LUXURY FOR LUDDITES
Why go back to manual controls in an age of whiz-bang do-everything automatics? Two words: speed and creativity. The 7.5-megapixel Digilux 3 is pricey, but after a few days of street shooting, we found the perfectly-placed controls let us manually frame and expose shots just as fast as any autofocus wonder–and our images had a subtly different, more reflective quality to them. Traditionalists will love all the old-school touches on the body, like numbers etched on the shutter-speed dial. 7.5 megapixels; leica-camera.us
Bonus: The Digilux 3 is manual, not backwards. It’s loaded with a live-view LCD, antishake technology in the lens, and a unique two-position pop-up flash that can be bounced off the ceiling or positioned straight ahead.
Bummer: Because the Digilux system is so new, the only lens available is the D Vario-Elmarit zoom (28–100mm lens equivalent) it ships with.