chris_kelly3

The idea of an exotic dancer wearing a couple of Cornish pasties has really brightened my day!

 

I buy most of my Leica stuff from one local specialist dealer. They usually cut me a deal but they are knowledgable, helpful and keep meticulous customer records on a card index file. They know every item I have purchased by date of sale, serial number and price paid. They are happy to let me go in and fondle stuff even if I have no intention of purchasing on that visit.

 

To me, that is a value-add which no online retailer can offer.

 

I have also visited the Robert White store and they are also exceptionally helpful.

Same as Peter and Marc. Only had my DMR a week but very impressed with the initial results. I was a little concerened about returning to manual focus (though I've had my R9 for a while I haven't used it as much as my Canon DSLR), but it's fine. In fact, the viewfinder is wonderful, and the controls for the DMR very easy to get to grips with.

Really cool! I wonder how long it took to put together?

Sorry! Still too big. Doh!

Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall. Digilux2<div></div>

Michael

I use a small Billingham bag which works very well. Holds the D2, SF24, spare battery, spare SD cards and a lens pen very comfortably, as well as a few non-photographic bits that I carry around.

Billinghams are not inexpensive, but they are rugged, reliable and keep their precious cargo very safe!

Regards

never satisfied

Al

I'm happy to say that here in the former colonial power we still honour miles and not

kilometeres. Mind you we buy petrol in litres and our food in kilograms so not sure how

long before we get sucked under too!

Respect.

Seen in a car park in England. Digilux2<div></div>

Digilux 2<div></div>

Dave

Where in the UK are you based? I've got an M7 and various lenses and would be happy to let you have a play with them if you are anywhere near Hampshire. By the way, don't be put off the TE3 by the slower lens speed - I have it and with 400 film it's fine. You can hand hold a Leica to lower speeds than an SLR.

Which dealer are you thinking of handing your hard-earned cash?

Cheers

Trevor

An Agfa Silette acquired by my parents when they were posted to Germany in the 50's. Focus was by guessing the distance, exposure I usually worked out by reading the thin paper in the film box. It worked surprisingly well and was a great way to learn about the interaction of aperture and shutter speed. Sadly, camera disappeared from view in the early 70's. I acquired my first SLR, a Canon EF, in 1977 and have been hooked ever since!

By the way, where in the UK are you based?

I have some pics posted in my folder here but not sure how to set up a link. Such a muppet!

I bought one. Sold my G5 to a friend. I really like the camera. Have printed to A3+ size from ISO100 with pleasing results.ISO400 seems a little noisy but acceptable. White balance seems very good. I took some pics of my son's graduation ceremony in the Royal Albert Hall which look very good indeed.It's light but has similar handling to my M7. The lens is excellent and it is a real pleasure to get manual control back, both in zoom and focus. The EVF is ok but I am comfortable composing on the LCD screen which is large and very clear. The flash works very well too, especially the bounce mode.

I'd say the whole thing was devised by a photographer and not a computer geek.

If you can justify the price and want a very superior P&S camera I can thoroughly recommend it.

Just a word of caution. If you are using this flash with a Mark3

foot, it will not work properly. There is a Mark4 adaptor coming in

May/June apparently, which involves rechipping in order for the flash

to interact with the camera's white balance. I got a couple of

totally unusable images when I tried to use it - foreground subject

was totally whited out, whilst the background was perfectly exposed.

At least with digital I could see right away that there was a problem!

Mirror? Since when did dust on the mirror show up on the sensor?

Chuck

Although I agree that we should all strive to master our tools, my 10D/550 experience is not just a third of a stop type under exposure - we are talking 2 or 3 full stops. It is not unreasonable to expect a combination like this to yield acceptable results in P mode.I don't want to spend my hard-earned spare time tinkering with basic exposure stuff in Photoshop. If I want to tinker about I use my 503CW with an external meter! Canon need to sort this out - the number of responses here indicates that there is a real issue.

