Leica V-Lux4 for grad: My granddaughter has a real interest in photography. I want to encourage this interest and am thinking of buying her a Leica V-Lux 4 to take to college. She is...

olcoach Loc: Oregon

My granddaughter has a real interest in photography. I want to encourage this interest and am thinking of buying her a Leica V-Lux 4 to take to college. She is not going to have time to do a lot of learning and this camera looks to be one that will allow her to take a lot of good pictures. Can anyone that has used this camera tell me if my thinking is correct? Thanks, Mike

cthahn

olcoach wrote:

My granddaughter has a real interest in photography. I want to encourage this interest and am thinking of buying her a Leica V-Lux 4 to take to college. She is not going to have time to do a lot of learning and this camera looks to be one that will allow her to take a lot of good pictures. Can anyone that has used this camera tell me if my thinking is correct? Thanks, Mike

Would you give a Cadillac to a teen age graduate for his first car.

A Leica is the most expensive camera on the market. Get her something simple and inexpensive to use. The chance of being stolen will be high. An camera like this takes learning to use, and will not take any better pictures than a less expensive one with less features.

Xpatch Loc: New York, Antigua, GT.

I have a v lux 6 not for the beginner,Panasonic lcmic work well with same general gear and size. Try dp if still stuck. It's a nice present but...

Somerset Lynn Loc: Somerset, NJ

I have the vlux4 and love it. Your grand grad will love it for the great zoom and no need to change lenses. She can also shoot auto and not have to fiddle with settings. This is a great bridge camera. The drawback is size. If she would enjoy and use a smaller pocket camera, I would suggest the Sony RX100. Zoom only to 100, but she would be able to carry it everywhere and probably use it more.

ole sarg Loc: south florida

Get here a nice used Canon G10 or 12. Great cameras with all the bells and whistles for a nominal price.

jjestar Loc: Savannah GA

cthahn wrote:

Would you give a Cadillac to a teen age graduate for his first car.

A Leica is the most expensive camera on the market. Get her something simple and inexpensive to use. The chance of being stolen will be high. An camera like this takes learning to use, and will not take any better pictures than a less expensive one with less features.

I did, wanted her to be safe. 1976 Fleetwood Braugham in 1981

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Too much camera for such a young person. Get her something more practical. I know that you are looking for people with experience with this camera, but after looking at the specs on this camera I'm not impressed. There are many cameras made by Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Samsung etc., that are less expensive and have more bells and whistles. I like the looks of the Samsung camera I saw at Best Buy yesterday. I expect Samsung to enter the market with a pretty big bang pretty soon.

olcoach Loc: Oregon

You have given me something to think about. I liked the idea of the Leica having such a complete zoom range. Is there a less expensive camera out there that is close to it? Thanks for all your replies.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

I have never heard anything bad about the Leica V-Lux 4. It is a lot of camera but that's a good thing.

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

Xpatch wrote:

I have a v lux 6 not for the beginner,Panasonic lcmic work well with same general gear and size. Try dp if still stuck. It's a nice present but...

I agree. The Leicas are beautiful and well crafted items. The real image difference is in the lens. Leicas are Top Shelf in lens image quality. The Panasonic Lumix Bridge camera have a strong reputation ( I have one) and use Leica Lenses. It'll give her great image quality and she'll still appreciate seeing the Leica branding on the lens.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ200 gives a 24X zoom range as does the Leica Lux 4..

Pkfish Loc: Wilson Wy

I've got a fz200 and it takes incredible pics. Just googled FZ vs Leica and didn't see a big difference. But what the heck it's under a grand. That's my 2 cents.

sbesaw Loc: Boston

Go here:
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=leica_vlux4&products=panasonic_dmcfz200

Compare specs, Panasonic FZ 200 basically same camera at $350 less

rogerl Loc: UK (Harrogate, North Yorkshire)

Have a look at the Panasonic TZ30 (ZS20 in USA) with its Leica lens at Panasonic price. I have one & love it.

RobertW Loc: Breezy Point, New York

No matter what the naysayers think, you get what you pay for. I have had a VLux1 and a VLux4 plus a Leica M and the glass is the best!----Leica is expensive, yes, but there are many 50 year old Leicas out there working as well as the day they were sold! Stick with that choice and she'll love it!

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

RobertW wrote:

No matter what the naysayers think, you get what you pay for. I have had a VLux1 and a VLux4 plus a Leica M and the glass is the best!----Leica is expensive, yes, but there are many 50 year old Leicas out there working as well as the day they were sold! Stick with that choice and she'll love it!

Look on the front of the Pana Lumix bridge camera. I agree Leica glass is best and so does Panasonic.