Vintage Digital: Leica Digilux Zoom
Vintage Digital: Leica Digilux Zoom

Vintage Digital: Leica Digilux Zoom

This is the Leica Digilux Zoom digital camera, manufactured in 1999 by Fujifilm Co. of Japan. The Digilux Zoom is a slightly modified version of the Fuji MX-1700z.

Fuji MX-1700z

Interestingly, this is literally the Porsche of digital cameras. The aesthetics were designed by Ferdinand Porsche for Fuji. Porsche has many other non-automotive patents to his name, including a laptop (USD480395S1), bicycle frame (US4230332A), and watch (USD284356S).

MakeLeica
ModelDigilux Zoom
Year1999
FormatDigital (Smartmedia card)
Sensor1/2.3″ CCD (1.5 MP)
ISO~125
LensFixed
 f3.2-5.0 6.6-19.8mm
Focus0.2m – ∞
Max Aperturef3.2
Optical Zoomnone (digital only)
Special Featuresvertical design

While an interesting camera, the Leica DigiLux Zoom is not intuitive nor comfortable to use. The controls are not laid out in a logical manor and ergonomic are severely lacking. The body of the camera feels well built, but buttons and other controls feel like it wouldn’t take much to make them inoperative. That being said, this camera from 1999 worked flawlessly, right down to the battery it came with.

Sample images taken with default camera settings, no post-processing.

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