Leica Digilux 2

This is my first serious camera and despite what some people might say about it ("toy", "plasticky", "not a real Leica", etc), it's been money well-spent for me. But then again, I got it at just a third of the original retail cost.

Handling:
I bought the Digilux 2 mainly because of its manual controls. Once you set the basic parameters -- ISO, white balance, file size -- you won't need to access them again (and if you do, the rear wheel gives you a handy shortcut). Typical functions -- image review, delete, bracketing, toggling between LCD and viewfinder -- have a button each. So the camera is very fast to operate.

When you've used the manual aperture and focus rings as well as shutter wheel, you'll find it hard to get used to any digital camera, compact or SLR. The mechanical controls make full manual operation a doddle, and photography is a lot more fun because of it.

But the camera is not that ergonomic. The boxy shape is a bit too thick for my Asian hands, and the bottom right corner bites into my palm after I use it for a while. The shutter button could be easier to get to. And the camera is just a little bit too light -- I've often thought of weighing it down by fashioning a steel plate to attach to the underside, but then there's where you load the battery!

Image Quality:
It's only 5 megapixels, but there was a reason for that (apart from the fact that it was the technology available at the time). It's because the resolution has been matched to the sensor size. Any higher and you'd probably get more noise in your photos.

Let's face it: the absolute colour image quality is never going to match even an entry-level dSLR like the Nikon D70 (6 megapixels), so why bother? But it does have a certain character to the shots it takes, a little organic-ness (!) that makes the pictures look less plasticky and fake.

Not that it bothers me: I only used the camera for colour shots in the first 2 months I got it. After that it's been a black and white camera all the way, and for this the shots are superb. Contrasty and sharp, and if you push the ISO to the maximum 400 (yes, it only goes to ISO400, please don't faint) the noise makes the pictures look a bit like film. If you shoot in RAW then you'll have to wait 6 seconds between shots. I don't (the in-camera B&W mode in JPEG format is good enough for me), so again it doesn't bother me.

In Conclusion:
This camera is an emotional buying decision. You'll either like what it does (and thereby have a "relationship" with it, concentrating on just taking pictures rather than counting pixels and worrying about what other lens to buy). Or you won't, in which case either (a) don't buy it in the first place, or (b) don't buy it and then whine that it's not as agood as a bottom-line Nikon or Canon dSLR.

Most people buy a modern Ford because it's a good car that gives good mileage and it just works in the morning. A minority chooses to drive banged up oldies with character like the Volvo 240 or Mini Cooper (the original one), for reasons known only to themselves.

This is a camera for people who would buy it for reasons only known to themselves. And they will enjoy it as passionately as one ever could a digital camera.

Superb B&W camera for people who'd rather be out taking pictures than sitting in front of a PC with the images zoomed at 100 percent. Oh, and the Summicron zoom lens is very nice, too.

Boxy, can be hard to grip with sweaty palms. A bit too light. Can feel a little fragile. And it's got the d****d red dot in front of it, which attracts curious people like flies, making street and event photography a drag ('cos you're being asked so many questions).

Leica D-Lux 3, Ricoh GR-Digital, Nikon D70, Nikon D80, Fuji S5 Pro, Panasonic DMC-LC40

