Leica D-Lux 7

The D-Lux 7 is a compact camera from 2018 with a fixed lens and a 17MP Micro Four Thirds sensor. At 403g and 118 x 66 x 64mm it slips into a small bag or a roomy coat pocket, and the built-in electronic viewfinder gives you an eye-level shooting position.

The lens is built into the body, keeping the kit simple with nothing extra to carry. The 3-inch touchscreen handles settings and playback, while Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built in for wireless connectivity.

The 17MP Micro Four Thirds sensor provides resolution for prints and room for moderate cropping. Sensitivity runs from ISO 200 up to 25600, giving settings for everything from daylight through to dim interiors.

In-body stabilisation counters camera shake, so you can hold slower shutter speeds by hand with less blur from your own movement. It will not freeze a moving subject, but it makes low-light handheld work more practical.

For action, the camera shoots at up to 11 frames per second, enough to cover a short burst of a fleeting moment. The maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 second limits how wide you can open the aperture in bright light.

The lens is fixed, so there is no swapping glass, and that trade keeps the body small. Focusing uses a 49-point system, and the 2.76M-dot electronic viewfinder shows a detailed preview as you compose.

The D-Lux 7 records 4K video, its maximum resolution, with frame rates running up to 60fps. Those are separate maximums rather than a guaranteed combination, so check which resolution and frame-rate pairings each recording mode offers before planning a shoot.

A built-in timelapse mode lets you assemble motion sequences from a series of still frames, condensing slow change into a short clip. Because the function is built into the camera, you do not need separate interval equipment to create one.

Footage is saved as MPEG-4 or MOV files, two widely supported formats for editing. In-body stabilisation can also help here, smoothing the camera shake that handheld moving shots would otherwise pick up.

The 3-inch LCD offers 1.24 million dots and touch control, so focus points and settings can be selected with a tap. The screen is fixed, so very high or low framing means moving yourself rather than tilting the display.

The 2.76M-dot electronic viewfinder complements the screen with an eye-level alternative for composition.

There is no built-in flash, but the camera accepts an external flash unit when you need extra light. Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth handle its wireless connections to other devices.

Note the absences that affect outdoor work: no built-in GPS for location tagging and no weather sealing, so it needs care in rain or dust.

Images go onto a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card, and the slot is UHS-I compatible. With one slot, there is no second card for backup or overflow, so a spare card matters on longer shoots.

The DP-DC15 battery is rated at 340 shots, though the conditions behind that rating are not given, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a promise and pack a spare battery for longer outings.

USB charging is supported, so you can top the battery up from a laptop or a mains adapter while travelling instead of carrying a dedicated charger for every stop.