Leica has today unwrapped a new bridge camera, the V-Lux 3, sporting a 24x optical zoom lens.
Primed to take on the ‘entry-level DSLR’ market, the £690 V-Lux 3 features a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit f/2.8 lens designed to deliver the 35mm viewing angle equivalent of a 25-600mm zoom.
Armoury includes 12-frames-per-second (fps) shooting at full resolution and full HD (1920×1080 pixels) video in AVCHD and MP4 format.
Billed as an ideal camera for travel, the V-Lux 3 is due to go on sale in January.
?The enormous focal length range covers almost all photographic situations, normally requiring cameras with interchangeable lenses,? claimed Leica?s product manager for Digital Compact Cameras, Peter Kruschewski.
?The V-Lux 3 is therefore an attractive alternative to entry-level DSLR cameras, particularly where size and convenience are paramount.?
The newcomer incorporates a twistable, 3in, screen (460,000 dot resolution) and colour LCD viewfinder (202,000 pixels).
Also on board is a raw-format shooting option and the ability to attach a stereo microphone.
A 60fps burst rate is possible at 3.5MP resolution, according to Leica.
An optional black ?outdoor? case will be available, priced £135.
FULL SPEC, AS SUPPLIED BY LEICA:
LEICA V-LUX 3: Technical specifications
Lens Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 4.5 – 108 mm f/2.8 – 5.2 ASPH., equivalent to
25 – 600mm in 35mm format
Zoom Optical: 24x, Digital: 4x
Focusing
Operating modes Normal/Macro, continuous focusing (On/Off)
Metering modes Face detection/AF-tracking/23 field/1 field (flexible/scalable)
Focusing range
P / A / S / M 30cm (wide-angle) / 2m (telephoto) – ∞
1cm (wide-angle) / 1m (telephoto) – ∞
Scene Modes May differ from the ranges above
Sensor 1/2.33? CMOS with 12.8MP (effective 12.1MP)
Resolution
Still pictures
JPG: 4:3 format: max. 4000 × 3000 pixels (12MP), 3:2 format: max. 4000 × 2672 pixels (10.5MP), 16:9 format: max. 4000 × 2248 pixels (9MP), 1:1 format: max. 2992 × 2992 pixels (9MP)
RAW: 4:3 format: max. 4000 × 3000 pixels (12MP), 3:2 format: max. 4000 × 2672 pixels (10.5MP), 16:9 format: max. 4000 × 2248 pixels (9MP), 1:1 format: max. 2992 × 2992 pixels (9MP)
Video Mode AVCHD: 1920 × 1080 (60p)/1280 × 720 (60p)
MP4/30 fps: 1920 × 1080/1280 × 720/640 × 480
High speed: 320 × 240 pixels, 220 fps (motion JPEG)
File format / compression rate
Still Images RAW/JPEG (based on Exif 2.3 standard)/ DPOF-compatible
Movies AVCHD/MP4/QuickTime Motion JPEG
Exposure control
Exposure modes Program mode (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter speed priority (S), Manual (M)
Exposure compensation Increments: 1/3 EV steps, setting range: ±3 EV
Scene modes
Metering modes Multi-field/Centre-weighted/Spot
White balance Auto/Daylight/Cloudy/Shade/Halogen/Custom
Sensitivity Auto/100/200/400/800/1600/3200
Shutter speeds 60s-1/2000s, (Starry Sky mode: 15s/30s/60s)
Continuous shooting mode (max. number of frames / max. resolution)
With central shutter:
With electronic shutter:
Video recording: 2 fps: 100/12 MP, 5.5 fps: 100/12 MP, 12 fps: 15/12 MP
40 fps: 50/5 MP, 60 fps: 60/3.5 MP
2/5/10 fps: 40/3.5 MP
Flash
Modes Auto, Auto with pre-flash (red-eye reduction), Auto with slow sync and pre-flash, On, Off
Flash range (with ISO AUTO and shortest focal length) Approx. 30cm ? 9.5m
Self-Timer 2/10 s delay
LCD screen 3.0″ TFT LCD, approx. 461,000 pixels
Field of view: approx. 100%, automatic brightness adjustment
Viewfinder Colour LCD, approx. 202,000 pixels
Field of view: approx. 100%, adjustable by ±4 dioptres
Microphone/Speaker Stereo/mono
Recording media
Internal memory Approx. 70MB
Memory cards SD/SDHC/SDXC
Interface Digital: USB 2.0 (high speed), data from PCs cannot be transferred to the camera with the USB cable, mini HDMI cable (Type C).
Analogue video/audio signals: NTSC/PAL FBAS (menu setting option), audio line-out (mono), dedicated jack (8-pin).
MIC/REMOTE: 2.5mm jack
Printer compatibility PictBridge
Operating temperature/humidity 0-40°C / 10-80%
Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Voltage/capacity 7.2 V / 895mAh (410 images, CIPA standard)
Dimensions (WxHxD) 124 x 81 x 95mm
Weight 540g (including memory card and battery)
Included in the box Camera with lens cap, battery charger (Leica BC-DC 9), battery (Leica BP-DC 9), lens hood, carrying strap, AV cable, USB cable, CD with full instructions (PDF)
Software Adobe® Photoshop® Elements® , Adobe® Premiere® Elements® (available as a free download after registration)
