new d-lux 2 from Leica

justins7 said:
WHy would anyone buy this camera over any other Panasonic/Canon/etc? :(
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Turn the question around. Why would anyone buy Panasonic/Canon/etc. when they can buy a camera like this?

I might be tempted to part with money for this little shooter. Leica is gettting serious about digital.
 
Well, you can get the Panasonic LX1, which is exactly the same camera, less the little red dot, and probably a lot less too.
 
Kin Lau said:
Well, you can get the Panasonic LX1, which is exactly the same camera, less the little red dot, and probably a lot less too.
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Maybe so.. but.. hey.. the reason we buy Leica is to COLLECT them and then sell them later for more money right?? I mean, after all, it's an investment right???

Take a look at this beauty.. an original first generation:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7550452357

Any other camera from that era would fetch maybe $50 if you're LUCKY. But not a Leica.. no sir.. $1250 USD is a steal... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Dave
 
There was a picture today in the London Evening Standard of Posh Spice brandishing a digilux 2 (unfortunately with the lens cap on) I can think of no higher recommendation.....
 
Too bad they didn't add an accessory shoe and produce a little variable focal length optical finder to perch there.

At least it would look cool, like the finder on the Ricoh GR Digital.
 
It looks like the D-Lux 2 will sell for about $200 more that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 comes with a one year warranty. The Leica D-Lux 2 comes with a three year warranty. That seems a bit much to pay for two extra years of warranty.

However, that said, I think Leica and Panasonic have turned out a fine, useable camera. I think it is competitive with other cameras in its price range. It is certainly a serious move by Leica into the mid-range digital marketplace. Something that a number of people in Leica forums have recommended.

I stand by what I said - I would buy this camera. This looks like a very useable, moderately priced camera that actually adds some new features to the digital landscape. My compliments to Leica and Panasonic.
 
Its a nice looking camera and I like the look of this 16:9 feature. Just a pitty its a rebadged Panasonic, they could have changed it a little. But still, I rather like it :) Looks better than the Panasonic one anyway, comsmeticly speaking of course :)
 
I like this little Leica digital and might be saving my pennies for one if my Oly seemed to be at all inadequate, which it doesn't.

Leica snobbery is obnoxious, but occasionally there seem to be faint traces of reverse Leica snobbery here and there, which, to an impartial observer, could easily be interpreted as Leica envy.

Richard
 
I don't know...personally I just don't get this one. It appears to be absolutely identical in features to the Panasonic model, yet it costs 200 dollars more. Is a three year warranty worth that extra cost? Frankly, in three years you will probably be able to buy the camera for that or less. Personally I think the panasonic (at least the black one) is better looking as well. Do you get anything else other than the warranty? Perhaps a fancy presentation case and leather pouch like with the original D-lux? Anyway, I am sure it will be a good camera, but I just cannot justify the difference in price. Honestly, if Panasonic made an M7 that was absolutely identical to the Leica model in function, built at the same place and so on, only it said Panasonic Lux 7 on it, how many would pass it up if it were 825 dollars cheaper than the M (the same 25% less that the panasonic digital costs)? Obviously warranty would be a bigger factor for that camera, but that 800 dollar savings is the cost of 3 CLA's...and I am sure you would still get a 1 year warranty.
 
richard_l said:
Leica snobbery is obnoxious, but occasionally there seem to be faint traces of reverse Leica snobbery here and there, which, to an impartial observer, could easily be interpreted as Leica envy.
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Well you can talk about Leica envy for summilux ASPH or similar objects which are the best in their class and which, unfortunately, I can't afford :(, but talking about Leica Envy for a Digicam whose main feature is Noise? (see http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasoniclx1/ ) That seems a bit far fetched.

Sorry but I think that the digicam, or indeed its Panasonic equivalent, produce images of inadequate quality, however I am looking forward to a review of the Fuji E900 which seems quite promising for a compact.
 
Seems to me I read somewhere that the firmware was different, and there was a minor styling difference on the top plate that made the Leica model more attractive? I guess that was in regard to the Digilux 2, not this D-Lux 2. Confusing terminology!
 
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The killer with all this kit is shutter lag, if they can get that totally right high end compacts will be great little shooters
 
The Panasonic has a lot of nice features and the Leica version looks better, so far I'm interested. Even the 16:9 ratio is more than nice to have :)

But the noise is a dealbreaker, especialy since Fuji showed that ISO1600 is possible in a P&S!

So back to the drawingboard for Panasonic. I'm interested in that camera if it gives reasonably clean ISO400 and usable ISO800.
 
Since there is talk in this thread about the dpreview.com review of the Panasonic version of this camera I thought I would quote it. The design of any camera is a balancing act. I advocate exactly what dpreview advocates, "take a look at the sample gallery shots and make your own mind up".

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" Our major complaint is noise, which is visible even at ISO 80 (though obviously we're talking about viewing 100% on-screen here, it's not an issue in normal prints)."
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasoniclx1/page11.asp

" If you feel a 'but' coming on, here it is. To release a camera so obviously aimed at the serious photographer, to add so many usable manual controls, to put a razor-sharp Leica lens on the front and then to drop in a chip / processor that is so noisy you can't use it above ISO 100 is quite simply unforgivable. It's like buying a Ferrari and discovering it maxes out at 55 mph.
Now I'm going to qualify this slightly; at ISO 80 and 100 the results are slightly noisier than most 6 and 7MP cameras, but they also show a lot more detail and look a lot sharper, so this is probably more a reflection of Panasonic's approach to noise reduction than a serious problem with the chip. You can tease some amazing results from the LX1 at low ISOs if you're prepared to do some work - specifically shooting in raw mode and tweaking the parameters in Adobe Camera Raw (forget the supplied software - it's worse than useless). At ISO 200 and 400 noise is a serious issue, and you certainly won't want to print very large, but again the inherent quality of the lens means there's plenty of detail, and if you're prepared to do some work yourself (either using noise reduction software or shooting raw), the results are just the right side of acceptable. Of course having an effective IS system to a certain extent reduces the reliance on high ISO in low light, but it doesn't mean you'll never use it. Finally, how important an issue noise is will vary from person to person - take a look at the sample gallery shots and make your own mind up."
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasoniclx1/page15.asp
 
Toby said:
The killer with all this kit is shutter lag, if they can get that totally right high end compacts will be great little shooters
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"Full Press" shutter lag on this camera is .6 second. That isn't terrible but it isn't great either.
 
I shot with the camera last weekend at Leica Daze. The lack of ANY viewfinder is a killer. Forget about stealth photography. You really need to revise your photo technique to hoold a camera at arms legnth. Then there is the noice/film speed issue. $800 is the projected price point. Read about the canon S500 on dpreview and compare (1/2 the $$ too). I love all things Leica - to a point.
 
Traut said:
I love all things Leica - to a point.
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I hope Leica doesn't price itself out of business. The quality of the competition at lower prices is just too good.

Disregarding Leica's other competitors - I think the Panasonic "street price" of $550 for this camera is dead-on. Given Leica's two years of extra warranty, the D-Lux 2 should sell for no more than $100-$150 higher than Panasonic's "street price". More than that is stretching the limits of consumer credulity.
 
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