Leica V-LUX 20 Compact Camera ( 14.5 MP,12 x Optical Zoom,3 -inch LCD )

There is something extraordinary about Leica cameras, which seems to make every model infinitely greater than the sum of its parts. The V-Lux 20 is no exception. It is beautifully made and just oozes style and sophisticated quality. As soon as you see the price, however, you will realise that there are plenty of other cameras that offer more features for less money. Brands like Lumix, Canon and Samsung spring to mind. But the results this very simple and compact camera delivers time after time are simply stunning. It just does the job. Leica lenses really are in a class of their own. And that is what you're paying for. The V-Lux 20 menu system is highly intuitive making the camera simple and easy to use. What attracted me to this camera was the pictures a friend had taken with an earlier V-Lux model. I had previously owned (and lost) a much more capable Sony camera and found that most of the time I didn't use many of its features because they were buried somewhere in its menu system or I forgot to turn them on. With or without its advanced features, the photos it produced were okay rather than stunning. With this Leica, you just point and shoot. Presto! You're Ansel Adams or David Bailey. In other words, it just works. Its ability to reproduce colour and subtle light borders on magical. If price is a deal breaker, then you may be better off with a Lumix (which have Leica lenses); but if you want cutting edge German design and engineering in a camera that is bound to go on snapping great photos long after most other models have been consigned to history, then this is it. It has a wonderfully tactile feel and the manufacturing quality is Mercedes-Benz-like. For most people, most of the time, this is all the camera you'll ever need. I love it. As a previous reviewer said, it really is a future classic.

when i bought this camera i thought 'its a bit expensive' but, i soon found out it was worth every penny.
crisp pictures. a fantastic digital zoom. and i am still learning the basics ! i can see this camera as a future leica classic.

Have used mine now for over a year. Because of its size and the quality of its pictures, I now use it in preference to my Nikon D3000 kit. Like other reviewers, I agree that it is simple to use, takes beautifully crisp pictures, is built solidly (as are all Leicas) and is quite stylish. (But which came first, this Leica or its Panasonic Lumix equivalent, which is almost identical, has a Leica lens and is much, much cheaper?)

Pluses: all the above, and something that hasn't been mentioned: colours are reproduced wonderfully by the lens system on this camera, especially saturated colours (autumn light, sky, etc.)

Minuses: no viewfinder. OK, I know that they are becoming rarer on compact digital cameras, but having to focus through the LCD display, however clear, is a pain and causes more camera shake and discarded shots than I am happy with. With a camera capable of producing such beautiful images, this is disappointing.

Then there is the price. Is it worth it? For me, yes, because of the quality of the images, the robustness of the build (I owned a Lumix equivalent, and it hasn't lasted as well) and, let's face it, the Leica brand. But for many of you reading this, you might think that you could do a lot better with a high quality, high spec, digital compact from a Panasonic, Sony, Fuji or the like and even a Nikon or similar D/SLR kit, including another zoom lens. I think, as with all Leicas, price is going to be a valid concern.

More money than sense? Maybe.