I bought this camera a few days ago and I have to say I am very pleased with it. I have shot some amazing outside photos as well as some close-ups that are stunning. (Note that I'm only an amateur photographer and this is by far the most advanced camera I have ever bought.)
Pros:
- Excellent zoom (up to 600mm!) and resolution.
- Lightweight: Before deciding on Leica, I tried some Canons (550d) and they all felt a bit heavy. I don't think I would have been able to shoot for prolonged periods of time without some support (tripod or other). Also I suspect I would have experienced some neck pain, after hanging them around my neck for half a day. With V-Lux 2, no problem at all!
- Easy to understand and navigate menu.
- Very good face recognition.
- Free Adobe software (you have to download this from the Adobe site) for photo and video editing.
- Rotating LCD screen with very good quality.
- Easy to handle, with nice grip.
- It does come with integrated flash, but you can also add one.
- Two year worldwide guarantee.
Cons:
- Probably not the best camera for inside photography.
- The CD that comes with it contains the extended manual (in several languages) in PDF format. It would have been nice if it contained a couple of "how-to" videos as well.
- Small internal memory.
- You shouldn't take it out when the temperature falls under 0 Celsius, or when it's raining. Since I live in Switzerland, this rules out most of the winter, unfortunately.
- You cannot add extra lenses.
All in all, I'm quite pleased with it, and give it 4.5 stars.
PS. I have not tested the video function yet.