Leica has announced the forthcoming launch of the D-Lux 8 camera. As the name indicates, it is the eighth generation of the model, which was first introduced in 2003. The company has drawn on the success of its Q-series cameras to reimagine this latest version, which is likely to be exclusive to Leica.
Significantly, unlike previous iterations, there is no Panasonic sister camera and there is unlikely to be one. Because of this, Leica has taken the opportunity of remodelling the camera to match the Q3, the nearest look-alike sibling, and other products in the range.
Leica-style controls
The controls of the new D-Lux 8 have been simplified and ergonomically repositioned. Leica believes the user interface, inspired by the popular Leica Q cameras, has become even more user-friendly. The menus are redesigned to Leica’s new standards, in contrast to the Panasonic-style menus of the previous D-Lux 7.
The D-Lux 8 features a 4/3 CMOS sensor offering 21 MP (17 MP effective) resolution, which appears to be identical to that of the D-Lux 7. Leica has also retained the DC Vario-Summilux 10.9–34mm f/1.7–2.8 ASPH lens. This equates to a versatile 24-75mm range on a 35mm full-frame. Leica also says the camera represents an intuitive design, providing seamless connectivity with the Leica FOTOS app. RAW file output is now in DNG format to bring it into line with other Leica cameras.
As with the outgoing D-Lux 7, the camera comes with a small external flash unit which attaches to the hotshoe.
Accessories
In addition to the camera, Leica is introducing a new range of accessories. These include a hand grip, carrying straps, wrist straps, and leather protectors available in multiple colours. The portfolio of accessories will also feature an automatic lens cap, soft release buttons, and a selection of bags. Leica will be releasing a hip bag, cross-body bag, and equipment bag.
The Leica D-Lux 8 will be available globally from 2 July 2024 at Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store, and through authorised dealers. The recommended retail price is £1,450, including VAT (in the United Kingdom).
Customers can register here to be notified once the camera is available in store.
Look out for a Macfilos perspective on this new addition to the Leica stable, coming soon
Review of the Leica D-Lux (typ 109) which was the first D-Lux with a four-thirds sensor (2015)
Launch of the D-Lux 7 (2018)
A cup of coffee works wonders in supporting Macfilos
Did you know that Macfilos is run by a dedicated team of volunteers? We rely on donations to help pay our running costs. And even the cost of a cup of coffee will do wonders for our energy levels.
+++ Although those seem to be ‘marketing decisions’ to position the 8 near to Q3 in the competition to trigger a justification feeling for potential buyers, I also find the design alterations on the form & the menu as necessary steps. They can be read as Leica’s commitment to the D-Lux series rather than some facelift because the design path followed in the Q line is constantly improving.
I used to have a 7 as my entry gear to Leica, and all I can say is it was an excellent combination of form, sensor and lens. After that, I tried x100V for a short period, but it just didn’t fit, so I got a Q (Typ 116). When I saw the first (and still the only) image of 8, I thought I would sell the Q and go for the old friend in a new fashion. However, after having an initial enthusiasm for the new design, I evaluated it calmly. My satisfaction with the D-Lux was simply having a reasonable zoom and pocketable size (I mostly enjoy shooting on streets). Now, I’m experiencing the other aspects of photography work, and Q covers a broader area. As a result, I will keep the Q for a while since I don’t have room for two, but I’m sure I’ll get 8 second-hand when it’s settled.
I find that the Ricoh GRIII makes a nice addition to the Q (3 in my case), simply because of size. The results are good, similar (in my opinion) to the Fuji X100V and it is so much smaller and pocketable. I take the Ricoh on those occasions when I’m not setting out deliberately to take pictures but feel I need “something just in case”.
I’m avoiding the GRIII because I can’t manage without a viewfinder. Do you use an external one, or do you have any recommendations?
You are absolutely right… the lack of a viewfinder is the biggest criticism aimed at the GR. However, being realistic, the major attraction of the Ricoh is the tiny body, and adding a viewfinder would definitely make it bigger. I’ve often thought a Sony RX100-style pop-up finder would be a good idea, but I have no idea if there is enough room in the Ricoh. I have the small 28mm optical finder, and it works quite well (especially when using Ricoh’s excellent snap focus facility. But the absence of AF confirmation (except audible) is a disadvantage of the OVF. Fuji’s OVF on the X100VI is much better, in that it combines the best of both worlds.
