It sure looks like a Leica, but does this posh enthusiast-aimed point-and shoot camera perform like one?

When it comes to “the look” you have to admit that the Leica D-LUX 5 has got it, with its classic Leica proportions, comfortably rounded ends, gorgeous satin black finish, and general air of class. Its high-end specs, which include a 10.1-megapixel 1/1.63-inch CCD sensor, a 3-inch 460,000-dot LCD, and fast f/2.0-3.3 DC Vario-Summicron 24-90mm-equivalent lens, RAW (DNG) plus JPEG capture, and full range of automatic and user-controlled exposure modes, clearly indicate that it’s aimed at a discriminating audience. And one of its strong points, its low light performance, is definitely enhanced by providing ISO settings up to 12800 plus an effective built-in optical image stabilization system (O.I.S.) that lets you capture sharp handheld pictures at relatively slow shutter speeds.

Video shooters will appreciate the D-LUX 5’s 720p HD video capability (though other cameras in its price class now offer full 1080p HD video), and everyone from novices to serious enthusiasts will be pleased that this svelte metal-clad ultra-compact (4.3 x 2.7 x 1.7 inch, 9.5 ounce) jewel provides such modern conveniences as face detection, autofocus tracking, a wide range of scene modes, a choice of 4:3, classic 3:2. HD 16:9, and, square 1:1 formats, a hot shoe for an optional Leica flash, and a macro function that focuses down to .39 inches or 1cm. The fact that the built-in autoflash must be manually popped up is very much in keeping with the basic concept of this camera, which designed to be controlled by the user, but novices are well served by the “A in camera logo” snapshot mode that lets the camera take over and provides automatic scene selection.

Remove the classic tethered lens cap, turn the camera on, and the lens zooms out very quietly to its wide-angle position and, if you’ve selected full info display with the display button, all camera settings are very clearly displayed along the periphery of the large, bright LCD. You can also choose a “no info” display, or a composition gridline display by repeatedly pushing the display button. All controls on the back of the camera are very intuitive and logical, but you need pretty good eyes to read the labels on the four “toggle” buttons surrounding the MENU/SET button. Manual focus is achieved by setting the tab to the left of the lens to MF and using the conveniently placed thumbwheel dial to set the focus. This wheel is also used to select apertures in A (aperture-priority) mode, and shutter speeds in S (shutter-priority) mode. One thing you’d never be able to figure out without the instruction manual is setting the exposure compensation control—you have to push the thumbwheel in and then turn it to set exposure compensation values up to +/- 3 stops in 1/3-stop increments. The AE/AF lock button below it is well placed, and it will display a warning on the LCD and hold your exposure and focus settings until you press it again to cancel it. This allows you to shoot a number of pictures at your held settings—a useful feature.

We were impressed with the general finesse of this camera as well as its performance. Zooming action is ultra-smooth and virtually noiseless, and the shutter release button is one of the best we’ve found on any point-and-shoot, allowing a very smooth, quiet release that contributes to sharp pictures and discreet shooting. We were also pleased with the excellent imaging performance of the lens and sensor, which delivers sharp, exquisitely detailed images with commendable color saturation and accuracy iver its entire focal-length range and at ISO settings up to 400. It also delivers surprisingly rich color and moderate “digital grain” at ISO 800 and 1600, and, for most purposes, reasonably good imaging performance at higher ISOs. Note: The camera shoots at full resolution only up to ISO 3200—at higher ISO settings resolution is reduced, as clearly indicated on the LCD, to maintain overall image quality. 

One of the nicest things about shooting with the D-LUX 5 is its wide-aperture lens. By selecting aperture-priority (A) mode and setting the lens to the widest aperture, you can create artistic pictorial effects in portraits and landscapes using the limited depth of field and nice bokeh (out-of-focus-image quality). This is effective over the entire focal-length range, but especially at the maximum telephoto (90mm equivalent) setting of the 3.8X optical zoom. 

You can obtain longer zoom ratios up to 6.7X zoom using the iZoom feature without affecting image quality according to the manual, and based on our results we could detect no loss of quality at these settings. We also liked the easy one-button movie button on the top of the camera that lets you shoot video clips instantly at any time. We did shoot a few just to try it out and can report that video quality and (monaural) sound were very good indeed when we viewed them on a 42-inch screen and medium quality speakers.

Overall, the Leica D-LUX 5 is an excellent camera for world travelers and anybody on the go who wants a posh, high quality, really compact, very flexible point-and-shoot camera that not only performs in an exemplary manner but makes people sit up and take notice when they see that round red Leica logo. Although its 28-90mm equivalent focal-length lens is not as long ranging as some of its competitors, they don't have high-speed Leica zoom lenses that give you superb picture quality, an edge in shooting in low light, and a distinct advantage in creating pictorial effects. Also by lowering the resolution a notch or two you can add 4X of digital zoom to the camera’s 3.8X optical zoom. 

Yes, you can get a pretty nice entry-level DSLR for the $799 street price of the D-LUX 5, and a pretty nice point-and-shoot for about half that price, but if you’re looking for a perfect combination of performance and panache, price is not the primary consideration. That’s where this camera really shines.