Anybody got a experience of a Digilux 2 ?

[anthony_brookes5]

As the 'Leica nut' -it's ok I don't mind that handle - in our photo

group I have been asked about the Digilux 2 . Having had no

experience whatsoever other than handling it over a dealer's counter

I couldn't help her, but said I thought I knew where to find people

with the answers. I should welcome any opinions from people who have

a good working knowledge of the camera. This lady is going 'digital'

and has been looking at Canon, Nikon, and Olympus, but has been told

that the 8mp on those cameras are no better than the 5mp on the

Leica. I couldn't answer that. She is not too concerned about the

price but doesn't want to make a mistake. She currently uses an EOS.

She is put off by the bulk of those three digital cameras and the

Leica attracts her a lot.

[stuart d]

You could start with Andy Piper's extensive <a href="http://www.photo.net/equipment/leica/digilux2/" >REVIEW</a> of the Digilux 2.

[eric friedemann]

Luminous Landscape- multiple opinions:

 

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/leica-digilux2-part1.shtml

 

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/leica-digilux2-part2.shtml

 

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/digilux2-2nd.shtml

 

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/DXO-Tests/DxO-LC1-Digilux2.shtml

[ishik_tuna]

I bought one recently. It has a very pleasing "retro" feel, and feels much more substantial than typical P&S cameras. Very nice optics. Images range from superior to amazing. The "dreaded" electronic viewfinder is actually better than i expected from what different reviews have stated. It isn't a Pro DSLR, it isn't really a typical P%S...i guess it would fall into the "prosumer" camera category, maybe more to the "pro" side of the equation. The most interesting thing this camera has done is re-awaken my joy of photography. I'm actually shooting more film with my Leicaflex SL in addition to using the Digilux2, since the purchase! Now i match the equipment to the situation, and the flexibilty in equipment choices has increased my options. Get a 1 GB SD card by the way (Newegg has a 60X speed card for <$90 shipped). There is a nice "offer" going on with Leica now as well, if you call them up, they will send you a Leica 24 SFD flash, a camera battery, and a technical manual about the Digi ($300-350 dollar in extras..makes it "competitive" with the Panasonic model i guess).

 

Hope that helps. Images are excellent to amazing. "Feel" is just right. Optics great. More pixels? Well, every year the number will probably be doubling. Rangefinder viewfinder? Nope..but you get a 2.5" LCD, autofocus if you want, it's completely silent, and the EVF if decent enough.

 

 

 

Digital versus film....heck, I like both of 'em.

[mark_sampson]

see also www.digitaljournalist.org for the profesional's opinion. I met Dirck Halstead in August and he was quite enthusiastic about it.

[gary_pinkerton1]

FWIW, lots of images shot with the D2 over on the 'official' Leica site.

[capocheny]

Anthony,

 

It's a great camera in spite of what some posters have said previously (price/benefits etc.)

The lens is dead sharp and contrasty. It's fairly light in weight and solidly built.

 

As for the electronic viewfinder... I must say I'm not a huge fan of it. Therefore, I use the

LCD screen for composing 99% of the time. It's very rare that I use the EVF and raise the

camera up to my eye. The LCD screen is huge in comparison to some of the other ones I've

seen in the marketplace.

 

One of my favorite functions of the camera is that I can convert the LCD screen from color

to B&W... it's marvelous! But then, I shoot a lot of B&W. :>)

 

Lastly, ALL of the functions are easily accessible and becomes intuitive once you've used

the camera for a short time.

 

I just shot a wedding with one and the images it produced are outstanding. This is the

camera I carry around with me when I don't want to pack any of my heavier gear. It,

therefore, gets used a lot.

 

As for the 8 versus 5 megapixel comparison... I'll defer to others for comments on this. All

I'll say is that I'll take this camera over some of the larger megapixel cameras any day of

the week from a results point of view!

 

I'm not saying that other cameras can't do what this camera does... all I'm saying is that I

really like this camera... one user's opinion!

 

Cheers

[schneekranich]

I own mine for 6 months now, the decision to buy it wasn't a reasonable one but a quick-emotional one. As I didn't take photographs for more than 10 years I was happy about the manual controls allowing me to think about the basics. The picture-quality is REALLY good if you respect what the camera cannot do: Macro, high-end landscapes, night-shots, auto-focus on fast-moving subjects, IR (if you mind), zoom ending at "90mm". I use the (huge) LCD exclusively, don't like the viewfinder. The built-in flash with the "indirect" option is maybe the only usable around. To sum it up: I don't regret, can't imagine to give it away, when my budget has recovered I'll think about getting a DSLR as a "big brother"

[joshroot]

It is a fine camera in many ways (though not perfect). With it's greatest drawbak probably being it's price.

 

For the money, I think I'd just get a small dSLR like the *ist.

[anthony_brookes5]

Many thanks for all your help. I will relay it to her when we next meet.

[andrew1]

well, brandon fraser has a show up at the (nyc) leica gallery, with a poster

hanging out on the street which suggests he shot at least some of it with one.

why dontcha ask him? or check the archives- there's been lots written about it.