Leica's 7.2-megapixel status symbol, the C-LUX 2 ($499 street), is certainly an attractive camera, with its sleek metal design and Leica's easily identifiable red dot logo. But at nearly $500, the camera's performance is more comparable to those in the $250-$350 range.
The 5.4 oz camera is virtually identical to Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FX30 ($250 street). Available in silver or black, the C-LUX 2 packs a 3.6x zoom f/2.8-5.6 (28-100mm 35mm equiv zoom) Leica Vario-Elmarit DC lens with a true wide-angle setting of 28mm. The sharp 2.5" 207,000 pixel LCD screen is large and bright and easily viewable even in direct sunlight when gained up. Menus are easy to navigate and a button on the rear of the unit activates the camera's function menu, providing easy access to image stabilization, frame rate, white balance, ISO and resolution settings. Like many compact digicams, no optical viewfinder is provided, so images must be framed using the camera's LCD screen. A High Angle setting decreases LCD contrast while increasing brightness, making the display visible from higher angles, a handy feature for grabbing shots over a crowd of people. Read the whole article here