[caption id="attachment_3956" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Leica's Powerful Compact DLUX-5"]
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by Christina Buonomo
Unique Photo's selection of cameras is now bigger than ever. We've had a lot of new product lines added to the inventory in the past months, making our jobs as photographers and employees much more fun as we've had a chance to play with some of the new toys. Specifically, I was interested in the new Panasonic and Leica cameras and did a little comparison between the images by the Panasonic LX5 and the Leica D-Lux 5.It's no secret that Leica and Panasonic have worked together to utilize one another's strengths. Panasonic uses Leica's lenses in their cameras, and Leica has taken advantage of Panasonic's manufacturing facilities for the construction of the camera bodies. So if the build is the same and the lens is the same, what could possibly separate these two seemingly similar cameras?
I set up a small still life and took a photograph with each camera using the same camera settings. On the lcd screens, the pictures looked identical. However, when I uploaded them and looked at them side by side, they were night and day. Both images were very good, very sharp and very detailed. The main difference I found was the actual color quality of the photos. The Leica did seem to have a more natural look to the colors, and a very rich range of tonalities. The reds and blues were able to pick up more detail in the darker areas, and overall, it had a really great sense of color contrast. The Panasonic seemed to pick up a little more green input in the image, making the colors seem a little more washed out and flat.
[caption id="attachment_3958" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sample From the DLUX-5, Notice the slightly richer colors and contrast"]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3959" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Image From the LX5, Notice the flatter look to the image"]
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Though both cameras worked very well, the Leica color quality seemed to have a lusciousness that the Panasonic lacked when comparing them side by side. Leica boasts that their quality control and firmware separates them from their competition. After using both cameras, it's evident that there is a difference. To a trained eye and a person who has a very high standard for imagery and color quality, the Leica is a perfect fit. To a person who wants an all around great camera that is more affordable and produces a good image, I'd recommend the Panasonic.
Editor's Note: For the general consumer, there isn't a distinct difference between the image quality that comes out of each camera. However I agree with Christina that for the discerning eye, the Leica DLUX-5 does have slightly better color rendition. In the end, the inclusion of a copy of Adobe Lightroom 3 is the real deal breaker for me. When you get a powerful piece of $300 software and the better color rendition of the Leica, it makes the extra price worth it. Plus isn't that little red logo lovely? -MZ