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Making the Switch to Leica


edward_piercy

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<p>Well, I've made the decision finally. My old Olympus E-10 digital being too

heavy for the current state of my health, and the costs rising daily for my BW

film addiction with outsourcing the lab work (I don't do wet work), I've decide

that I am going to go with the new Leica D-LUX 3 introduced at Photokina.</

p><p>It may be a Panasonic hardware-wise, but it has the Leica image

processing, which I think will be worth the added $120 US. The Panasonic images

that I've seen are great, so I imagine that the Leica images will be even

better. Best of all it's small and light for me to carry, and I won't have the

film expense going any more.</p><p>Incidently, the other threads here on the

survival of Leica, it seems to me that Leica is playing it pretty smart

acutally, so I wouldn't give them up for dead quite yet.</p>

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Edward Piercy wrote:

 

>It may be a Panasonic hardware-wise, but it has the Leica image processing, which I think will be worth the added $120 US. The Panasonic images that I've seen are great, so I imagine that the Leica images will be even better. Best of all it's small and light for me to carry, and I won't have the film expense going any more.

 

 

Well Edward, it strikes me that you appear prepared to wager $120 on the idea that the D-Lux 3 has different image processing to the Panasonic version of the same camera. Personally, I would not waste my money.

 

If you think that the Leica branding and warranty are worth $120 over the Panasonic, then that's fine. But I doubt very much that there is even the slightest difference in the image processing.

 

Why not save $120 and buy some more memory, or a nice protective case for the Panasonic?

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The D-Lux 3 seems nice, but I guess I will guess I will continue to use Olympus for SLRs - weather proof bodies and lenses is really nice for the type of photography I use it for. A protective case? I would save my money. Yes, it will protect - even from use! Film cost? I you develop yourself it isn't that high is it? You should remember that a removable hard drive etc quicly adds to the cost of a digital wonder. Seems like you are needing an excuse to buy the camera...IMHO that you want it, and that it will give you pleasure should be enough.
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Edward,

 

I've got a Panasonic LX-1 and really like the camera. The LX-2 has many advantages, where are all embodied in the D-Lux3. You'll love the cameram whichever you buy.

 

As for the Leica vs. Panasonic debate, I don't think there's much difference. I also don't think that you get any "Leica image processing" advantage. I use Photoshop CS2 to process the RAW files, the Panasonic software was mediocre.

 

Skip

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Like Skip I have the LX-1. One of the main reasons at the time the delta between the LX-1

and the D-Lux 2 was like $200. At the time I did not realize that the Panasonic had a 90

parts/ 1 year labor warranty. I did not see the value at the time for the 2 year Leica

warranty and Photoshop Elements being bundled (I have CS2, and have been doing the

Lightroom beta).

 

With the LX-2/D-Lux 3, I hope that the likes of DPR will do a side-by-side comparison test

of these new cameras. I would like to see what these Leica tweaks are. What would have

been great is for all digital Leica cameras to have used the DNG RAW format.

 

In the end the $100US "official" difference between these two cameras, I would go the

Leica D-Lux 3.

 

Regards,

 

Chip

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