With the new Leica X-U, you can throw caution to the wind and take your premium German compact just about anywhere. But however rugged and competent the Leica X-U might be, it is still beyond reach for many adventurers and enthusiasts.
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“In lieu of a viewfinder, the X-U has a 920k-pixel 3” LCD monitor on the back. This is the company’s first camera designed specifically for underwater and outdoor use – it is completely waterproof to depths down to 15 meters. It features a 16-megapixel APS-C-sized CMOS sensor housed in a water proof, dust proof and shock proof body.
The fixed focal length lens is a 35mm equivalent f/1.7 Summilux ASPH (23mm actual focal length) with ten lens elements in eight groups with four aspherical surfaces. The screen is protected by a hardened protective cover, and the battery and memory card are protected by a fail-safe double locking system.
For taking underwater photos, there’s a dedicated “underwater snapshot button”, which switches the camera into a special mode for taking photos, well, underwater. Now, don’t expect to be shooting any 4K videos during your next adventure, since Leica’s all-terrain device only does 720p and 1080p videos at 30 fps. It has a built-in flash as well, but to maintain structural integrity it is built-in above the lens rather than on top of the camera body.
Like all Leica cameras, the X-U is pricey; it’ll be available by the end of the month for $2,950. Leica describes the X-U’s design as “minimal”.
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We’d heard rumor that Leica was working on a durable and waterproof camera which would, presumably, give some of the bigger competitors in the outdoors-centric part of the industry a reason to worry.