That said, I treat the Ricoh much like a smartphone and have got used to composing on the screen. It works well, except in strong sunlight. This inconvenience is a small price to pay for the convenience of being able to slip the camera in a pocket.
I know there’s a bit to criticize in terms of specs and product progression. But in a strategic and messaging sense, I find this the most interesting of all the recent camera releases.
Not so much because of what it is, but for the one thing that it isn’t. That being that it isn’t accompanied – seemingly – by a corresponding Panasonic clone. It looks like this D-Lux will stand alone. And that’s a fascinating choice. Not only that , but whilst it will contain plenty of Panasonic internals , and the known quantity lens , it’s not a case of Panasonic handing them surplus LX100 bodies and running gear and Leica just putting a Red dot on them.
No. They’ve changed the dimensions of the body. They’ve changed the styling and design cues. They’ve omitted the compensation dial. They’ve stripped back on buttons. Replaced the menus. Given it a much improved OLED evf. It’s not all their design, but it’s not at all true that this is a mindless, by the numbers release. They’ve made a lot of decisions here.
Some , of course, may not make much sense to us. For me, an X with.a fixed lens and Evf is more in line with Leica tradition. Similarly, I’d have thought an exposure comp dial in this camera would suit the stripped down , direct control Leica ethos. And sure, I’d have loved to see the 25mp sensor from the G9ii onboard, though I’m guessing that that may have forced a new lens development. And that means bigger cost.
But it’s fascinating to ponder that currently, there is no entry point into Leica. There’s no X, or TL, or CL. The c- lux I assume is dead and buried. You pay $9000 Australian dollars for a Q , or even more for an SL or M, or you buy second hand. That’s it. So I find it intriguing that they have chosen the D-Lux line as the one to continue, and to function as the “affordable” first step. They’ve clearly tried to make it stylistically like the Q, but far cheaper. And with a key difference – a variable focal length lens. I can kinda see the logic here. But on one proviso. It looks lovely, it’s going to take very nice pictures (that sensor / lens combo is still very good) but they have to get it to market at a price that makes owning a mini Q enticing, not prohibitive. People want Leica because they’re Leica. Make it possible and they’ll choose one.
Good to hear from you again, Jason. Hope all is well in Melbourne. We miss your articles, so do buy the D-Lux 8 and let us have some wonderful pictures and a background assessment! Mike
Hi Mike,
Things are going ok here, hopefully going well at your end too.
If I can afford a new D-Lux, I’ll do my best to get you a write up!!
There are now a couple of videos on Youtube showing the 8 in use. Exposure comp has been replaced by an assignable dial (the video claims this is similar to the Q). The highest speed on the shutter dial has been reduced from 4000 on the 7 to 2000 on the 8.
For me, I never saw the point of exposure comp when one can control it on the lens. However, I did manage to inadvertently change exposure comp several times, taking the 6 in and out of a case. That’s something, I guess 🙂
Leica plays this game of teasing for months what turns out to be a previous camera with cosmetic changes (often for the worse).
I have a 7 (also an SL2 and the wondrous – not re-warmed – Q3).
The D-LUX 8 best I can tell is the 7 sans several of the on-camera controls (I love the exposure comp dial, for instance – now gone and buried in some menu somewhere) which make the 7 a pleasure to use.
What ARE you thinking, Leica?
Leica applies some of the best thinking ever to cameras like the SL, M, Q series.
The thinking is suddenly ‘turned off’ when it comes to anything to do with the CL or D-Lux.For example, there was obviously a lot of love and thought went into the creation and development of the CL but at some point they handed everything over to marketing. And then look what happens.Everyone is asking for a CL2 and nobody has been asking for a D-lux 8. But here it is.The fact that they produced a film M6, and a D-lux 8, and an instant camera but no CL2 is a triumph of the marketing department over the design and engineering teams at Leica.
