Leica D-Lux 8 Review: Hello Again, Old Friend!

When the Leica D-Lux 7 and its Panasonic twin, the LX100 II were released in 2018, they were cutting-edge compact cameras that enthusiasts loved. Now, 6 years later, the D-Lux 8 arrives with the same lens, sensor, and many specifications. Everyone is clamoring for more advanced compact cameras right now, but does the D-Lux 8 have enough to offer in 2024? Chris Niccolls took Leica’s latest for a stroll through Calgary’s Chinatown to find out.

0:00 - Intro
0:16 - What’s old?
2:11 - Sample Images
3:26 - What’s new?
5:20 - Macro
5:36 - Burst Shooting
6:44 - Power Zoom
7:24 - Displays
8:29 - Autofocus
9:33 - Video
10:22 - Should you buy it?

[ericaceous]

One wonders whether it's still a dust pump - the LX100 cameras and the LX10 all suffered from dust ingress.

[ahmedrabbanirasha]

I love how there are 34mm shots, but not 35mms 😂

[unnmedfeelng]

It feels like Leica made this without Panasonic and didn't really care about it. It's not a bad camera by itself considering lack of competition, but I hope Panasonic makes a proper LX100 upgrade.

[Jakobe_Beef]

Wonder if Panasonic will ever release the LX100 III now that the D-Lux8 is out

[SamEmilio]

I LOVE what was said at the end about where the premium compact market is at. I keep thinking the same thing - that if Panasonic were to bring out a new GM series camera, it would sell like CRAZY. I can't justify what those are going for on the used market, but it would be fantastic to have a modern sensor in those. Instead, we got the s9.. Which just ain't it

[-.]

It is a real retro camera because it has Panasonic’s good old out-of-focus/hunting technology.

[MinoltaCamera]

I love how Leica can sell you a 6 years old Panasonic that was launched at $1000 back then, just tweak it a bit and relaunch it like a "brand new" $1600 Leica... And I like the M series concept, even the Q. But this is just inmoral

[stuntmonkey]

At one time the DLux cameras used to be a pretty good deal because they came with a perpetual license of Light Room, so the value difference over the Panasonic version was really only just over a hundred bucks. My local pro-dealer always sold more Dlux over LX bedcause of that. Once that went away, the value proposition did too. And now we enter 2024, and selling the same lens and sensor in a more expensive package is... well... a rather 'Pentax" thing to do....

[ianroe]

The scariest part of the video is Chris revealing what the ground beneath him smelled like and then cutting to a shot of him in flip-flops.

[banana_necessary]

If they had upgraded the sensor, optics and displays and had okay weather sealing, I'd have zero issues picking one up as a travel camera as I like what Leica does with the jpegs but this is an old camera with a few tweaks.

[edgalt]

Is it unreasonable to expect improvements to image quality and resolution given that 6 years have passed since the previous model was introduced?

[TCMx]

as a leica shooter I appreciate this camera because the profits get reinvested into M lens R&D

[kanaheiusagi]

Funny enough the AF is still faster than GRIII

[TechInspected]

Love my LX100 (version 1). I still use mine casually. The version 2 didn't really upgrade what I wanted and so does this.

But maybe someday we'll see an LX100 III.

Edit: at 7:20 - my LX100 has a zoom resume function. Does Leica not have it?

[jeffriart]

LX100II is my absolute favorite camera, hoping for a mark 3, but with this D-lux 8 simply being rerelease and minor tweaks, I have doubt it will ever happen now... :(

That said, if my LX100II ever fail, I can see myself picking this up.

[gharel]

Are you sure about 9:27? My app says that the D-Lux 8 doesn't support Leica looks!

[MichaelSeneschal]

You could have a fishing YT channel. Even if it’s low budget and just with a GoPro. Would be super interested in your explanation and knowledge about fishing, because it’s super hard and technical.

[NickErickson]

I mean, I'm watching on a high resolution monitor in 4K and the IQ from this looks very acceptable. I don't think there is much to complain about with such a compact camera, other than the price for the "Leica" name. Most people with this will be able to share on socials and print just fine as long as they know what they're doing.

[MarcinRadomski]

That camera with a M43 mount would be awesome, there are already Leica branded lenses.

[edsonmartini]

IMHO the D-Lux 8 might not make sense for an upgrade from D-Lux 7 or the LX100II - but for someone looking for a very small compact with a 24-75mm equivalent zoom, I couldn't find another camera offering a similar combination. It's not cheap (as expected for any Leica), but an used LX100II is costing $1, 050 at mpb or KEH - and it' doesn't offer the updated CMOS (vs the original MOS), DNG, new processor engine (?), better focusing (?), et al - and again, it might not worth the upgrade ... But please tell me what you see as good alternative (and please double check the used prices, as everything now is crazy expensive across the board)