Leica Announces "Affordable" V-LUX 20 Digital Camera With Geotagging

To say that Leica is a trusted name in the camera industry is just too easy. That's a well-known fact, and we doubt it'll change anytime soon. The company is primarily known for shipping extremely expensive and rare rangefinders, which are smaller cameras with larger sensors that can approach DSLR quality in a body that's barely larger than the average point and shoot camera. Today, that very company is introducing one of their cheaper models: the V-LUX 20.

It's modeled after Panasonic's ZS7, and in reality, not much has changed on the Leica version. The price tag, of course, is one of them. There's a 12.1MP sensor, built-in GPS tagging, a 12x optical zoom lens (C-VARIO-ELMAR 4.1-49.2mm f/3.3-4.9 ASPH to be precise), HD movie recording, automatic scene modes and smart exposure. It also has a 3" LCD on the back, a matte black finish and a nice mix of manual/auto controls. It will ship first in the UK next month for £495 ($762), but should land in America soon after.

Leica Camera AG has announced the LEICA V-LUX 20, a 12.1 effective megapixel digital compact camera with a powerful 12x optical zoom lens and built-in GPS tagging*, making it ideal for recording special memories when travelling – wherever you are in the world.

The integrated, high-performance LEICA DC-VARIO-ELMAR 4.1-49.2mm f/3.3-4.9 ASPH. zoom lens with a focal range of 25-300mm (35mm equivalent) means the V-Lux 20 is perfect for any photographic situation. Whether shooting expansive landscapes, detailed close-ups or shots of distant subjects using the super-telephoto setting, the V-Lux 20 captures them all in breath-taking quality.

The V-Lux 20 is the first Leica camera to feature GPS tagging. For anyone travelling regularly – whether on exotic safaris, family beach holidays or even those important business trips – this innovative feature allows photographers to record the exact geographical co-ordinates of their location (in the Exif data of each photo) automatically, as well as the local time for every shot, ensuring the user always has a useful and accurate record of their trip. In addition, the V-Lux 20 can display the names of interesting sightseeing locations from a total of 500,000 ‘points of interest’ across 73 countries.

The built-in GPS feature also makes archiving and organising photos quick and easy, during or after a trip. Furthermore, for photographers posting images on social networks, image portals or map sites such as Google Maps or Google Earth, the data automatically reveals exactly when and where the photos were taken.*

For those who want to make movies as well as still images, the LEICA V-LUX 20 enables movie recording in HD quality. Its intelligent automatic features, such as face recognition, automatic scene modes and smart exposure, are all available in movie mode, together with the camera’s zoom functions.

The V-Lux 20’s generous three inch LCD display has a diagonal of 7.5cm and a resolution of 460,000 pixels, and offers an extremely bright, sharp view for precise composition and framing of shots, as well as accurate quality control for captured shots in playback mode.

Beautifully styled in a matt black finish, the V-Lux 20 has been designed with simple, ergonomic controls and user-friendly menus, and offers fully automatic functions for those who prefer to ‘point and shoot’. It also provides a complete range of manual shutter speed and aperture settings for more creative freedom and image control. In addition, the integrated image stabilisation assists the photographer by reducing the chance of blurred pictures, whether due to camera shake or difficult lighting conditions. The compact dimensions and light weight of the camera also make it easy to pack into a bag or rucksack, or simply carry in a pocket, so users can ensure the LEICA V-LUX 20 is with them on every trip.