I noticed that too, the exposure comp. dial was removed to make the D-lux 8 prettier but not as functional as the 7.
I suspect the exposure compensation works as it does on the Q series. The button and wheel at the right hand end of the top plate can be configured to be both Exposure Compensation (the wheel) and ISO (button push, then wheel turn).
If that’s the way I believe the “Q-Tip” works, then it’s a more efficient use of real estate and fast enough for most situations.
I have the Leica DLux Type 109 and it’s an excellent little carry around camera. I brought it as my only camera on a trip to the UK and France and it took great photos. It’s also my go to camera for concert photography as it fits in my pocket and evades scrutiny from security. The fast lens suits this perfectly. I use it a less now as I have since purchased the Q2 as my travel camera.
I’d be interested in an upgrade if I didn’t have the Q2.
.
I just don’t understand. People compare these pocket Leicas to Panasonics, or sometimes to Fuji cameras, but I hardly ever see a reference to the obvious – to me, anyway! – comparisons ..the super-capable pocket Sony cameras.
I’m brand agnostic; I don’t care whether a camera’s made by Nikon, Sony, Canon, Leica, Pneumonia, Encyclopaedia or Whoeveria, but look at the tiny Sony WX350, for example (probably discontinued by now): https://camerasize.com/compare/#808,441
It’s smaller than a Leica pocket camera, but has (or had) a 20x zoom and 18 megapixels – no eye-level viewfinder, though – and has the equivalent of a 25-500mm lens! Wide to super-telephoto in a size a little less than half of a D-Lux 8 (width and depth).
Or if you want a ± over/under-exposure knob on the top (very useful!) what about a Sony HX50 (also probably superseded by now, but I use one): https://camerasize.com/compare/#808,441
That’s a bit bigger – nearly the size of a D-Lux 8 – but with a (deep breath) 30x zoom: 24-720mm equivalent! ..What could you NOT shoot with that? ..20 megapixels, for whomever that may be a consideration, easy over/under adjustment under your thumb (if you’re right-handed), black-&-white ‘Richtone Monochrome’ if you want it, ‘Partial Color’ if you want it (B&W except for your chosen colour), ‘Optical Steadyshot’ making up for shaky hands, but no eye-level viewfinder.
Now look at the Sony RX100 series; look at the MkVi (..though this comparison pic shows only the similar Mk IV): https://camerasize.com/compare/#808,622 ..still smaller than the D-Lux 8, f2.8-4.5 24-200mm equivalent lens, EYE-LEVEL pop-up finder, 20 megapixels, INSTANT focus (..or as Sony puts it: ‘0.03 sec AF response with 315 focal-plane phase-detection AF points’), Optical Steadyshot, over/under exposure dial round the lens (or you can set that to shutter speed, aperture or ISO), ISO 125-12800, shutter speeds 30-1/32000 sec.
And the D-Lux 8..? 22 megapixels – about the same as those Sonys. Lens? 24-75mm equivalent. [Only 75mm?!] “..A new range of accessories, including a hand grip, carrying straps, wrist straps, and leather protectors, will be available in multiple colours” says Leica. Are they selling a CAMERA or a handbag?
How d’you use it? ..with a button marked ‘Play’, a shutter speed dial, a Menu button, an aperture dial, and a manual focusing ring. Over/under exposure? ..Er, an unmarked dial so that you can’t see what you’re setting – except in the finder or on the screen – unless you put your own white blob on it. And “Leica will be releasing a hip bag, cross-body bag, and equipment bag”.
Why would anyone choose such a diminished-capability handbag – sorry; camera – when there are so many far more capable non-Leica brand really useful cameras to choose from?
Leica tried those ‘T’ models (solid block of aluminium, etcetera), the X models (how many of those sold, and why so few?), the small interchangeable-lens CL (and where did that go?) ..it’s all just so silly!
Leica’s expertise is in making great LENSES, not cameras (..has the ‘M’ changed much since 1954?) ..but Leica doesn’t understand that. And Chinese lenses are coming up on the inside at a rate of knots, and at much more affordable prices. So why create yet another of these under-specified – crippled – ‘D-Lux’ offerings which next to no-one will buy?
