The Leica C (Panasonic LF1) Is The Perfect Pocket Camera!

As much as I love my Leica M9-P, I can't carry it with me 24/7...and that's where the Panasonic LX5 used to come in. The main problem was that it was not exactly "pocketable" (even less so with the EVF attached) but more of a "big coat pocket camera". The venerable LX5 had seen a lot of use and was getting a bit long-in-the-tooth. I'd been looking for a replacement and had been looking carefully at the Panasonic LX7 and, when it was introduced a few months ago, the Panasonic LF1. At the time, the most striking thing about the LF1 was the reach it had for something that size - 28mm-200mm (full-frame equivalent)!

When Leica announced their version of the LF1 recently for a $200 mark-up, it was a no-brainer as the body style was much nicer and I needed a copy of Lightroom 5 (which is normally about $150 by itself). Plus, I preferred a warranty through Leica rather than Panasonic as they've been so very helpful over the years with my M8, M9 and M lenses, often going that extra mile for me.

Though it only arrived today, I've been having a real blast with the C! In my opinion it is certainly a step up from the LX5 in terms of telephoto reach and photo quality. It's no M9 obviously but, turned off with its lens collapsed, it is exceedingly tiny and really can live in my pants pocket 24/7. Being able to tether it to a tablet or phone is also a welcome bit of utility that I'm sure I'll use.

I love the macro capabilities, the decent low-light ability, the RAW file capability and the presence of a EVF on something this tiny. For what it's worth, the EVF won't win any prizes but it certainly does the job in bright light and that's all I need it for.

I'll be putting the Leica C through its paces with more rigor very soon but, in the meantime, I'm very pleased with the results!

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