Slumming it: Leica V-Lux 4

[RezaLoghme]

In a quite irresponsible state of mind, I picked up a shabby looking V-Lux 4 for the price of a good steak dinner. Photos did not look promising. Today it arrived. Cleaned it. A charming little fellow. More toys than in Hamleys. Some pixel issues in a corner of the fold-out screen. Everthing else works. Small, lightweight...and really "ok-ish" OOC files. Some post-production, but thats it.

How on earth can this cost less than an Oberwerth bag? It is going to be my travel companion from now on.

My puzzled face!!

 

[koraks]

How on earth can this cost less than an Oberwerth bag?

Probably because it's really the same as a Panasonic FZ200. It's made by Panasonic also, but was also sold with a Leica badge. AFAIK the camera is really a Panasonic camera, but made in part to meet specifications outlined by Leica. AFAIK the electronics as well as the optics are in-house developments by Panasonic.
So realistically you'd expect to pay for a V-Lux4 the same as for a FZ200 plus a premium for the Leica logo.

The going rate for a FZ200 around here is around €100-150 with some peaks to €200-250. Supply seems to be ample.

 

[RezaLoghme]

I like it a lot and am surprised about the image quality and how much it can do.

 

[RezaLoghme]

I am now getting used to the camera. At the beginning, it felt like an Airfix clone of a "real" camera, I admit.

It is so different to M and R cameras. It may sound a bit weird, but the whole black plastic and light weight makes it look and feel contemporary (despite bein 10+ years old). I played a bit with the settings and came up with with a high contract b/w setting which is the Panasonic-fuelled version of my Monochrome M for now.

Funny side note: You can turn the rear LCD screen so it cannot be seen, and in that way it is an hommage to leica's M262.

 

[RezaLoghme]

It turns out that I am carrying my lunchbox-with-a-lens everywhere! Today, in a park, I used the fold-out screen, like a YouTuber! Reza, you are going to become a hipster!

It is really the "Haribo Colorado" of cameras. A bit of everything, cheap, satisfying.

We should all own one. When Cameracommunism takes over the world, this would be the VolksKamera.

 

[RezaLoghme]

 

[RezaLoghme]

 

[RezaLoghme]

 

[RezaLoghme]

All directly OOC, no edits/crops.
Nice tonality, soft microcontrast, warm resoltion.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Vintage? Check — 14 years old and still running.
Pocketable? Check — lens retracts into the body.
Underdog? Absolutely — never loved by diehard Leica fans because of its Far East genes.
Rare? - Check, only made for two (2!) years until replayed by ref. 114.
Cheap? 300 EUR or less from classifieds, no problem.
Good enough image quality for human eyes? 12.1 MP. Check.
Silent for street work? Check — all sounds can be turned off, including the shutter.
Versatile (wide angle to super-tele, 25–600 mm equivalent)? Check.
Waist-level finder? Check — LCD can be turned and twisted.
Lightweight? 588 g including lens. Check.

I think I finally understand why it belongs in a Photrio fan’s hands — it ticks all the boxes that diehard members love.

 

[koraks]

The camera works!

 

[RezaLoghme]

You know you have arrived in Photography Zen Heaven when you are happy with a badge-engineered 14 year old bridge camera for a few 100$ from the classifieds.

 

[koraks]

Sometimes, pleasure comes with a very modest price tag.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Anyone remember when M bodies could be had for peanuts? Ugly stepchild models such as CL or M5 were given away for a few $$$? And today people say "I I had only...".

Watch this space.

 

[RezaLoghme]

Straight OOC

 

[RezaLoghme]

Exposure +0.3 in Apple Photos

 

[RezaLoghme]

Is there a way out for me, back to Cameras For Real Men, or am I going to be stuck in Bridge Camera a.k.a. the V-Lux 4 as the Toyota of cameras.
Plastic, unfashionable, already fully depreciated — but it just works. Quiet, light, versatile, and good enough for real photographs.

 

[RezaLoghme]

I’m slowly getting into this camera. Compared to my M Monochrome it feels flimsy, but it’s a delight to carry when walking. The many little buttons on the back have a life of their own. The actual image quality? On screen, basically the same as the M. The zoom… exactly what I need.

It’s a carefree camera: I take it everywhere, and I don’t worry about losing a €300 tool.