-Lux8 is not really a dials camera (despite having an aperture ring and shutter speed dial). It’s also not a button+dial camera. It’s mostly a press-the-menu-button-and-tap-on-the-screen (or use the Direction pad) camera. On the initial menu screen, you have control over most of the things you’d want to change, though it’s almost always multiple taps to do so. I would recommend that you take advantage of defining the three user settings, because that means you can quickly completely reconfigure the camera via a single tap, tap. 

The nice aspect of the Leica UX is that most of the time you’re not really dealing with jargon and cryptic menu item names (though you would be if you descend deeper into the menus); you’re simply dealing directly with one aspect of the camera via icons. This, of course, means you need to take enough time to understand what all the tappable icons are about, but again, they’re mostly basic things that probably don’t need a lot of explanation for if you’ve been using any dedicated camera recently. 

The frustrating thing, of course, is that you do many things the tapping (or Direction pad) way or you don’t do them at all. That includes Exposure mode, ISO, Focus Mode, Focus Field, Release Mode, Picture Style, Metering Method, White Balance, and Image Quality. Exceptions are aperture, shutter speed, aspect ratio and exposure compensation, though many will put one or both of those first two dials at A in order to automate exposure. Want to change ISO? MENU button, tap, tap. Want to change focus mode? MENU button, tap, tap. 

If you’re the type that is always adjusting something, the issue here is that you’ll be taking the camera from your eye to do your tapping. Yes, you could conceivably press the Menu button by touch and use Direction pad while still looking through the camera, but to do that consistently, you’re going to spend a lot of time in the training room, as that Direction pad is tough to find by feel. 

There is an alternative to MENU, tap, tap. Long press the button on the top rear dial and it’ll bring up choices for the what that dial does. So ISO could be long-hold, tap ISO, use dial. However, if you’re setting other things this way, it’s effectively no faster than MENU, tap, tap. It provides, however, another control you could use with your eye still at the viewfinder, so is worth learning. (Leica obviously tried to surface alternatives to their hyper simplification of the UX, so good on them. Not every camera maker does both, simplification or alternative setting approach.) 

The handling equation with this camera tends to have a consequence: the D-Lux8 is not really a camera that you keep at your eye and make lots of adjustments on the fly via an instant button press. In spontaneous situations that are constantly changing, this becomes a drawback. However, if you’re the set-up-the-subject, set-up-the-camera, refine-the-framing type that works deliberately, you’ll likely have no real issues with the handling. 

Meanwhile, the EVF on the D-Lux8 is far improved from that of the Panasonic LX100 it is derived from. The info icons at the top edge are small, but visible even with glasses on, and as you partially press the shutter release they go away and just leave the exposure information at the bottom so you can concentrate on composition. A nice, subtle touch. Unfortunately, though, the Rear LCD is fixed (no tilt, no swivel).

Other good bits include the easily found aperture ring, the aspect ratio switch, the manual/autofocus switch (including closeup mode), as well as the simple control structure to the right of the Rear LCD. When you manual focus in AF-S mode you can get an automatic magnification and peaking display. On the other hand, what buttons the camera has are small and difficult to find by touch (impossible with gloves). Also, there’s no grip at the front; only a bit of a thumb rest on the back helps you hold the camera. The tripod socket is not centered on the lens

The Power button is too easily hit accidentally due to its placement, in my opinion. If the camera is bouncing around in your bag or roughly handled while walking, you might find the camera turned on and using power when you don’t want it to be. Meanwhile, the USB-C and mini HDMI connectors are on the right side of the camera, which means if you’re using them, you’re not gripping the camera with your right hand.

For me, I had to change my way of working a bit when using the D-Lux8. I spend more time prior to putting the camera to my face trying to optimize the camera for everything that might happen in front of me, then accept that I’m pretty much locked into those choices if I don’t want to miss a spontaneous moment. I do more quick focus-and-reframe (AF-S) with the D-Lux8 than I’m used to doing with my mirrorless cameras, for instance. 

Speaking of focus, I found several situations where the D-Lux8 would unpredictably “pulse” the focus in AF-C. That typically happened in low light or in special situations such as photographing through glass, but because the camera uses a contrast-detect focus system, it tends to have a bit of paranoia about whether it really is in focus or not. 

In the case of the Leica D-Lux8 you either accept your new camera mate and the way it works or you don’t. Make sure you understand this before springing all the money this little camera will demand from you. That said, I mostly admire the choices that Leica made: if you can come to grips with them, you’ll find the camera is pretty controllable without any deep menu doom scrolling. But this will be an acquired taste on your part, not something you’ll immediately find comfortable. 

How’s it Perform?

Focus: If there’s a bit of an Achille’s Heel to the D-Lux8, it would be the autofocus. It’s still the Panasonic DfD type contrast detect focus system, so not something that you want to be using for fast-moving action. It’s not so much the actual focus acquisition speed that’s the issue, it's something else. For example, in AF-C mode the focus system can get nervous and pulse about the focus point. In a couple of instances, this caused me to take an out-of-focus image. In AF-S mode with most subjects, though, the camera is competently good, though it has none of the modern AI-type subject detection abilities. 

