mdtrpt
Member
What are people's thought about the Leica Digilux series?
peterm1
Veteran
I have the Panasonic L1 - for all intents and purposes, a digilux 3.
As stated it's bulky and a bit slow in some ways (in particular the AF can be slow in low light unless set to continuous focus where it works much better) but its images are superb. It has RAW capability but frankly I seldom bother its jpgs are so good.
Its not so good for using other manufacturers' legacy lenses in manual mode with adapters as the viewfinder is not conducive to accurate focussing. Having said that I still have mine and enjoy using it largely because of the image quality. I bought mine as a kind of surrogate digital rangefinder - OK its an SLR but it has the "feel" of a digital RF with autofocus. And I still find its pleasurable to use as such. I have since then bought a second hand M8 but find there are just days when I do not want to struggle with mannual focussing.
In terms of build quality its unsurpassed - very robust with a metal chassis. And in terms of optical quality, pretty much ditto.
As stated it's bulky and a bit slow in some ways (in particular the AF can be slow in low light unless set to continuous focus where it works much better) but its images are superb. It has RAW capability but frankly I seldom bother its jpgs are so good.
Its not so good for using other manufacturers' legacy lenses in manual mode with adapters as the viewfinder is not conducive to accurate focussing. Having said that I still have mine and enjoy using it largely because of the image quality. I bought mine as a kind of surrogate digital rangefinder - OK its an SLR but it has the "feel" of a digital RF with autofocus. And I still find its pleasurable to use as such. I have since then bought a second hand M8 but find there are just days when I do not want to struggle with mannual focussing.
In terms of build quality its unsurpassed - very robust with a metal chassis. And in terms of optical quality, pretty much ditto.
dave lackey
Veteran
Here is a pretty definitive article by Thorsten Overgaard:
http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_digilux2.html
http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_digilux2.html
Tom Diaz
Well-known
I have retired my Digilux 3 in favor of more compact micro 4/3 equipment. Same size sensor but smaller bodies.
However, there are a couple of nice things to say about the Digilux 3:
1. The excellent flash system that does good bounce flash with the built-in flash. I have made excellent portraits with it (if I do say so myself).
2. The 25mm f/1.4 Summilux--a big but wonderful lens.
I would not invest scarce dollars in this equipment now, I don't think, but those are a couple of its strong points.
Tom
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
I had a Digilux 2 for several years. Lately I've been missing it. Only 5MP, but really good IQ and very intuitive to use. A great transition camera from film, as it handles just like a film camera. The Aperture ring is where it belongs, the shutter speed is where it belongs, etc. It handles like a "real" camera. The files printed at high quality at 7.5 by 10." It doesn't actually do anything I can't do with my D-Lux 3 and D-Lux 4, but it was a pleasure to use.