Leica V-Lux 40

Bottom Line

The Leica V-Lux 40 is basically a rebadged Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 (*Est. $305) , reviews point out. For the luxury price tag, you get $170 worth of Photoshop software and a longer warranty. Performance is identical, two consumer publications' tests show -- and can't quite match the top-rated Canon PowerShot SX260 HS (*Est. $230) .

Ease of Use

Same as the cheaper Panasonic, but without the great grip. The Leica V-Lux 40 "looks serious and sophisticated -- which somewhat belies the fact that it is actually an easy to use point and shoot camera," says Gavin Stoker at PhotographyBlog.com.

Very slim and light, the Leica is almost the same size as the Panasonic ZS20 -- a little more than 4 inches by 2 inches -- and about an inch thick. It can be "handily squeezed into the pocket of your jeans," Stoker says.

The Leica lacks the Panasonic's great rubberized grip, though. "The flattened handgrip does at least force the user to dig in their nails to form a hold, thus preventing fingers straying in front of the built-in flash positioned alongside," Stoker says.

Like the Panasonic, the Leica has a touch screen -- plus plenty of physical buttons, dials and switches, so you don't have to use the touch screen at all if you prefer. Stoker finds the screen "perfectly viewable in most conditions," and another testing agency rates it good, but critics at Choice magazine find fault with "noticeable reflections in bright light."

Again like the Panasonic, the Leica offers limited manual controls. "For the price you'd expect it to have manual focus," one source says, but it doesn't. Full-auto mode is available, if you'd rather let the camera do the work.

Performance

Same photo and video quality as Panasonic. The pricey Leica V-Lux 40 performs identically to its cheaper Panasonic twin in two tests, including one at Choice magazine.

Editors there recommend them both, although plenty of cheaper cameras beat their image quality, including the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS (predecessor to the top-rated SX260).

In Stoker's test at PhotographyBlog.com, the Leica's 14-megapixel sensor delivers sharp detail throughout most of the lens' reach, getting a little soft at full zoom. Another source agrees that photos are "generally very sharp."

Low-light images get grainy noise past ISO 800, but Stoker says ISO 1600 and 3200 are still "reasonably usable." Another source detects "little visual noise, even in low light."

Like most small-sensor cameras, there's some purple fringing around high-contrast edges (like tree branches against a bright sky), in Stoker's test.

Speed is just as snappy as the Panasonic's. The Leica can fire off 10 frames per second (fps), with short shot-to-shot times and "very little shutter delay" in Choice's test. Critics disagree about startup time, though: Choice finds it quick, but another source complains of "very long start-up time, much slower than most models."

Video matches the Panasonic's too. Both cameras shoot full 1080p HD at a smooth 60p frame rate. One source rates both cameras' video quality good, but Choice testers say dim light poses problems: The "video image is pale, lacks saturation, brightness and resolution in low light." Neither camera offers manual video controls. You can zoom while filming, but you'll hear it on your soundtrack, one source says, rating the audio fair overall. Choice finds it worse: "Audio has humming noises when zooming and is poor overall."

Battery life is rated at 260 shots per charge (without GPS turned on). The battery charges in-camera.

Durability

Longer warranty than Panasonic. Like the similar Panasonic ZS20 (and top-rated Canon SX260), the Leica V-Lux 40 has a mostly metal body.

Stoker at PhotographyBlog.com praises the Leica's "premium-feel metal construction" and "hand built, solid-feel chassis." Some owners say they chose the Leica because they thought it would be better-built than cheaper ultra-zooms.

"I have had Sony point and shoots and replaced them every 2-3 years due to defects," writes one customer at BHPhotoVideo.com. "This one should last!"

Another says, "To choose a Leica over any other brand would be a decision similar to those people make when they opt for an Audi, BMW, Mercedes or Volkswagen."

While most pocket cameras carry a one-year limited warranty, the Leica has a two-year limited warranty.

One Amazon.com owner cautions that when the camera's lens casing dented after a 1.5-foot drop onto carpet, Leica said it couldn't be fixed. "Wimpy machine for the money," the owner concludes.

Features

Comes with Photoshop Elements. Unlike its cheaper Panasonic twin, the Leica V-Lux 40 comes with $170 worth of software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 for photo processing and Adobe Premiere Elements 10 for video editing.

Otherwise, the feature set is identical. The 20x optical zoom can stretch to 40x with "intelligent" digital zoom and 80x with regular digital zoom, although both degrade image quality.

GPS geotags your photos and videos, and a built-in landmark database shows nearby interesting sights. An included DVD contains maps that you can transfer to an SD card and upload into the camera.

Other features include 3D photo capture, in-camera panorama and high-dynamic-range photos. Like other tiny ultra-zooms, there's no RAW image capture or hot shoe. The Leica does have a built-in flash.