The lens is a 24-90MM equivalent, which covers just about anything from scenery to portraiture. It is designed for hand-held use, and makes the perfect “go anywhere” camera. The Panasonic LX5 is identical on the surface but the best units are earmarked by Leica for marketing under their own name. So I’ve heard from sources I rely upon, and I have no reason to doubt them. My own results with the D Lux 5 have heartened and impressed me – I took several recent shots at Jack London State Park in Glen Ellen CA, and the image of his study nearly blew me out of the water. Every detail is tack-sharp, down to the keys on Jack’s old typewriter. Menus are clean and intuitive. For those with highly restrictive budgets, I’d urge them to look into a Panasonic LX5: the images might lack some of Leica’s sharpness, but the results will still be acceptable, and the overall design and functionality of the camera makes it well worth having, in either version. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford the original Leica, consider it as a prospect, at least for a backup.

I acquired a Canon EOS 5D a while back, and have never regretted the purchase. I also bought the pro-quality lens to go along with it, and love them. The range is 70-200, if I remember correctly, and it features image stabilization. The clarity and resolution are fantastic. This is an especially good lens to have, because the range enables some scenery, and easily adapts to portraiture.

For general, go-anywhere use, I strongly advocate the Leica D Lux 5, along with its optional eyepiece, and “ever-ready” case, which features a separate compartment for it. Yeah, it costs an arm and a leg, and many will tell you that the Panasonic LX5, which sells for considerably less is the same camera. On the surface it is, but Leica’s quality control is more severe, and they reserve the cream of the crop from the assembly line to market under their own name. This camera is compact, has an ultra-clean menu, and equivalent 24-90MM zoom lens, which gives you considerable firepower in a small package. With the “ever-ready” case, the system gets maximum protection, but is ready to use in an instant, as the front simply falls beneath the camera, allowing you to pan. I normally keep mine set in “program” mode, with the ISO setting set to auto, which greatly reduces the need for the separate flash attachment. This can be very useful, so I recommend it as well. It is synchronized, and the system doesn’t produce “red eyes,” which is nice.

I recommend this system strongly, and believe anyone fortunate enough to own one will agree.