Leica V-Lux 3

Leica V-Lux 3 is Leica's Small Sensor Superzoom camera initially introduced on December of 2011. It includes a 12 MegaPixel, CMOS 1/2.3" size sensor with a full resolution of 4000 x 3000.

Leica launched this camera in an effort to replace the earlier Leica V-Lux 2 (Read Full Comparison) & afterwards introduced the updated Leica V-Lux 4 (Read Full Comparison) in order to update this model.

The V-Lux 3 comes in at #74 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & over all #558 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. Please try our Smart camera search to see camera listings based on your personalized criteria.

The following is a diagram of specific factors used in the rating system.

The Leica V-Lux 3 is part of a family of cameras. You can read the detailed list underneath.

You can look at the V-Lux 3 from several angles in the gallery here.

Here is a collection of pluses and minuses of the Leica V-Lux 3 based on things which are usually regarded as useful in a camera.

The sensor spec in the Leica V-Lux 3 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to capture 4000 x 3000 pixels using aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera features Image Stabilization (Optical). Sensor stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter might lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 12 megapixels and features a native ISO range of 100 - 6400. RAW files are supported so you have more margin for error.

The graphic underneath shows the V-Lux 3's sensor size when compared to other common sizes. The V-Lux 3 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is showcased in green.

Photography Glossary

To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Leica V-Lux 3 weighs around 1.19 pounds (540g / 19.05 oz) & has external measurements of 124mm x 81mm x 95mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.7"). The weight of average Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387g so the Leica V-Lux 3 is more heavy as compared with various rivals.

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Down below is a picture of the Leica V-Lux 3 besides a softdrink so you can get a feel for its size.

The top view just below will provide the button arrangement on the V-Lux 3.

The V-Lux 3 includes a built-in lens having a focal range of 25-600mm making it a 24.0 x zoom which is exceptional and will enable you to zoom all the way in.

At it's widest 25mm, the lens features an aperture of f2.8 making it very sluggish and not very good for low light situations and you might find it difficult to get good bokeh. You would also need to up your ISO leading to noisy files. Towards the long end, 600mm is excellent zoom and comes to f5.2 making it really sluggish and you would have to choose slow shutter speeds.

The V-Lux 3 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that consist of NFC or Bluetooth compatibility can be used wirelessly with smartphones. You will be able to transfer photos and oftentimes change settings with no need to connect physically with the camera.

Some apps also allow a Liveview and release the shutter in case you are not close to the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external display. Many cameras enable you to charge the battery pack using the USB socket.

The highest possible video resolution in the Leica V-Lux 3 is 1920 x 1080 and you can record in MPEG-4, AVCHD and Motion JPEG format. 1080p resolution gives a great balance for quality vs file size but 1080p won't leave you with any room to downsample. Even though the body offers a microphone port, it is unfortunately missing a headphone port so you won't have the capability to keep an eye on your audio levels.

There is no environment proofing for the Leica V-Lux 3 so you have to be careful in wet or dusty situations.

The Leica V-Lux 3 includes a 3 inch fully articulated display screen having a resolution of 461 thousand dots.

The display is selfie friendly for self portraits as well as group photos when required. Please note that the display has no touch support.

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The View Finder details for Leica V-Lux 3 are below:

• ViewFinder Electronic
• ViewFinder Coverage 100%

Viewfinders are pretty useful for sunny outdoor situations which will make the camera display washed out and very difficult to see.

Leica V-Lux 3 is able to shoot continuously at 12.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/2000 seconds.

Leica V-Lux 3 features both built in flash along with external flash support.

Leica V-Lux 3 features only Contrast Detect AF & is missing Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot snappier & exact as compared with Contrast Detect autofocusing.

The AF system includes 23 focus points to pick from. Leica V-Lux 3 has the ability to use manual focus when required for low light situations or you require more precise control on focus.

The battery life (BP-DC 9) for the Leica V-Lux 3 is fashioned to last for 410 pictures as per the CIPA specifications making it higher than standard when compared to its class. The average Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR comes with the best (600) battery life for this group of cameras.

Underneath is a list of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras with the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
V-Lux 3 vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
V-Lux 3 vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
V-Lux 3 vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
V-Lux 3 vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
V-Lux 3 vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following illustration presents a rundown of the Leica V-Lux 3 for varying categories of photography. To view more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

The Leica V-Lux 3 gets a score of 41 which is horrible, and means the camera is simply not suitable to use for portraits. Taking portraits leans greatly towards sensor size, RAW support together with the ability to work with external lighting.

Coming in at a decent rating of 58, the Leica V-Lux 3 is reasonably appropriate to use in street photography. A good street photography camera comes with a good balance of picture quality and portability.

A horrible sports photography points tally of 43 means the Leica V-Lux 3 is simply not suitable for taking photos of sports. A camera really should have great focusing and shutter speeds for sports photography.

Size is very crucial when choosing a camera for travel. In general, the Leica V-Lux 3 gets a modest 56 as a travel camera which is reasonably appropriate to take with you on your journeys.

When you're planning to choose a camera for landscape photographs, the most significant aspect will be image quality. The Leica V-Lux 3 at it's reasonable score of 48 as a landscape camera is somewhat suitable compared to it's competition.

A camera for vlogging should come with a moving display, microphone port and ideally IBIS. Considering all the details, the Leica V-Lux 3 is a respectable pick as a vlog camera as it comes to a very good rating of 62.

If you are searching for replacements to the V-Lux 3, here is a collection of the top scored cameras which fall under the class of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart listed below gives you a summary of the V-Lux 3 vs it's top scoring competitors listed above.

Here are a few more cameras you might have a look at as alternatives. To see a extensive comparison, go to the "compare" link.