In recent times the number of fully featured, enthusiast
level compact cameras available new has declined remarkably.
If we want a fixed lens compact camera with built-in, always
ready EVF, good quality lens, high image quality and a set of controls which
the expert/enthusiast user might find engaging, then there are very
few options.
The Fujifilm X100.6 and the Leica Q, Q2, Q3 Q3(43) offer a
range of prime lens models. But enthusiast level zoom compacts are becoming an
endangered species.
Over the last 50 years camera makers have experimented with
a variety of camera design themes. Two of these have emerged as preferred
options in today’s market. Most cameras utilise some version of the integrated handle
and thumb support, mode dial and control dial layout seen on most DSLRs and
MILCs.
But some camera users prefer the 20th Century
traditional approach with a flat front and
no mode dial but separate, marked dials for aperture, shutter speed, ISO
and exposure compensation.
Most modern cameras based on a traditional theme are
actually hybrid types. For instance the D-Lux 8 being reviewed in this post has
a marked ring for aperture and a marked dial for shutter speed , but unmarked
button/dial combinations for ISO and exposure compensation.
It is not my mission in this blog to declare one of these
styles better than the other. Camera users are entitled to their preferences for
their own reasons, whatever they may be.
On 5 August 2024, Richard Butler, Editor of D P Review posted an opinion piece titled “Let me get my hands on a hands-on compact”. In this he outlined his personal preferences with reasons and a plea to camera makers to respond with product.
https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/1933183525/let-me-get-my-hands-on-a-hands-on-compact
The photographer who prefers a camera with marked dials will
have a set of priorities about the user experience which differ from those of
the photographer who prefers the modern style camera with mode dial and
unmarked control dials and buttons.
The former is likely to be more contemplative, preferring to
anticipate optimum exposure settings and set these in the Prepare Phase of use
before entering Capture Phase.
The latter is more likely to allow the camera’s autoexposure
capabilities to change settings on the fly.
My system of measuring camera ergonomics is built around
evaluation of the number and complexity of actions required to carry out each
task in the Capture Phase of use.
This usually means that a well designed model using the mode
dial and control dial layout will score higher than a traditional or hybrid
model.
This ergonomic evaluation of the D-Lux 8 follows my usual schedule which
I have been using for 12 years.
Setup Phase
There is good news and not-so-good news here.
The good news is that there are fewer items in the menus
which we must understand and about which we must make a decision.
The not-so-good news is that in their zealous pursuit of das
wesentliche Leica has removed some menu items which camera users have come
to expect in a current model product.
The instruction manual has only 215 pages unlike the
900-1000 pages of some other current
models from other makers. Pressing the [Menu] button reveals a summary
screen of items which are not user selectable, followed by 5 screens of menu
items with no subcategories. Most of the items are self-explanatory for an
enthusiast user. I managed to set up the camera without difficulty and without
initially having to consult the instruction manual.
There is no [My Menu] and no [Quick Menu] but for most
purposes the summary screen serves tolerably well although [Format memory card]
is not on that screen but on screen 5 with no direct access so it takes 9
button presses to format a memory card.
Some functions such as step zoom and auto panorama are not
available. We cannot assign any button to return the active AF area to center.
I guess Leica might argue that these are non-essential items
but most other cameras have them and I think many users will expect them to be
provided.
Navigating the menus is slightly quirky. Press the [Menu]
button repeatedly to advance to the right, and the [Left] cross key to retreat to the
left. We can also move left and right with the zoom lever but only after
getting to screen 1 with the [Menu] button.
Setup score 11/15
Prepare Phase
This is the minute or few in which we re-configure the
camera for a new set of conditions. This is where cameras with a mode dial and
without other fixed function dials or buttons allow us to simultaneously change
many items with one twist of the mode dial to a [Custom] position.
The partial equivalent on the DL8 is a [User Profile]
setting, accessible on the summary screen. We can have the default profile and
three additional profiles, access to which can be allocated to a function
button. This works quite well although neither aperture nor shutter speed can
be included in a user profile because they are on hard dials. In practice this is not a big deal as the
range of use cases for this camera is quite limited. Nobody will be
photographing sport/action or birds in flight with a DL8. Well, they might try
but are unlikely to have much success.
Changing aperture, shutter speed ISO and exposure
compensation are usually actions
allocated to Capture Phase of use. But when using the DL8 I find my workflow
easier to manage and the camera work
more enjoyable when I consciously
allocate these primary and secondary exposure parameters to Prepare Phase.
This camera carries over the multi-aspect ratio feature from
the DL7 and several previous Pana-Lumix models. It can be useful but the
setting slider is small and fiddly and the options are oddly arranged in the
sequence 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, 4:3.
Prepare score 11/20
Capture Phase, Holding
The DL8 comes without a handle. Some people say they are
happy to use the camera this way. However the availability of aftermarket grips
suggests that many users prefer the more secure experience of holding the
camera with an accessory handle.