Battery life: Not particularly great. Leica doesn't give a CIPA specification, partly because they're not part of CIPA, but that's intentional omission on their part. I'm betting the rating would be in the high 100's based upon my experience. I expect about 60-75 minutes of continuous use of the camera. More importantly, something clearly drains the battery when the camera is off, and that may be a lingering Bluetooth signal that can't be controlled with an Airplane Mode style setting. I've taken to storing the battery outside the camera when I'm not using it, but then the issue is you might run the internal clock battery down and defeat the purpose of removing the battery, because now the camera will some of the power from the re-inserted battery to restore the clock battery. 

The battery is fairly large for being a 7.2v, 1025mAh one. Nikon's similarly sized batteries have about 200mAh more to them. I've found that if I'm going to spend a day out with the D-Lux8 doing a lot of composition and photography, I need to carry three of these BP-DC15 batteries with me, and a USB power source to top them off was required a couple of times, too. 

If you're getting the impression that the battery situation is one of the downsides to the D-Lux8, then you've read my statements correctly. 

Buffer: Leica supplies what appear to be accurate buffer values: with continuous autofocus at 2 fps, I get just over 20 raw images, or 100 JPEGs. If you slip to the 12-bit DNG at higher frame rates (and no autofocus after first image), I get about a dozen images at 11 fps (JPEG is still 100). 100 seems to be a fixed buffer maximum, by the way. But you really don't use the camera as an action camera, so I'm not at all concerned about the buffer.

Image quality: First off, let me say that the D-Lux8 has one of the better mid-range zoom lenses you can find in compacts. It can be incredibly sharp throughout much of the frame, but still has some classic edge/corner personality to it, as well. The Leica Vario-Summilux here clearly performs better than the Zeiss Vario-Sonnar you find on the RX100 models, for instance. If you’re going to pay this much for a compact, it’d better have a good lens, and for the most part I’m happy with what’s out front of the D-Lux8. 

I eventually sold my Panasonic LX100II because of image quality. JPEGs were lackluster, and I’m not sure whether it was something Panasonic was doing with their raw files or Adobe’s interpretation of them, but I found them difficult to work with. Neither seems to be true with the D-Lux8. I will say that you want to be paying close attention to your exposure, though: you should be thinking a little more expose-to-the-right for your DNGs, which means you’ll have to spend more time processing them to get tones where you want them, but doing so will avoid the noise build-up that can get captured when you just go by Leica’s matrix metering.

A large amount of white (or sky, or something bright) in the scene will push the camera to record that closer to middle gray. This is not Nikon’s intelligent matrix metering, for sure. So if overall brightness gets pushed down to the grays, your subjects may get pushed down into shadow tones. 

One small note about image quality: the D-Lux8 and its predecessors have a bit of a reputation for dust build-up on the image sensor. Being a fixed lens compact, there's no way to clean the sensor short of sending it back to Leica for a costly cleanse. The thing you need to learn very quickly is how to store the camera properly. That would be best case face down, with the second best case being with the sensor perpendicular to gravity (e.g. on the camera base). Store it face up, and you're asking for any ambient dust inside the camera to settle on the sensor. The dustier the terrain you go to, the more you use the zoom (which trombones dust into the camera), the more you can't ignore this advice. 

Final Words
Highly capable pocketable cameras almost died off. I believe we can now list them on one hand. The D-Lux8 fits in some of my shirt pockets (I tend to wear shirts that will hold a passport secured with a button or zipper, and those have larger than normal shirt pockets). The D-Lux8 certainly will fit in most jacket pockets. 

The D-Lux8 is unusual in the larger sensor pocket cameras in that it has a zoom lens, so this makes for some optical flexibility. That it’s an f/1.7-2.8 lens helps with the small sensor limitations. I don’t really find any fault with the basic choices Leica made with this camera. They could have made it smaller with some additional compromises, they could have made it bigger with some additions. Instead, they have found a reasonable Goldilocks choice that’s easy to carry in almost any scenario. Too bad it chews through batteries, as you'll be carrying extras with you, which sort of defeats the "pocketable" idea.

Used properly, the results from the camera are actually quite good, arguably better than the Panasonic LX100II that came before it. Certainly better than your smartphone. 

Curiously, the D-Lux8 totally whiffs on being a tool for millennial creators. It’s not really suited to one-handed vlogging, for instance. As a portable video camera I’d say it has so many drawbacks it's clearly worse than, say, a DJI Osmo Pocket 3. As a still camera, though, there’s not really any downside other than you can’t tilt the Rear LCD for low- or high-angle use. Leica's mobile device app works quite well, so the one thing the creator community will like is how easy it is to get images from camera to smartphone.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room. Leica is asking US$1600 (now US$1915 in the US) for a simplified pocket camera with a battery addiction. This is US$600 (US$915) more than the now-discontinued Panasonic LX100 II on which the D-Lux8 is based was originally sold, and a US$400 (US$715) increase from the D-Lux7. True, the D-Lux8 has a far better (and OLED) EVF, as well as a number of other important tweaks, but still, there’s a Leica tax in effect on this camera (as well as a tariff in the US). Red dots are expensive to put on black bodies, after all. 

At a lower price, the D-Lux8 would be very easy to recommend. At its current price, I think you need to not only need such a camera but also be comfortable with the Leica UX in order to opt for it. Moreover, you also need to be comfortable with paying a premium price for that. Thus, I have a new recommendation category:

Recommended (2024 to present, if you can justify the price)

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