Leica Good Buy - Leica Digilux 2?

I too have been looking to branch out into the Digilux models again (I have earlier versions) However, research is telling me that the Digilux 2 is a 5MP on a 2/3 sensor... which is giving me some concern... the Digilux 3 however is a 7.5 mp on a 4/3 sensor which seems much more appealing... I wonder if anyone can tell me... Do all 4/3 lenses... mix and match with all 4/3 cameras... i.e. does say a panasonic 4/3 lens fit an olympus 4/3 camera and so on....
 
Mal, mate, the one thing that put me off the D3 is that I believe it's an SLR....remember those slapping great mirror things ;) I mean the glass on front of the D3 is simply astounding...but I am concerned about the hulk behind it.

Your spot on about the 5MP and 2/3. Don't get me wrong if I could pick one up for $300 or so...it'd be a no-brainer. But for the same, or similar, price point as the new X10 or several used m43 offerings it leaves me scratching my head rather vigorously.
 
Your quite right.... the thought of lugging it about isn't doing a lot for me either.... so I'll probably hang around and wait for the new Leica product in 2012 to see what that has to offer... and there is always the X1 as a fall-back.... :redface:
 
I too have been looking to branch out into the Digilux models again (I have earlier versions) However, research is telling me that the Digilux 2 is a 5MP on a 2/3 sensor... which is giving me some concern...

5 MP on a 2/3" sensor are much less MP than the 12 MP of the new Fujifilm X10. The X10 will be better at high ISO, though. The Digilux 2 has a great lens and it is quite obvious that it performs great at low ISO, but at maximal ISO (which is ISO 400, as far as I know) the performance won't be as great, but this is the case with all cameras. These old cameras can still create great pictures (maybe even greater ones), but one has to know the downsides, too.

the Digilux 3 however is a 7.5 mp on a 4/3 sensor which seems much more appealing... I wonder if anyone can tell me... Do all 4/3 lenses... mix and match with all 4/3 cameras... i.e. does say a panasonic 4/3 lens fit an olympus 4/3 camera and so on....

I have never owned any 4/3 camera, but this is a standard, too, such that all lenses and bodies are interchangeable.
 
one thing to consider about sensor size & resolution is pixel density. only 5mpix on that sensor leaves a little bit of room for each pixel so noise doesn't get amplified so much. the D2 noise is almost grain like & some people choose to shoot B&W at 400 iso to give them a grittier look.

coincidently John Thawley posted a Digilux2 thread on another forum i use just last night. its in the photography section of an RC forum
Digilux 2
 
Thanks guys. Played with the camera today. It was nice in hand and the controls were nice....very X100 like. The viewfinder's a little on the squinty side. Now just waiting for the images off the test card and we'll see. Proof's in the pudding as they say....
 
Hi,

after coming back to photography in early 2006, the Digi2 was my first Leica. The UI was great for me, even I did forget to dial down the ISO in harsh light after shooting people under umbrellas, BUT - making some random shots with ISO 400 I was shocked by the amount of noise in the files......jaw dropping......
Visiting Lisboa for some days I got photographs from the upper part of Nazaré down to the beach, the resolution and sharpness plus colour had been extremely good. Forget the finder, it's like 60th tv in colour.....
The lens together with the sensor is a dream team, when I made some shooting at the baltic sea on the island of Usedom with my Nikon friends, someone made photographs of old fisherboats with the Pana sibling, incredible good. My D300 made crap in direct comparisons.
When we came to a dark shack inside the opposite happenend as expected.

Here some pics, converted to b/w because at that time in flickr only b/w from me:

The last wookie | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Fleur De Sel | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Singer-Nazare

Today I wouldn't buy the cam because after the five years I've found my visible language again and want to shoot with more responsive cams.......
 
