Leica V-Lux 30 July 2011

Leica V-Lux 30

The Leica brand is often associated with top-end cameras and pricey sales tags, but there are a few compact models that also wear distinctive red badge. In this first look, Which? takes a look at the new Leica V-Lux 30 and some of its more salient features.

What are the stand out features of the Leica V-Lux 30?

The V-Lux 30 replaces the Leica V-Lux 20, and brings a few new tricks to its repertoire. Firstly, the video quality has been improved, from the 720p HD quality found on the previous model to the 1080i full HD quality on the V-Lux 20.

When filming at full 1080i resolution, the clips are saved as AVCHD files on the SD memory card. AVCHD videos tend to look better on TVs, so if you intend to watch your videos back on a computer, you might want to record in the MP4 format, however this has a reduced resolution of 720p.

Read the full lab-based review of the Leica V-Lux 20, and check out our buying a new camera advice guide.

Leica V-Lux 30 first look video

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But what about the photos?

Still photos are the most important factor for most compact camera users, and those taken on the Leica V-Lux 30 have 14Mp of resolution, meaning you'll be able to print the shots off on a huge scale or tightly crop them.

The lens on the V-Lux 30 will please most users, as it offers a broad and versatile zoom range. It has a 16x zoom, which extends to 384mm, meaning that you'll be able to take detailed shots of subjects from far away.

The wide angle isn't compromised, however, measuring 24mm. This will allow you to fit a wide scene into the photograph without having to stand too far back.

Need a more powerful zoom? Check out the superzooms in our bridge camera reviews, with optical zooms of up to 36x

Are there any interesting features?

This camera has a number of manual modes, making it better-suited to users who are a little more familiar with exposure-adjusting techniques - although there is a decent automatic mode too. These different modes can be accessed by the dial on the top of the camera.

Alongside the common manual and exposure priority modes, users of the V-Lux 30 will also spot the 3D setting on the top dial. When this is activated, a 3D image is created by a number of shots stitched together as the user points the camera at the subject and pans from left to right. To see the 3D effect, however, the pictures will need to be viewed on a 3D monitor or 3D TV.

Also new to the V-Lux 30 is the touchscreen control, which can be used instead of the camera's buttons to adjust and access particular features.

As with its predecessor the V-Lux 30 has a built-in GPS receiver so it can give titles to your pictures of a number of landmarks from around the world to save you time renaming your photos when you get back from your holiday.

How much does it cost?

The Leica V-Lux 30 has a number of features, but none that really make it stand out from the crowd. What might grab your attention, however, is the price. At £550 it costs around twice as much as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ20, which is nigh on identical.

The results might not be exactly the same, as the image processing is slightly different and the on-screen menus have a different lay out, but to get an idea of how the Leica V-Lux 30 will perform in our tests, reading the full Panasonic Lumix FZ20 review would be a very good place to start.

In the full review you can find out...

We'll be testing the Leica V-Lux 30 sometime soon, and when we do you'll get the definitive verdict on the following:

Picture quality – In our lab-based reviews we look at a number of aspects of picture quality, and put each camera through a series of challenging tests that reflect everyday use - such as photographing on sunny days or indoors
Video quality – We look at video quality in a number of different scenarios, both with panning and static shots. We then assess the quality of the video played back on both a TV and a PC monitor, as we know this is how many users look at their home videos
Ease of use and features – We use a panel of expert photographers and beginners to assess how easy it is to access specific features, swap memory cards and read the screen in bright conditions. These tests also measure aspects such as start up time, shutter delay, and speed between shots

See our how we test cameras page for more on our testing, or try Which? today for just £1 to see the Best Buys in our camera reviews section.

Leica V-Lux 30 snapshots

When we come to fully testing this camera we'll take a series of controlled photographs under lab conditions, but here is a small sample of snapshots taken at the camera's unveiling.