How many more times will they shoot themselves in the foot?
Sorry, the 2nd camera size comparison should be https://camerasize.com/compare/#808,457
That 2nd camera size comparison, above, should be https://camerasize.com/compare/#808,457
Another product not for me, this hits a price point close to the X100 series, but isn’t likely to compete. Which might not work well for sales, and we saw what happened to the CL/TL2 when that last happened.
I still say if they had made a version of the CL with a fixed lens, and below 2k, it would have chewed up Fuji customers, or former X customers who defected when Leica failed to show up with replacement. It would also not cannibalise their Q sales, as the Q sits in a more premium niche, more or less on its own.
In a week that’s two new cameras where I genuinely struggle to see who they are pitched at. I am either out of touch with the marketing world, or all of my training in strategic leadership has been obsoleted and I need to go back to strategy school.
Yes, a fixed lens Leica compact (35mm or 40mm with close focus) would have swept the market. Missed opportunity.
In my opinion the X, X-Vario, T(L) and CL all could have been a commercial success if Leica had just focused on maturing and improving them and sticking with them (as Fuji and Ricoh have done). Now it is just a lot of missed opportunities and a bunch of disgruntled customers…
Absolutely correct. I have made this point frequently. Leica has shown absolutely no consistency and seems ti have been panicked into changing direction instead of consolidating.
The resemblance to the Q3 makes me wonder if Leica exploiting the reputation of the Q3 to sell a vanity product?
If so, it could possibly sell very well, attracting the kind of buyer for whom the CL would be far too much camera, and the Q3 too expensive (Not a criticism of the D Lux line; I have a used D Lux Typ 109 I use and really enjoy).
Hmm… I would like to buy a new CL and a set of lenses for it but I can’t because Leica killed it just before I was ready to buy.
The Q3 is an option but since the Q3 is too expensive ( as you said ) and more than I need as an everyday carry companion for my SL2s perhaps the D-Lux 8 will attract me as a buyer?
Let me see…er..Nope.
I can’t see anything exciting about a camera with this sensor and no full frame, not even APS-C for that matter, in 2024. I guess I don’t appreciate Leica’s sense of vanity quite enough to purchase one. Some people have already started calling it the baby Q which it absolutely isn’t. A sensor that only has 17MP today is pedestrian rather than cute.I haven’t looked at the prices but I’m betting that a micro four thirds mirrorless camera kit would outdo this and for less money. Still the D-Lux line has certainly been around for a while so Leica must see some more legs in it.
I agree with you. Now, I think to get an upgrade to the Typ 109, I would have looked at the Panasonic GX9, with several of the DG series lenses (all fairly inexpensive on the used market).
But, I like having a shutter speed dial on the top of the camera, and I like controlling aperture by a ring on the lens. So I went Fuji and as a bonus got a better sensor. And I can still use my M lenses on it.
I posted elsewhere that this might be a test for Leica to see what people would buy in the market from Leica. If the DL-8 has even a modicum of success do you invest more for a DL-9? What might that be like? If you remember that Leica has abandoned APSC because Fuji now owns that sector, can Leica own an upmarket portion of MFT above Olympus/OM Systems?
I agree with you. Leica was able to sell out the James Bond edition last year and if this also sells well it could be a new niche market with very little to no competition. We would get a D-Lux 9 in 4-6 years with perhaps an upgraded sensor and still the same lens. Not much R&D required from Leica and all in all relatively easy money.
Ho Hum. new wrapping only. so little aspiration.
A disappointment for those of us who hoped for a significant advancement in the D-Lux 8 — such as an updated sensor, weather/dust sealing and a manual zoom. While there is a small improvement in that there are fewer buttons (especially the A-button), this is a mostly cosmetic update of this camera. I was disappointed by Leica’s abandonment of the CL and was hoping that there would be a significant upgrade in the D-Lux 8 that would make it a credible successor to the CL. That hasn’t happened.
Not at all sure why Leica thinks the D-lux line is worth continuing but the CL, already developed and in production with it’s own range of lenses, wasn’t. Number of units sold? Is there a demand for 4/3 format and aspect ratios. seems a bit outdated.