Travelling means that it is the best time to create and capture memories with friends and family. However the biggest problem with that is when you need great photos, you are either relegated to bringing along heavy cameras, or make do with your smartphone that does not zoom.
Why can’t we have something that is compact yet has a healthy zoom range? Well, Leica just answered your query with the Leica C (Typ112).
SMALL BUT NIMBLE
This compact camera bellies the fact that it is a capable piece of equipment.
This camera is based on Panasonic’s LF1 camera, which is itself a very impressive camera.
You get a 12.1 megapixel MOS sensor for image capture, and paired to the sensor is a 7.lx zoom lens that is very impressive, considering that the camera is barely bigger than your bog-standard smartphone today.
Another great feature of the camera is the inclusion of Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can snap a photo, link your phone to the camera, and share it with your social media friends and family in a jiffy.
MAYBE A LITTLE TOO SMALL
At the back you get a 920k pixel, 3-inch fixed LCD display for all your display needs, and inherited from the donor camera, an Electronic View Finder (EVF) at the top left hand corner of the camera, when you do not want to use the screen to compose your shots.
Unfortunately the presence of the EVF severely impacts the flash, as the unit built-into the camera is barely powerful enough to light up the immediate area.
Handling of the camera can be tricky for someone with big hands. It sits well in the hand, and the presence of the control ring at the front helps to give it an extra dimension of control in shooting.
However the camera itself is not a two-handed camera, as the diminutive size does not lend itself well to handling with, well, two hands. The control itself is great – you can select, depending on the mode you are in, settings such as ISO, Aperture, or even optical zoom.
GO LONG!
The 12.1 megapixel uses a large size sensor – 1/1.7” in this case, so it means that the sensor has larger pixels to capture more information in every shutter press. The f/2-5.9 lens means that it can capture the best amount of light at the widest 28mm (35mm equivalent).
It is not the best performing lens at the longer zoom range, but for casual snapshots, it is more than adequate.
As an addition to the Leica family, the Leica C (Typll2) is a very capable camera that fits the bill for someone who is looking for something small and light, but capable for great photo capturing.
SPECS
DIMENSIONS: 103 x 63 x 28 mm
WEIGHT: 195g
EFFECTIVE PIXELS: 12 megapixels
SENSOR: 1/1.7″ CMOS
FOCAL LENGTH: 28–200mm (7.1× zoom)
SCREEN: 3-inch LCD
STORAGE: SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
PORTS: HDMI, USB 2.0, composite video/audio
