Leica V-Lux 3: Panasonic FZ150 In Disguise

A Panasonic-Lecia partnership has long seen the brands use their respective talents to give each other a helping hand in the camera market. Panasonic gets to write 'Leica' on its camera lenses, boosting its credibility thanks to the German optics firm's excellent reputation, while Leica gets to expand its camera range by selling Japanese-made compacts under its name.

So it's no surprise to see that the freshly announced V-Lux 3 bears a striking resemblance to a recent Panasonic bridge. The Lecia V-Lux 2 was already based on the Panasonic FZ100, which has since been replaced by the excellent FZ150, released in autumn 2011. This update has now been translated from Japanese into German with the Leica V-Lux 3.

So instead of detailing the tech specs of the V-Lux 3, we might as well just tell you to look at our Panasonic FZ150 review but, basically, you'll find a 12-Megapixel CMOS sensor, a 25-600 mm lens, a swivel screen with 460,000 dots and a mediocre viewfinder.

Note that the picture quality may not be identical in the two models, however, as Leica usually modifies the internal software to adapt the cameras to its own brand traits and preferences. Another difference is that the V-Lux 3 will come with a product licence for Adobe Photoshop Elements (photo editing) and Premiere Elements (video editing) that can be downloaded after purchase.

The Leica V-Lux 3 is due to launch in the UK in January 2012 and comes with an RRP of £690. A separate outdoor case will also be available for £135. Note that you can pick up the Panasonic FZ150 for around £400 but, then again, it's not a Leica.

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