The Leica one is compact, comfortable and expensive with no
direct access to the battery and memory card.
I also have a metal base, wood handle one, which does allow
access to the battery and card but is uncomfortable with the thin metal base
digging in to my palm.
The thumb support provided is very small presumably so as
not to impede access by the thumb to the control dial. But the support is also
smooth and feels unconvincing to me. After market supports which slip into the
hotshoe also obstruct access to the shutter speed dial.
Holding score
without acc grip 5/15
with acc grip 10/15
Capture Phase, Viewing
The EVF is very nice, a pleasure to use. Camera data can be
displayed on screen or not as the user chooses.
The monitor screen is also very nice and resists smudging
better than most.
But camera data is overlaid on a near-black strip at the
bottom of the preview image at 4:3 aspect ratio in both EVF and monitor,
obscuring the user’s view of the bottom of the preview image.
The monitor screen is fixed, while most cameras these days have a tilting or
fully articulated screen. This is
sub-optimal but not entirely all bad as the screen is decently viewable from an
angle in any direction.
Viewing score 9/15
Capture Phase
Operating
I find that changing aperture and shutter speed on the DL8
is best achieved by lowering the camera from my eye so I can see the markings
on the dials. There is nothing wrong with this but it does require more actions
each more complex than the process of changing the same exposure parameters on
a well designed mode dial/control dial model.
For instance to change aperture on the DL8 I have to change
the position of my left hand from normal shooting mode to get a grip on the
turning lugs, make the adjustment, then return my hand to its usual position.
On the Lumix G100D which I have been using alongside the DL8 I just move my
right index finger one centimeter, turn the dial then move it back one
centimeter onto the shutter button.
The top control dial is used to change exposure compensation
and ISO setting. This can be done while looking through the viewfinder but the
dial is quite stiff, presumably to minimise the risk of inadvertent turning so
I use both thumb and index finger on the dial to turn it. In practice this is easier to do with the
camera away from the eye, viewing settings changes on the rear screen.
Overall I think that for a compact camera the DL8 provides a
decent operating experience particularly for the user who prefers a
contemplative style of engagement with the device.
Operating score 12/25
Review Phase
Like most cameras these days the DL8 does all the things I
expect it to do in this Phase. No problems here.
Review score 5/5
Overall score
58/100 with acc grip
53/100 without acc
grip
Comment
This is a reasonable score for a compact camera. It is
slightly better than the DL7 which scores 55 with the accessory grip, and a bit
better than the Lumix LX100 which has a small integrated handle and scores 54.
It could have been much better if Leica’s designers had paid more attention to ergonomic details and
were a bit less driven by their attention to styling and das wesentliche.
I guess the counter to this is that
without the styling and the parsimonious approach to controls and menus, it
would not be a Leica. Fair enough.
Summary
The DL8 is a direct descendant of the Pana-Lumix introduced
in 2014.
The three main selling points of this camera were the wide
aperture zoom lens, the multi-aspect
ratio facility and the larger-than-most compacts Four Thirds sensor (although
the whole sensor area is not used).
In 2014 a camera with a larger sensor than most compacts and
a zoom lens with an aperture range of f1.7-2.8 was quite a big deal. The wide
aperture allowed us to make low light photos at a low ISO sensitivity setting
for optimum image quality.
However in recent times several photo software providers
have produced noise reduction programs using artificial intelligence. These
have been a game changer for compact and small sensor cameras which can now
deliver sharp, clean images at high ISO settings after processing.
The benefits of the wide
aperture lens are still there but are much less important than they once
were.
The multi-aspect ratio sensor has been a feature of some
Pana-Lumix/Leica cameras for several years. I checked the pixel count at each
of the three standard aspect ratios for the DL8 using the lens slider versus
the Pana-Lumix G100D and cropping digitally.
Aspect ratio |
D-Lux 8 Pixel count |
G100D Pixel count |
4:3 |
4736x3552 = 16.82 Mpx |
5184x3888 = 20.15 Mpx |
3:2 |
4928x3288 = 16.20 Mpx |
5184x3456 = 17.91 Mpx |
16:9 |
5152x2904 = 14.96 Mpx |
5184x2920 = 15.14 Mpx |
We can see that in each case cropping the full Four Thirds
sensor gives us more pixels to work with, leading me to wonder why Leica has
persevered with the multi-aspect ratio feature.
Conclusion
The D-Lux 8 is currently the least expensive new camera
bearing the Leica red dot and brand. On
that basis it will be sure to appeal to some buyers. It’s a good camera and it
can make very good pictures.
But for a buyer unimpressed by the Leica mystique there are several
small crop sensor mirrorless
interchangeable lens models and a few full frame ones, offering more features, better image quality, greater
versatility and better performance for both still photos and video at a lower
price point.
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