Leica V-Lux 4 vs Leica V-Lux 5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica V-Lux 4 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 4 was introduced in September 2012 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 4 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 4.

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 4 and Leica V-Lux 5 have 3.0" Fully Articulated screens with 460k dot and 1,240k dot resolutions respectively. Fully articulated screen makes cameras 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.

Viewfinder

Leica V-Lux 4 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 1,312k dot resolution and Leica V-Lux 5 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

Leica V-Lux 4 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.33-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.08 x 4.56 mm and a total area of 27.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200 and expands to 100 - 6,400 in boosted mode. 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 4 can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 3000, 4000 x 2672, 4000 x 2248, 2992 x 2992, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2112 x 2112, 2048 x 1536, 2048 x 1360, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1064, 1600 x 904, 1504 x 1504 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Leica V-Lux 5 can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution.

Leica V-Lux 4 has an image stabilization.

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

Leica V-Lux 4 and Leica V-Lux 5 have 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 inputs for data transfer. Leica V-Lux 4 has a Mini 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 1/4000 sec on Leica V-Lux 4, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica V-Lux 5. Cameras can shoot continuously up to 12.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 13.50 m on Leica V-Lux 4 and 13.50 m at Auto ISO on Leica V-Lux 5. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount to Leica V-Lux 4 and via Hot Shoe to Leica V-Lux 5..

Leica V-Lux 4 body has dimensions of 125 x 87 x 110 mm (4.92 x 3.43 x 4.33") 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 4 weighs 588 g (1.30 lb / 20.74 oz) and Leica V-Lux 5 weighs 812 g (1.79 lb / 28.64 oz).

Leica V-Lux 4

Leica V-Lux 5

125 mm

87 mm

137 mm

97 mm

87 mm

97 mm

110 mm

132 mm