The second generation stylish compact digital camera: C-LUX2

A review and Photo example of the LEICA C-LUX 2.

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Review

Overview
Usability
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1．Overview

The C-LUX 2 is a compact digital camera released by Leica under the OEM agreement with Panasonic.
The original camera was the LUMIX DMC-FX30.

Detailed specifications of the camera are listed in the table below, but the main specifications are as follows:

The image sensor has 7.2 megapixels.
The lens is the Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens carried over from the C-LUX1.
6 groups, 7 elements (4 aspherical lenses).
Built-in optical image stabilization (Mega-OIS).
Focal length f=4.6-16.8mm / F2.8 (wide end) – F5.6 (telephoto end).
27MB of built-in memory for shooting.
Battery is BP-DC6.
Body colors are black and silver.

2．Usability

The C-LUX2 was released in 2007, so it probably falls into the category of old compact digital cameras. The black version I own has a matte black color with a calm color scheme.

The DMC-FX30 is also a stylish camera, but the Leica version has a good design that emphasizes simplicity even more.

It has the same lens as the C-LUX1, so barrel distortion is noticeable when shooting a grid-like object at the wide-angle end, depending on the shooting distance. The number of pixels on the image sensor has increased by about 20% from 6 million pixels on the C-LUX1 to 7.2 million pixels, but there is almost no difference in the shooting results.

Recording is only in JPEG, so Raw shooting is not possible, and the sensor size is small at 1/2.5, so you cannot expect high ISO image quality in dark places. It is an old-fashioned digital camera with noise appearing at ISO 800.
The file size of one image is about 1.5 to 4 MB, and if you use a 32GB SDHC, the shot counter will exceed 1000 shots, so it seems like you can take almost infinite shots. It has 27MB of built-in memory for shooting, and can take about 10 shots in Fine shooting mode.

The shutter response is such that after about 3 shots, the camera waits for the next shot to be written. Continuous shooting is not possible, but the camera is not designed for continuous shooting, so photographers should keep this in mind.

The battery is the BP-DC6, which is the same model number for the C-LUX2 and C-LUX3, but it should be noted that this is a different model number from the C-LUX1.

3．Add Info.

Compatible batteries such as Panasonic’s DMW-BCE10E and Ricoh’s DB-70 *1 appear to be compatible in terms of shape and voltage. We do not recommend using compatible batteries, and ask that users do so at their own risk.

The memory card slot of this camera has a problem where the lock tab of the SD card can get caught in the card slot. If this happens, the SD card will not be able to be removed. In that case, you cannot remove it by just twisting it with force, so you can safely remove it by folding a thin, strong piece of paper into an L or U shape and inserting it into the gap between the card slot and the SD card’s lock tab, then covering the lock tab with the paper. We have also encountered this problem with the C-LUX3. It seems that all Panasonic digital cameras from this era have this problem.

We disassembled the camera to remove the card, but the SD card slot was an integrated unit, and we were unable to remove the card by simply disassembling the camera. We think that the method of inserting the card into the gap mentioned above is effective for removing the card.
To prevent the locking tabs of the SD cards used with this camera from getting caught, they are covered with thin, strong mending tape.

Specification

Items	Value	Note
Effective pixels	7.2-Megapixels
Lens	Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT 1:2.8-5.6 /4.6-16.4 ASPH.	35mm equivalent: 28 to 102mm
撮像素子	1/2.5 CCD sensor
Finder	none
Back LCD	2.5 type
Memory-card	SDHC Card	Supports up to 32GB
No built-in recording memory	About 27MB	Capable of taking about 10 pictures with Fine
Battery	BP-DC6	Compatible Battery RICOH DB-70 1 Panasonic DMW-BCE10E 1
Size(mm)	Width x Height x Depth 94.1 ×52 x 24
Weight(g)	152 (Include battery and SD-card)

*1:Affiliate of RAKUTEN

Model history

Model name	C-LUX 1	C-LUX 2	C-LUX 3	LEICA C typ1122	C-LUX typ1546
focal length	28-102	28-102	25-125	28-200	24-360
Pixels	6.37	7.2	10.1	12.1	10.1
Sensor	1/2.5	1/2.5	1/2.33	1/1.7	1inch
Finder	なし	なし	なし	内蔵EVF	内蔵EVF
Back LCD	2.5	2.5	2.5	3.0	3.0
Battery	BP-DC4	BP-DC6	BP-DC6	BP-DC14	BP-DC15
Memory-card	SD	SDHC	SDHC	SDXC	SDXC
Release year	2006	2007	2008	2013	2018
Colorカラー	Silver Black	White Black	White Black	Dark red Gold	Navy Gold
OEM Model	DMC-FX01	DMC-FX30	DMC-FX37	LF1	TX2