John

That is so spooky. Within the last 30 minutes my dealer called to say he now has spare batteries and a case in stock. But still no filters!

I agree that this latter is not very clever. I guess I'll look at the case before I pass him my plastic! Currently I have the D2 in my large Hadley with my M7 - maybe I should just leave it there. The D2 case will not be inexpensive either!

The other slight oddity is that lens cover that fits into the hood feels very insecure, but seems to stay put once in place.

However, I am delighted with the image quality, particularly at 100 and 200 ISO - 400 seems a bit noisy. It is far away the most photographer friendly digicam I have used, so all kudos to Leica/Panasonic for that.The handling and sense of control that it gives me is excellent - I would be happy if I never had to handle a powered zoom ever again!

CD

I had a G5 from the time it came out until a couple of weeks ago when I sold it to a friend. Why? Because the Leica Digilux2 simply blows it away, especially for the kind of picture taking which you are contemplating. I have put a few shots from my very first outing with the D2 in my portfolio. It is expensive and it has no RAW buffer, but I am knocked out by the results from it. I have Leica M and R cameras, and the D2 seems to produce a similar "look" which I really like. It is surprisingly light yet seems to be very well put together. The hatches giving access to the output ports and the SD card slot are very substantial compared with the G5. Although the LCD doesn't tilt and swivel (which I really liked on the G5) it is very large and exceptionally sharp.

If you do go with the G5 though you will be mostly very pleased - Canon are not building too many poor products! (Except for the flash exposure on the 10D!)

Hi Louis

I thought it was me being a muppet! I have had exactly the same problem and my 10D and 550EX are on their way back Canon UK as we speak.How can the whole flash exposure thing be so bad? I took the outfit to my son's graduation ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday. At least with digital I was able to see immediately that flash exposures were useless so I switched off the flash, cranked up the ISO and got some reasonably atmospheric shots. Subsequent tests showed that the built-in flash was also under-exposed horribly.

I am trading up to a 1DMk2 - not a moment too soon! It's a shame, because in most regards the 10D is an outstanding instrument. I wonder if 300D users have the same problem?

Cheers

By chance, I bought a 54Mz3 today! I got a secondhand connector for my 503CW, which my dealer tried on a used model he had handy to check that it was functional. Seems very neat, especially as it will fit into the hotshoe on my PM45. At the same time I got the Leica compatible shoe for my M7, R9 and D2. Great to have such an excellent gun with cross-platform capability.

Chris

I use the grid-etched screen which I enjoy.I tend to choose this whatever camera system I am using.I like split image but the microprism idea is one I have never really liked since I bought my first SLR, a Canon EF, back in 1977. I find the grid helpful with composition. (My new Digilux2 lets me add a grid to the LCD image in either the viewfinder or on the rear screen) My lenses are the 21-35 zoom, 50 f2 and the 90f2APO. No problems with focussing any of them.

Yes I am in the UK.

I haven't had a chance to get out with the camera as yet. Need to earn the money to pay for the Leica habit!

Not sure about the weather proofing. All the external hatches seem much better engineered than on my Canon digicams (10D and G5). It all feels very solid but light. My dealer has not had any 69mm filters through yet so the front element is a bit vulnerable. Weekend shooting will be done with extra caution!And we have ice and snow in the forecast!

Shutter lag much less evident than on the G5, which I have now sold to a work colleague. Nothing can touch an M, obviously, but given the electronic tasks that need to be carried out between first shutter pressure and release I think Leica/Panasonic have done a good job.

I collected my D2 on Wedneday. It has a three year warranty but not a passport. I am still working my way through the manual but my first couple of "snap" shots looked extremely good. Much lighter than my M7, which was a surprise the first time I picked it up, although it seems pretty sturdy. The user interface seems designed for photographers, which is an improvement on some other manufacturers' approach.

Hi Andrew

I've had great service from Wey Cameras in Weybridge, Surrey on both new and used

stuff. They don't have a huge selection of used but might be worth talking to them.

Regards

Chris Kelly