Hi Im new to this forum ,but i do know about the digilux 2.Its my main camera. I sold my canon 50d because i was getting better shots out of the D2. The IQ is brilliant,write speeds are slow,viewfinder is crap,but if you can put up with those faults you will be amazed at the pictures that you will take with this camera.I also own a GF1 and did comparision photos and the leica won out every time .If your printing you can get up to 12 inx 16in at a push at 360dpi but doable.I will never sell this camera as ive fallen in love with it .
photostream

this is a portrait of my nephew taken with the digilux 2
thinking | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
 
i can understand why the OP went for something more modern as on paper a more modern camera sounds like it makes a lot more sense
however. maybe some day he will try a Digilux & be able to try one for real
for me its an extra body to carry when i'm out & about. i shoot a pro Nikon body for everything i need speed & ultimate resolution for but also have the Digilux2 along for the ride for anything & everything else. my LX3 will also be in tha bag should i need it.
think of your camerabag as a toolbox. you take out the right tool for the job ;)
 
Yeah the OP loved the handling of the D2 - without doubt. But sensors certainly appear to have moved on a little and images at anything above ISO100 did suffer some substantial noise....but nothing intolerable for B+W. The EVF is pretty squinty too. The OP has been spoiled by the X100. Also having held a Leica M6 on the day, the OP still wonders whether there's an old M2 on the cards. If not, I'm sure we'll enjoy the direction that the success of the X100 has taken the industry. What next - after the X10 - for Fuji? A triple digit X-series is keenly anticipated.

BTW: The OP has passed on the D2.
 
Well OP is happy dreaming of the next camera. Though not sold - nor have permission to sell - the dSLR gear yet. A must as all funds are tied up in that at present....:sad010:
 
Resurrecting this thread two years on....... I stumbled upon Thorgood's site by accident a week ago and was smitten by his account of the Digilux 2, its analog controls, and the Leica moniker (I sold off my M8 a few months ago and am missing having a digital German camera around the house; a nice-looking Teutonic variant of a Panasonic will do me for now). I just found a D2 below USD $500 on the' Bay, with a replaced sensor, and awaiting its arrival. I am a huge fan of my X-10, so I found this thread when I was looking to compare the sensor size of the X-10 and the D2. I am a bit concerned about the EVF, but we shall see, I am a glutton for punishment sometimes. Can't wait to shoot in the bright fall sunshine.
 
You ARE a glutton for punishment. I can't imagine buying a nearly 10 year old digital camera. But it was capable of making great images then and still should be now. I look forward to your shots, Ed. You have such a natural eye, I think you'll be fine.
 
Thanks. I can still remember my first "digital camera"--a Kodak camera attachment to a Palm V (remember that proto-iPhone?), which showed a highly pixelated ghost-like image in maybe 8 shades of grey on the Palm's monochrome screen. Then, you got to see the actual color photo in all its 128 bit glory on an ancient Windows PC. The D2 will be an ultra-modern piece of kit in comparison (I will just have to hide away my X-10, E-PL3 and E-M5 in the meantime).

4 of those ancient Kodak/Palm digital images below. Gosh, both those brands are extinct now, aren't they (okay, maybe Kodak is now a Chinese m43 lens manufacturer)?

yellow_columns.jpg


yellow_framed_6.jpg


frankfurt_airport.jpg


javi_painting.jpg
 
I had a Panasonic LC-1 in preference to a Digilux 2 when they were new because that was the only way to get a black one with an integral grip - they are otherwise identical.

Today I have a Digilux 2 that I bought back in the summer for less than £250... it is only 5mp, with a grainy and smeary EVF, a tiny raw buffer, it can't take SDHC cards (2gb SD max)... but oh, that lens...

This is mine:
23332099.3baff2cc.1024.jpg

Digilux 2 par Lightmancer, on ipernity
 
I had a Panasonic LC-1 in preference to a Digilux 2 when they were new because that was the only way to get a black one with an integral grip - they are otherwise identical.

Today I have a Digilux 2 that I bought back in the summer for less than £250... it is only 5mp, with a grainy and smeary EVF, a tiny raw buffer, it can't take SDHC cards (2gb SD max)... but oh, that lens...

This is mine:
23332099.3baff2cc.1024.jpg

Digilux 2 par Lightmancer, on ipernity

Want want want, lol.
 
i'm glad people still appreciate the Digilux 2. its one of the best zoom lenses ever made coupled with a true retro body & user interface rather than the pseudo retro techno boxes being released at the moment.
for sure the newer cameras will have ultimately better IQ but the jpegs straight outta the D2 are lovely & more than enough for web use which is where 99.9% of all images end up nowadays.
think of it as a classic car, just take it out on sunny days when you're in no hurry ;)
 
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