Leica V-Lux 5

Leica V-Lux 5 is Leica's Large Sensor Superzoom camera initially revealed on January of 2020. The camera comes with a 20MP, BSI-CMOS 1" size sensor with a maximum resolution of 5472 x 3648.

Leica released this camera in order to improve the previous Leica V-Lux 4 (Read Full Comparison)

The V-Lux 5 is ranked #1 out of 9 in Large Sensor Superzoom cameras & all-around #219 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. Remember to check out our Smart camera finder to see camera rankings based on your customized factors.

Below is a diagram of different criteria used in the scoring system.

The Leica V-Lux 5 is part of a family of cameras. You can view the detailed list below.

You can look at the V-Lux 5 from various angles in the gallery below.

Here is a selection of benefits and drawbacks of the Leica V-Lux 5 based on criterias that are oftentimes viewed as important in a camera.

The measurement of the sensor in the Leica V-Lux 5 is 13.2mm x 8.8mm (1"). The 116 mm² sensor can resolve 5472 x 3648 pixels using aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera has Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter might produce cropping.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The BSI-CMOS sensor has 20 megapixels and gives a native ISO range of 80 - 12500. The ISO can be widened electronically to a maximum of 25000. RAW format is saved which means that you have more margin for error.

The image below illustrates the V-Lux 5's sensor size in comparison to other common sizes. The V-Lux 5 sensor has a crop factor of 2.7 and is pointed out in green.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

To get an idea of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Leica V-Lux 5 weighs about 1.79 lb (812 grams / 28.64 oz) & the physical size of the camera is 137mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2"). The weight of normal Large Sensor Superzoom camera is 874 grams so the Leica V-Lux 5 is on par compared with various rivals.

Photography Glossary

Below is a photo of the Leica V-Lux 5 beside a softdrink to help you to get a feel for its size.

The top view below will show you the button arrangement on the V-Lux 5.

The V-Lux 5 offers an inbuilt lens having a focal range of 24-400mm making it a 16.7 x zoom which is great and will allow you to zoom right in.

At it's widest 24mm, the lens has an aperture of f2.8 and that's pretty sluggish and not great for low light occasions and you may find it hard to get a shallow depth of field. You will probably also have to increase your ISO setting which causes noisy files. Towards the long end, 400mm is fantastic zoom and comes at f4 making it quite good and will allow you to use higher shutter speeds.

The V-Lux 5 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• Bluetooth Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras with NFC and / or Bluetooth support can be controlled wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to transfer pictures and at times alter camera settings without connecting physically with the camera.

Certain apps also give a Liveview and click the shutter whenever you aren't close to the camera. If the camera boasts a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external display. Many cameras will allow you to charge the battery through the USB socket.

The maximum video quality in the Leica V-Lux 5 is 3840 x 2160 and you can record in MPEG-4 and H.264 format. 2160p provides a great quality for video. You are able to downsample to Full HD in order to get clearer video. Be mindful of the large file sizes and make sure you have decent SD cards with good write speed. Although the body has a mic socket, it is sadly lacking a headphone socket which means that you will not have the option to monitor your sound levels.

There is no weather proofing for the Leica V-Lux 5 so you have to be cautious in rainy or dusty conditions.

The Leica V-Lux 5 comes with a 3 inch fully articulated display having a resolution of 1,240 thousand dots.

It possesses a selfie friendly display for self portraits as well as group photos when necessary. Additionally the display is touch friendly which means that you are able to set focus point plus adjust settings using your finger.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The ViewFinder specifications for Leica V-Lux 5 are below:

• ViewFinder Electronic
• ViewFinder Resolution 2,360 thousand dots
• ViewFinder Coverage 100%

Viewfinders are really handy in bright outdoor conditions which can make the camera display washed out and very difficult to see.

Leica V-Lux 5 can shoot continuously at 12.0 frames per second. The max shutter speed is 1/4000s. The camera also has silent electronic shutter of 1/16000s. Keep in mind that the electronic shutter might produce "rolling shutter" under some lighting conditions.

Leica V-Lux 5 has both built-in flash along with external flash ability.

Leica V-Lux 5 has only Contrast Based Autofocus & lacks Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection autofocusing is more snappier & exact as compared with Contrast Based autofocusing. The camera comes with Face detect which makes it valuable for portraits.

The AF system comes with 49 focus points to select from. Leica V-Lux 5 has tap to focus. You can easily use your fingers in order to adjust focus points. It also includes Tracking Autofocus for moving objects. Leica V-Lux 5 boasts manual focusing when required in low light or you want more precise control on focusing.

The battery for the Leica V-Lux 5 is designed to last for 360 photos with respect to the CIPA benchmarks which is similar to it's rivals. The general Large Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 373. Sony RX10 III features the highest possible (420) battery life in this kind of cameras.

Listed below is a list of Large Sensor Superzoom cameras that come with the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Sony RX10 III
V-Lux 5 vs RX10 III420 yesyesno

Sony RX10
V-Lux 5 vs RX10420 yesyesno

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sony RX10 IV
V-Lux 5 vs RX10 IV400 yesyesyes

Sony RX10 II
V-Lux 5 vs RX10 II400 yesyesno

Panasonic FZ1000
V-Lux 5 vs FZ1000360 yesyesno

The following graph indicates a analysis of the Leica V-Lux 5 for different styles of photography. To view more, check out the specific section below.

The Leica V-Lux 5 has a rating of 73 which is above average, and means the camera is a respectable fit for portrait photography. Shooting portraits leans greatly towards sensor dimension, support for RAW photos plus the potential to work with off-camera lighting.

Having a above average score of 71, the Leica V-Lux 5 is a fine fit to buy for street photography. A good street photography camera has a good balance of image quality plus portability.

A above average sports photography score of 70 means the Leica V-Lux 5 is a very decent fit for shooting sports. A camera must have good autofocus and fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Size is extremely critical when getting a travel camera. All round, the Leica V-Lux 5 gets a nice 64 as a travelling camera which is a fine option to buy for your holidays.

For anyone who is looking to buy a camera for landscape photography, the most significant aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Leica V-Lux 5 with it's above average rating of 62 as a landscape camera is a respectable option within the current market.

A vlogging camera ought to offer a moving display screen, mic input and if possible IBIS. Taking everything in to account, the Leica V-Lux 5 is a respectable pick as a vlog camera as it gets a above average rating of 68.

If you are trying to find replacements to the V-Lux 5, below is a selection of the top scored cameras which fall in to the family of Large Sensor Superzoom.

The chart here gives you an overview of the V-Lux 5 vs it's highest scored competitors suggested earlier.

These are various other cameras you might consider as alternate options. To look at a comprehensive comparison, go to the "compare" link.