I have been waiting for a Digilux 2 to come up at the right price and condition on Fleabay for some time. My wait was worthwhile. I have been using 2 other digicams for a few years now, a Nikon D100 and a Leica Digilux 1. I have loved the different aspects of both, but the Digi 1 is the one that has accompanied me to most places. I am not a professional, I just love taking good pics, but as an IT teacher, I deal with a lot of digital cameras that our college buys and that the kids bring in. I have never been impressed by any of them when compared to my digilux 1, until a recent HP came in with a big LCD. The digilux 1 never let me down, and provided my own wedding photos. I highly recommend it. Especially at the low prices they go for on ebay. However, my digilux 1 is now going up for sale too, as the digilux 2 that I got my grubby hands on is FAR superior. It's honestly like going from a jaguar to a Rolls Royce. Mine was 40% of the last UK retail price, in mint condition, and this is the going rate on ebay. I just need a case for it, and these are in short supply. If you buy one, the viewfinder, which is n effect a small TV screen, takes some getting used to, but at least you see what is going to be captured! The build quality is second to none. I am 53yrs old now, I have been through numerous Nikon film cameras over the years before the aforementioned digitals, and I think at last I could settle down with JUST the digilux 2. Yes, the Nikon D100 and 3 lenses is probably going to be sold too now. I won't have quite the focal length range anymore, but this little baby is SO beautiful to use that I think I'm ready to get married to her. As regards batteries, they last for ages, and nowadays places like 7dayshop.com sell copy batteries which are brilliant for less than £20 ($40). SD cards....well 2Gb for £20 aswell allow around 440 shots to be stored at high res jpeg. What more do you need? She is, I think, a keeper. If you are my age, and want to travel without a huge camera bag and take photographs of your visits, this IS THE ONE. Enough said?

Everything.

It takes a little getting used to the electronic viewfinder.
Why don't Leica supply a case with their cameras?

Digilux 1, Nikon D100

Have never needed to deal with Leica, but their reputation precedes them.

In its infancy, megapixels were a serious limiting factor in the quality of digital photography. This hurdle was breached for most amateur photographers once prosumer level cameras became affordable at about the 4 megapixel range. As such, the quality of digital photgraphy depends on two the same two key elements as in classic film photography, namely the user and the lens The idea of paying $1500+ for this 5 megapixel camera becomes reasonable once one realizes the above What you are paying for here first and foremost, is the beautiful Leica Summicron lens (and yes, a little for the Leica red dot) The camera is beautiful in a retro kind of way. Looks are elegent and refined, and operations are logical and silky smooth, as befits an instrument of this caliber

1. Summicron lens and the incredible picture quality and fidelity it can render in the proper hands - in a word, peerless 2. Bounce flash capabiltity 3. Classic lens adjustments for aperature and zoom

1. No RAW buffer - one file must finish being written before you can take your next picture. 5 seconds or so even with a fast SD card such as the Sandisk Extreme III 2. Easy to inadvertantly switch between normal and macro in AF mode when zooming 3. Somewhat bulky, especially if you are used to a miniature style model 4. Filter size of 69 mm not commonly available at most local retailers. 5. Associated expenses such as for protective filter, large capacity SD card/s, extra battery, optional external flash, etc etc can easily total another $500

For a thorough review of this camera go to dpreview.com. I used film based SLRs and was hesitatant to switch to digital format because I didn't feel comfortable with the cameras available - they had numerous fiddly little buttons dotted all over them, toggle switch operated zooms that were slow to move, small LCD screens with small text for the complicated menus and batteries that quit functioning when temperatures drop below freezing. When I saw the Digilux 2 on Leica's website I was sold - the analog shutter and aperture rings, the manual conventional zoom ring found on SLR lenses, the 28-90mm equivalent zoom lens with f2-2.4 aperture, manual focus capability and average/spot/matrix metering at the flick of a switch. The price? At first it was sticker shock, but when you consider the 28-90mm f2-2.4 Summicron zoom it's actually reasonable. Sure you can buy a Nikon D70 or Digital Rebel for less money but when you upgrade to either make's 28-70 or 24-70mm f2.8 zooms you will pay more than the D2. The Summicron at 28mm (equiv) is f2! And at 90mm (equiv) its is a respectable f2.4. Now I don't carry my Nikon 28mm/f2 and Tokina 90mm/f2.5 macro. Granted the Summicron can't get as close as the Tokina, min distance is adequate. I have taken many shots with the D2 in low light w/o flash down to shutter speeds of 1/2 sec handheld and gotten pictures of acceptable sharpness! Someting not possible with my Nikon F100. I can work as fast with the D2 as my F100 becasue of the simple uncluttered controls of the D2. The F100 has much faster autofocus capability, but the D2's autofocus is as fast as any non SLR digital camera. I use the EVF finder when shooting outdoors in bright light. It displays effect of spot metering so I can pick the correct part of the image to give the desired exposure - don't miss the optical finder most people carp about. Viewfinder grid very useful for alignment. Black and White is available contrary to other reports. Sandisk Ultra II 512MB SD card allows me to shoot over 300 pictures at max resolution with med compression. RAW takes about 6 sec though I don't use that mode.

