French magazine offers evidence of Leica D-LUX 4, C-LUX 3

Sure, you can always save a few bucks and get the Panasonic equivalent to a Leica camera, but Leica fans are a pretty particular bunch, and they'll no doubt be pleased to see the company's new D-LUX 4 camera pictured above, which is apparently Leica's version of Panasonic's 10.1-megapixel LX3. What's more, if you look closely above, you'll also see a mention of a hereto unheard of C-LUX 3 model, which is supposedly Leica's take on Panasonic's compact FX37 camera, and an update to the its own C-LUX 2 model. Of course, none of this is quite official just yet, but it seems like we should be hearing more from Leica soon if it is, in fact, legit.

[Grandalf @ Sep 12th 2008 1:56PM]

Love that retro look

[slarity @ Sep 12th 2008 2:05PM]

"Nobody touches my Leica"

"So its like your penis"

Sorry I didnt know Leica was a real camera company, thought they made it up for Euro Trip

[slarity @ Sep 12th 2008 3:23PM]

Guess theres no movie fanatics here... oh well

[Josh @ Sep 12th 2008 4:01PM]

pretty sure it wasn't the quote, but the fact that you didn't know it was a real camera

[slarity @ Sep 12th 2008 4:36PM]

Well ty, I like having a reason for a low rating. Honestly think its the first time Ive been low ranked. The quote is close enough you know what I meant =p

Ill look around for Leica cameras, dont think Ive ever seen one before and we bought our last 3 canons at a professional photo shop so Im not sure.

Anyways, /cheers its friday

[tuna @ Sep 12th 2008 2:43PM]

Aren't Leicas just rebranded Panasonic Lumix cameras?

[Crayola @ Sep 12th 2008 2:56PM]

...with Leica image processing mumbo jumbo... If that's worth any salt to you.

But on the other hand, being a closet poseur like Eric Clapton, I would rather get the slick Leica version ;-p

[vcx @ Sep 12th 2008 6:25PM]

Not all Leicas are rebranded Panasonic Lumix cameras. The M series are original digital and film rangefinders made in Germany costing more than $4k for just the body.

[Gary Barnes @ Sep 12th 2008 2:49PM]

Leica fans are a particular bunch, but they aren't idiots. No true Leica lover would buy one of these Leica-branded Panasonic cameras. If anything, these are meant for consumers who know nothing about cameras, but want to be "cool" by getting a "Leica." Real Leica fans go for the Leica M8, which is the only true digital Leica on the market.

[Alex @ Sep 12th 2008 3:35PM]

+100. Couldn't have said it better myself.

This is just a way to artificially sell something that they (Leica) did not make merely by sticking their name on it.
I give it to them that it looks nice in a retro way but that is about it.

The M8 is for sure for real Leica fans (with deep pockets).

[kb2zuz @ Sep 12th 2008 4:11PM]

I agree. These are cute in that they have a nice style if you want something that's a fashion statement. But spec wise they're identical to the Panasonics, so you're paying a price for the fashion of it.

I'm just waiting for Leica to announce the sensor upgrade for the M8. I have never used a camera that was more enjoyable to shoot with. Just get better high-ISO performance with less noise and I'll be very happy.

[Cycomachead @ Sep 12th 2008 7:54PM]

Maybe it's not a real leica, but lecia does a good portion of the design and they design the optics - which most say matters more than the sensor (which is true) and that big lens is a breath of fresh air. Of course there's virtually no difference from this and the LX3 if you shoot raw, so it really doesn't matter which you get.

[steve @ Sep 13th 2008 12:36AM]

The m8 is really a piece of crap. Really.

[Steven @ Sep 12th 2008 4:33PM]

Ah, for a moment I thought the 234 x 278 x 94mm were about the camera...

[Cycomachead @ Sep 12th 2008 7:56PM]

Is anyone surprised? Expect the announcement on the 23rd at Photokia like 2 years ago with the LX2 and D-Lux 3

[Niro @ Sep 12th 2008 9:33PM]

These Pan-Leicas always do look good. But what I'd like to see is Leica getting on board the micro 4/3 bandwagon with Panasonic. The new Lumix G1 looks interesting, but still has the baby hippo (hippo fetus?) stylings common to so many DSLRs - but as the DPReview article points out, there's no reason for this format to ape DSLR design. A Leica rangefinder-esque micro 4/3s could be an amazing compromise; though it might intrude too much on M8 territory for comfort... Having said that, at the moment the Sigma DP1 seems to be by some measure the best compact out there (take a quick look on Flickr...), but with a bit of forethought mixing Leica optics and design with Panny brains could really make a difference in this market...

[prk60091 @ Sep 12th 2008 10:49PM]

i mean it looks real enough but has anybody looked at the price 9590 euros?? using todays conversion rate and per yahoo finance that comes to $13,634.57 (rounded down to the nearest penny)
that cannot be right

[Steven @ Sep 13th 2008 1:05AM]

It isn't. The price, dimensions and weight seem to be a beamer's ("de la lampe: 3000 h")

[ironik @ Sep 13th 2008 4:32AM]

I don't think that's the price. And I don't think it weighs 3.4 kilograms either.

[Eugenia Loli-Queru @ Sep 12th 2008 10:43PM]

i hope they stop using mjpeg as their video codec