Leica V-Lux 20 vs Leica V-Lux 5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica V-Lux 20 and the Leica V-Lux 5, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Leica V-Lux 20 was introduced in April 2010 and Leica V-Lux 5 was introduced in January 2020. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica V-Lux 20 over Leica V-Lux 5.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica V-Lux 5 over Leica V-Lux 20.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Leica V-Lux 20 and Leica V-Lux 5 have 3.0" screens with 461k dot and 1,240k dot resolutions respectively. Leica V-Lux 20 has a Fixed screen Leica V-Lux 5 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Leica V-Lux 5 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Leica V-Lux 5) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Electronic Viewfinder on Leica V-Lux 5

Leica V-Lux 5 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Leica V-Lux 20.

Leica V-Lux 20 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.33-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 6.08 x 4.56 mm and a total area of 27.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 6,400. Leica V-Lux 5 features a 20.1 megapixel 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 12,500 and expands to 80 - 25,000 in boosted mode.

Leica V-Lux 5 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Leica V-Lux 20 can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4176 x 2784 4320 x 2432, 3264 x 2448, 3392 x 2264, 3552 x 2000, 2560 x 1920, 2656 x 1768, 2784 x 1568, 2048 x 1536, 2048 x 1360, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360 with 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Leica V-Lux 5 can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution.

Leica V-Lux 20 has an image stabilization.

Built-in GPS on Leica V-Lux 20

Leica V-Lux 20 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Leica V-Lux 5

Leica V-Lux 5 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Leica V-Lux 5

Leica V-Lux 5 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Leica V-Lux 20 has an HDMI and Leica V-Lux 5 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Leica V-Lux 5 comes with BP-DC12 battery pack with battery life of 360 shots.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/2000 sec on Leica V-Lux 20, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica V-Lux 5. Leica V-Lux 20 can shoot continuously up to 2.3 fps. Leica V-Lux 5 can shoot continuously up to 12.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 5.30 m on Leica V-Lux 20 and 13.50 m at Auto ISO on Leica V-Lux 5. Leica V-Lux 5 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe..

Leica V-Lux 20 body has dimensions of 103 x 60 x 33 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.3") and Leica V-Lux 5 body has dimensions of 137 x 97 x 132 mm (5.39 x 3.82 x 5.2"). Leica V-Lux 20 weighs 218 g (0.48 lb / 7.69 oz) and Leica V-Lux 5 weighs 812 g (1.79 lb / 28.64 oz).

Leica V-Lux 20

Leica V-Lux 5

103 mm

60 mm

137 mm

97 mm

60 mm

97 mm

33 mm

132 mm