The results from the D2 are simply stunning. Few pictures require any tweaking in Photoshop. Available light photogtaphy is the D2's strengh. Simple and fast to use. Lens does not retract and extend like other point & shoot digitals saving batery power for its beautiful large LCD. Lens does not change length when zooming.

Uses 69mm filters that are hard to get and cost the earth! Panasonic's twin, the DMC-LC1 comes with protection filter! Auto focus performance diminishes significantly when battery charge drops to one bar. Always carry a spare.

Tried many digital cameras at the store but not satisfied. The Leica Digilux D2 is truly unique and is my first digital camera! The Panasonic DMC-LC1 is the same camera, comes all black and about $200 less; Though I hear Leica is now throwing in a free flash in USA.

Haven't needed service.

Aesthetics: The Leica Digilux 2 can be described as a modern “retro” design. The body style is a direct descendant of the M6 and those before it. The body looks huge. It is about 33% larger than an M6, but this isn’t readily apparent until you set it next to any Leica M chassis. There is a gaudy overabundance of faux chrome in the back. This is the least appealing part of the camera, because of the chrome finish that surrounds and accentuates the presence of the LCD monitor. I would have preferred a more predominant use of either a black finish or the faux leather. The rubber around the eyepiece is bulbous, but acceptable. Overall, it is a very handsome camera. Ergonomics: What sold me are the traditional manual adjustments: The focusing ring, the aperture ring, zoom adjustment, and shutter speed dial are so much more workable in the field. You do not have to take your eye away from the viewfinder like you would with touch pads and four-way rocker switches. Leave that for reviewing the recorded images. The box construction has the familiar feel of an M body, but weighs less. The “grippy” black rubber finish is handsome and remotely resembles leather. The flash has two positions: press halfway and it will set up for bounce flash. Press all the way down, and it will point directly towards the subject. Practicalities: At the average price of about $1850 U.S. dollars, one would have to factor in the name. But also figure in the build quality. There is the Magnesium body, real metal hinges on the doors (which are designed beautifully), traditional aperture ring, manual & auto focusing, shutter speed dial, superior image processing (for markedly lower noise levels than the competition), aspherical Summicron lens, larger than average lcd monitor; and a few more, but the general impression is that it’s built well. The baseplate is bare, but there are three 1/8” diameter round rubber feet, and one round plastic foot that is molded out of the battery door itself. Attention to small details are what I like about the Leica. For example, the camera strap also comes with two leatherette scuff protectors that fit around the camera strap eyelets. And not only is a lens cap included, but a lens cap for the lens shade. The Bottom Line: The photographs are the bottom line. The images and image quality are on par with the pro-level dslr’s. There is a real Summicron aboard this camera, and of it, I rest assured. There are and will be cameras with higher pixel counts, but I’ve come to realize that if most of my photographs will be printed smaller than 11” x 14,” then I am not lacking with the five megapixels. This is not a point-and-shoot, as most would regard it as such. It can be set up for that if you wish, but the manual focusing, aperture and shutter adjustments make the D2 a capable tool for anybody who pursues photography seriously.

A long-lasting lithium battery; sturdy metal-hinged doors that open and close solidly; the outstanding Summicron lens; a large 2.5" LCD monitor; very low noise compared to other 5 MP cameras; no need to download drivers if you have Windows XP.

Only one memory card slot for such a large camera; no black & white mode.

No other similar products used.

I've never yet had to call Leica for customer service, and hopefully never have to.