Sunday, December 21, 2008

Leica Digilux-4


The name Leica is synonymous with precision and optical quality. This German camera and scope
manufacturer has been around for more than a century and has a legion of loyal followers in Malaysia -
namely: wannabes, rich farts and showoffs.I've attended a Leica product launch and its nothing but hot gas. Nevertheless, I wouldn't judge the brand
because of their users.To me, the closest ever deal I made, was an M-4 mechanical compact camera. Technically-speaking, its
an old range finder which belonged to a dead guy. The seller wanted RM350 for the piece which I quickly
wheeled-dealed with another collector.As technology progresses, Leica had lost its lusture. Film had given way to the solid state memory card.
But instead of going bust, the German company came back by collaborating with Panasonic to
manufacture their range of digital cameras.In Malaysia, you've got to be mad to own a Leica professional camera. The asking price is RM20K and
above for their range finders and SLRs.While the camera guarantees optical clarity, the rest is up to the hands that create the picture. That's all I
can say.Recently, a buddy of mine purchased a Panasonic Lumix L-4. Similarly, Leica under contract
manufacturing from Panasonic, announced their Digilux-4 in September. It shares the same processing
power as the LX-4.Price wise, the Panasonic retails at about RM1.7K, while Leica's rendition of the digital compact camera
is selling for RM2.89K.For that, retailers are also throwing in a classic brown leather case for the purchase. With belts tightening
everywhere in the world, I guess this lil Leica will have to take a backseat..

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