Lost Canadian
Expedition Leader
Performance aside, you can't help but dig the looks of the Leica stuff. Their cameras remind me of the 1940's Kodac 35's. Very Art Deco-ish.
Leica D-Lux 3: 2nd Camera and Trekking Solution
- Thread starter Scott Brady
- Start date
spressomon
Expedition Leader
Scott,
I have a Leica Mini-luxe that I just love...except for the film developing part. And I have a PanaLeica FX9 which for a small P&S takes good pics...but it, like most digital's, is not dust/shock/moisture resistant...just having it out of its case at SnT last year did the lense rack system in.
So...how durable do you think your new Leica is against basic dust, shock & moisture? Any better in this department or the same? I have been looking at the Pentax K10D...for the durability aspect...but the form factor is just too large for even carrying around in the LC and popping off quick shots...
I have a Leica Mini-luxe that I just love...except for the film developing part. And I have a PanaLeica FX9 which for a small P&S takes good pics...but it, like most digital's, is not dust/shock/moisture resistant...just having it out of its case at SnT last year did the lense rack system in.
So...how durable do you think your new Leica is against basic dust, shock & moisture? Any better in this department or the same? I have been looking at the Pentax K10D...for the durability aspect...but the form factor is just too large for even carrying around in the LC and popping off quick shots...
Scott Brady
Founder
spressomon said:
Great question. The case is metal and seems quite robust. But I am worried about the LCD and the lens sealing. I will start be getting an LCD protector and then a good mini Pelican case.
Another concern is the inability to fit a UV filter to protect the lens...
I will need to be super careful with this one.
son of Panasonic
The Leica D-Lux 3 is a version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2. The knock on the LX2 is that its images are overly noisy. even at lower ISO. Maybe the Leica folks have tweaked the in-camera software to reduce this issue.
The original camera in the series, Panasonic's Lumix DMC LX1, has lower noise, according to the reviews I've seen. It uses the same Leica-designed lens as the current model.
One interesting alternative to the Panasonic and Leica models is the Ricoh Capilio GX100. It has a 3X zoom rather than 4X, but otherwise has features and performance that match up well against the Panasonic and Leica models.
Chip Haven
ps. I'm very happy with my Fujifilm Finepix F30 as a pocket-size camera. The F30 is an older model, still available new for about $250. It's excellent in low light situations, like indoors, outdoors on a cloudy day, or outdoors at dusk or night. Now my DSLR stays home most of the time.
The Leica D-Lux 3 is a version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2. The knock on the LX2 is that its images are overly noisy. even at lower ISO. Maybe the Leica folks have tweaked the in-camera software to reduce this issue.
The original camera in the series, Panasonic's Lumix DMC LX1, has lower noise, according to the reviews I've seen. It uses the same Leica-designed lens as the current model.
One interesting alternative to the Panasonic and Leica models is the Ricoh Capilio GX100. It has a 3X zoom rather than 4X, but otherwise has features and performance that match up well against the Panasonic and Leica models.
Chip Haven
ps. I'm very happy with my Fujifilm Finepix F30 as a pocket-size camera. The F30 is an older model, still available new for about $250. It's excellent in low light situations, like indoors, outdoors on a cloudy day, or outdoors at dusk or night. Now my DSLR stays home most of the time.
bigreen505
Expedition Leader
Scott, you might want to confirm this, but I'm pretty sure R lenses are usable on the D3 with an adapter.
bigreen505
Expedition Leader
Ah, thanks for the clarification!
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Yeah, very clear, eh? Digilux 3, D-Lux 3, it's perfectly logical. ;-)bigreen505 said:
Lost Canadian
Expedition Leader
I read that Matsu****a Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic) and Leica joined forces, and that Matsu****a builds the electronic and digital components for both camera's and Leica builds the optics. The joint venture is reportedly designed steal market share from others with a 10% goal to be shared between the two companies.haven said:
From the reviews that I've read both camera's are, for all intensive purposes, the same, with only some minor differences in how they process jpgs. RAW is reported to be processed exactly the same on both cameras.
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detailbarn
Adventurer
Yes they are the same camera essentially, but the leica d-lux 3 looks so much better! lol but seriously I've read that the firm ware is different making the Leica a step ahead in terms of image quality.
Lost Canadian
Expedition Leader
Would the firmware make a difference if shooting in RAW, or would it only apply when shooting in JPEG? For guys like me who have the time to process RAW images, if I can get the same image quality while in RAW with the Panasonic it may be a nice way to save a few dollars....if I can convince my beautiful wife we could use a costly point and shoot camera.detailbarn said:
detailbarn
Adventurer
Lost Canadian said:Would the firmware make a difference if shooting in RAW, or would it only apply when shooting in JPEG? For guys like me who have the time to process RAW images, if I can get the same image quality while in RAW with the Panasonic it may be a nice way to save a few dollars....if I can convince my beautiful wife we could use a costly point and shoot camera.
that is a good question , that i do not know the answer to. but it would seem that it may not make a difference in RAW.
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DesertRose
Safari Chick & Supporting Sponsor
expeditionswest said:The only other Leica I lust after is this one: (the full kit with 28mm, 50mm and 160?mm, oh and the cool case and small binoculars)
Oh, and this too (to Jonathan's relief):
Leica Geovid 42mm
Oh wow! I've been lusting after that camera, Scott. Jonathan just HAPPENED to leave the master B&H Catalog lying around . . . whew. What a gorgeous one.
And I love your new D-Lux. Bring it Saturday - I want to see it!
detailbarn
Adventurer
Just wanted to say thanks Scott , after reading this post and your mini review I deceided I wanted one. I drove an hour out to princeton NJ to pick up one of these d-lux 3 camera's. I've only played with it a bit so far but this is a great little camera well worth the money if it fits your needs. Compact easy to use with enough manual controls to keep me occupied and great pictures.
detailbarn
Adventurer
i'm loving this camera , granted it's not as good as the D40 it replaced but I'm happy i can have a camera with me at all times. Here's a quick shot I just took with it off my back roof of a storm rolling past.
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