Dissecting the Myth, Is The Leica Look Just a Mere Preset Away?

For you photographers who have always been curious about the Leica look, this article is specially written for you.

The "Leica look" is a term often used among photographers to describe the unique visual aesthetic produced by Leica cameras. The history of Leica dates back to 1913 when Oskar Barnack developed the first 35mm camera, revolutionizing photography with its portability while maintaining its image quality. Since then, Leica's commitment to quality has been evident in their meticulous lens crafting process, where their lenses are handmade with rigorous quality control measures. This precision and dedication contributed to the iconic Leica look characterized by exceptional sharpness, rich contrast, and pleasing color rendition that many photographers admire.

A Modern Take on a Classic Aesthetic

With Leica’s longstanding history of photographic innovation, they have recently introduced the new Leica Lux app, aiming to redefine standards in smartphone photography by bringing their renowned aesthetic to a wider audience. The app, currently available for iPhones only, offers a range of filters and lenses designed to emulate the Leica look through presets inspired by the signature color science and contrast levels that traditionally can only be achieved with Leica cameras and lenses.

Since the launch of the app, I have tried shooting with it for a brief moment, and I will leave the judging process to you if it works. Like every new launch, it does come with its own bugs that cause the app to crash from time to time and lag during usage. Based on personal preference, shooting with the Aperture Mode on the app does yield a better look as it tries to emulate the Leica 28mm Summilux and comes with a slight vignette as well. Those iPhone 14 Pro users who have been missing their 28mm focal length in older phones can finally do so natively with this app as well.

Sample images below are shot straight out of the camera with the Leica Lux app on iPhone 14 Pro using Photo and Aperture Mode with Leica Natural profile on.

Comparing the Leica Lux App to the Real Thing

After my brief experience with the app, I have to say it does produce a nicer look compared to the native camera app on the iPhone. That leaves me with one key question in my mind: Can this app truly replicate the experience and results of shooting with a Leica camera? After all, we buy into the Leica system partially for its iconic look, which is now aimed to be solved with the introduction of this app. With this question in mind, of course, the next logical thing to do is to compare it with the only Leica camera I have with me now, the Leica CL paired with the Leica Elmarit-TL 18mm f/2.8 ASPH.

In this comparison, it is essential to consider the balance between both the practicality and image quality aspects of photography. While the Leica Lux app offers a convenient way to add a touch of Leica's aesthetic to your iPhone photos, it is still lacking and not capable enough to replicate the tactile experience of using a finely crafted camera.

Additionally, the app's preset colors, though impressive, may not fully capture the subtleties of tones that a Leica camera and lens can, especially in the areas where the tones and depth of field transition. Note that the depth of field created from this app is digitally mapped from the depth sensor of the iPhone and may fail 90% of the time with complicated subjects. Here I will leave a series of random image comparisons for your interpretation.

Personal Thoughts on the Leica Lux App and Leica Look

Now, if you made it this far through the series of sample images and comparisons, I am pretty sure you will have an opinion of your own. Here is my take on this entire experimentation: having an array of profiles available on the Leica Lux app on your iPhone might be fun to play with and experiment with, but if you are hoping for it to change the image quality output from a phone, you may be utterly disappointed. You still can’t escape from the typical iPhone file oversharpening and also the limitation in the resolving power from a small sensor when the light starts to fall.

Here is also a catch for those who think the images shot with the Leica CL on the right have the signature Leica color profile look on them and believe owning one might change your output. All of them were shot in raw format and processed with Adobe standard color profile. Therefore, stripping all the possibility of color influence inherited from Leica’s camera profile. So technically, the look you see here is merely coming from the lens and sensor itself only and has nothing to do with Leica’s color profile.

To clarify, this is how I have been shooting my Leica CL all this while because honestly, I didn't like its straight-out-of-camera JPEG output. Though I admit, I was among those who spoke highly about Leica Color and bought into the system because of it, only to realize it isn’t really my favorite thing about using a Leica camera. The only thing that kept me continuously using it is merely its small form factor and, of course, its capability to produce great raw image quality, which every other camera on the planet produced in the last five years also does. Maybe a little pride in wearing the premium red badge around my neck in the end.

Conclusion

The Leica Lux app is fun to have, but it is still not capable of replacing the entire experience of photographing with a Leica camera, especially with its inherent limitations coming from a small smartphone camera sensor, particularly when viewing on a large screen or print. For now, the app will remain on my phone as I seek ways to push the limits of smartphone output while shooting alongside a proper camera.

Lastly, as photographers, we continually seek tools that enhance our creative expression. I would love for you to try the Leica Lux app and see if it suits your photographic style. Can digital tools like this app ever truly match your output expectations compared to using an authentic Leica camera? What do you think?