Hugh Elliott's Experience With The Leica D Lux 7
24th May 2024
In: News, Members' Articles
Leica Have Announced the new D Lux 8 but Hugh has recently used its predecessor, the D Lux 7. Here are his thoughts.
Recently I visited Leica Camera in Wetzlar, Germany along with some other members of the Leica Fellowship. While you visit the complex you can borrow a suitable piece of equipment to try. I was kindly loaned a D Lux 7 for 24 hours , a camera I had wanted to try out for a while . The main thing that initially attracted me was its compact size, being able to put it into a pocket or bag easily, not weighing much and being highly versatile.
I was not disappointed! Put simply the camera will do a lot. The lens range is good with a 24mm to 75mm zoom (35mm equivalent) which covers many situations. I did attach an extra grip on the bottom, which made it a lot easier for me to handle, it may have been awkward without this. From the Leica factory at Leitz Park I set off into the town of Wetzlar to see how I got on with the camera. I tried the macro settings on some wild flowers and it coped well. Then into the town to have a general look around, taking pictures of the buildings and more.
I liked the way the camera started up fairly quickly after turning on . I found the built-in viewfinder very convenient and I left the camera set so the back screen stayed on but changed to the viewfinder when I put the camera to my eye. One feature I was not so keen on was that every time I started up the camera the lens was on 24mm and then I had to use the rocker switch to change the setting. Most of the time I left the camera on automatic but it's easy to change to aperture priority or shutter priority ,
Learning the menu was fairly straight forward though it would take me longer to get fully familiarised. The layout was a little different to my X Vario, which I am fairly well acquainted with.
I did not use the little flash unit that fits into the accessory shoe. However I did take some night pictures up at Leitz Park. I increased the ISO and was pleased with the results.
Overall I was very happy with the camera and would seriously consider buying one.
Leica D Lux 7 - Flower Close Up
Leica D Lux 7 - Wetzlar
Leica D Lux 7 - Wetzlar
Leica D Lux 7 - Wetzlar
Leitz Park - Wetzlar - Leica D Lux 7
Recently I visited Leica Camera in Wetzlar, Germany along with some other members of the Leica Fellowship. While you visit the complex you can borrow a suitable piece of equipment to try. I was kindly loaned a D Lux 7 for 24 hours , a camera I had wanted to try out for a while . The main thing that initially attracted me was its compact size, being able to put it into a pocket or bag easily, not weighing much and being highly versatile.
I was not disappointed! Put simply the camera will do a lot. The lens range is good with a 24mm to 75mm zoom (35mm equivalent) which covers many situations. I did attach an extra grip on the bottom, which made it a lot easier for me to handle, it may have been awkward without this. From the Leica factory at Leitz Park I set off into the town of Wetzlar to see how I got on with the camera. I tried the macro settings on some wild flowers and it coped well. Then into the town to have a general look around, taking pictures of the buildings and more.
I liked the way the camera started up fairly quickly after turning on . I found the built-in viewfinder very convenient and I left the camera set so the back screen stayed on but changed to the viewfinder when I put the camera to my eye. One feature I was not so keen on was that every time I started up the camera the lens was on 24mm and then I had to use the rocker switch to change the setting. Most of the time I left the camera on automatic but it's easy to change to aperture priority or shutter priority ,
Learning the menu was fairly straight forward though it would take me longer to get fully familiarised. The layout was a little different to my X Vario, which I am fairly well acquainted with.
I did not use the little flash unit that fits into the accessory shoe. However I did take some night pictures up at Leitz Park. I increased the ISO and was pleased with the results.
Overall I was very happy with the camera and would seriously consider buying one.
Leica D Lux 7 - Flower Close Up
Leica D Lux 7 - Wetzlar
Leica D Lux 7 - Wetzlar
Leica D Lux 7 - Wetzlar
Leitz Park - Wetzlar - Leica D Lux 7
Comments
By David Askham: I am sure that it is possible to make a menu selection so that the lens extends to its previous setting when restarting the camera, rather than going back to its widest angle setting. That has been a feature of previous Pana-Leicas.