Leica launches underwater camera

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Leica X-U camera
Leica launches the Leica X-U camera which can shoot under water
Leica has made its foray into underwater. It has launched the Leica X-U compact camera with a fixed 23mm lens to shoot 16MP stills and HD Video at 30p.
The Leica X-U has an APS-C sized CMOS sensor. The camera has a Summulux 23mm f1.7 lens and considering the APS-C sensor it gives a field of view equivalent to 36mm in full frame. The lens is made of 10 elements bunched into 8 groups. It has got 4 aspherical elements and one UW protective glass on the outside.

Aperture: widest setting of f1.7 to narrow f16 apertures are possible in this camera.

It can shoot in JPEG and adobe DNG formats.

The video is recorded in MP4 format in either 1920x1080 at 30frames per second or 1280x720 at 30p.

ISO: The lowest ISO setting is at 100 and it can go up to 12500.

UW Mode: There is a separate button for operating this camera in underwater mode where the white balance changes and there is a distortion correction applied for underwater conditions. The Leica X-U can shoot underwater upto 49 meter deep and for an hour.

Shutter speed: One can use 30s in bulb mode for extreme low light photography and the fastest shutter speed is 1/2000s.

Size and Weight: The camera is 5.5 inch x3.1 inch x 3.4 inch and weighs upto 635g with battery.

Price: 3000 US dollars.

The price would be a major limitation for many people. Many hobbyists are currently using Go Pro cameras. I am even able to intercut Go Pro 4 footage from aerial shots with C300, ofcourse with adequate processing. So if you have the money and the ability to add the famous Leica brand to spice up your holidays, then Leica X-U may be a camera for you. This camera can just be put in your pocket while you are visiting some of the architectural wonders of our world or in adventure conditions. If you are into snorkeling and the existing fish eye of the Go Pro doesn’t excite you, then the Leica X-U may be a fit for you.

B&H in US is taking orders priced at $2950 and you also get a free download of lightroom software: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Le...DFF/d10-v1-t12