No more $1299 Panasonic DMC-L1Ks at Costco...

[audidudi]

FYI, I referred a friend who was interested in this camera to Costco's site and he just emailed me back to say it's no longer listed as available.

I guess this is good news so far as Leica's pricing structure for the Digilux 3 is concerned, but not so good for the bottom-feeders among us...

[philipotto]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11170223&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N= 4001459%204294967278&Mo=1&No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC &cat=83&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&topnav=

[audidudi]

Well, it wasn't there earlier today ... checked it twice myself. I'm sure this will make my friend very happy!

[carstenw]

I wonder what the 3.15" line for the camera depth is measuring? It is more than the camera, and less than camera plus lens.

[Riley]

keep you eye out for special camera deals post christmas
eg: E330 Olys were $570 at adorama, now up to $660
i got an open box E300 for $349

[NickR]

Originally Posted by philipotto

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11170223&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N= 4001459%204294967278&Mo=1&No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC &cat=83&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&topnav=

We're sorry, this product is not available.11170223

Ah well, but he who hesitates, etc, etc.
(speaking about myself)

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by Riley

keep you eye out for special camera deals post christmas
eg: E330 Olys were $570 at adorama, now up to $660
i got an open box E300 for $349

I just checked and bodies are $699, so it appears the Christmas clearance is over.

Speaking of the E330, have you compared its output to that of the L1 (or D3)? I'm trying to adapt my L1 for use as a digital back on my 2x3 view camera (sort of ... for the moment, I'm looking into using it in combination with a Canon 24mm TS-E lens to flat-stitch 25MP files) and I suspect the E330's tiltable LCD would be a big plus in this application but I'm not sure how the image quality compares between the cameras. I hate to buy one just to try it, but so far as I can tell, either no one has made a direct comparison between them or if they have, they haven't bothered to post their thoughts on the net...

[Riley]

Originally Posted by audidudi

I just checked and bodies are $699, so it appears the Christmas clearance is over.

Speaking of the E330, have you compared its output to that of the L1 (or D3)? I'm trying to adapt my L1 for use as a digital back on my 2x3 view camera (sort of ... for the moment, I'm looking into using it in combination with a Canon 24mm TS-E lens to flat-stitch 25MP files) and I suspect the E330's tiltable LCD would be a big plus in this application but I'm not sure how the image quality compares between the cameras. I hate to buy one just to try it, but so far as I can tell, either no one has made a direct comparison between them or if they have, they haven't bothered to post their thoughts on the net...

i have a lot of difficulty with the notion they they would be different as some claim here, particularly shooting RAW. differences in handling i can swallow, for which the barrel mounted aperture and body speed controls would appeal.

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by Riley

i have a lot of difficulty with the notion they they would be different as some claim here, particularly shooting RAW. differences in handling i can swallow, for which the barrel mounted aperture and body speed controls would appeal.

Likewise, given the fact they share the same sensor. But then, my background's mechanical engineering, not electrical engineering, so who knows? I do know it does appear that buying an Olympus E330 body will save me a few bucks over the L1 (although if I sell the L1 lens to some envious Olympus owner, the situation may well reverse itself!) and while the D3 would actually work better for my purposes because it doesn't have that grip/bump on the right side of the body that I'm having to work around, this still isn't worth paying twice the price of an L1 ... decisions, decisions.

[Riley]

if you can wait, do it
E3 is due out this year 2007, actually overdue from before the end of 2006
Im thinking that it may share some of the attributes of M8 sensor
and Oly are working to clean up the issues

if thats the case, it will be a knockout dSLR, but it will be pricey too
and its presence will have a price effect on the rest of the upscale dSLR market
you just cant have half the cameras sharing in the top end of the market, of those in particular the four-thirds cameras, including L1 and D3

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by Riley

if you can wait, do it
E3 is due out this year 2007, actually overdue from before the end of 2006
Im thinking that it may share some of the attributes of M8 sensor
and Oly are working to clean up the issues

I'm already waiting! If I could find a decent digital back for my view camera for less than, say, $5000, I'd buy it and be done with the Rube Goldberg-ish idea of adapting a DSLR for use as a digital back. But as of today, used backs that meet my needs, image quality and file-size wise, are still in the $10-13k price range, which is a bit more than I'm willing to spend on a hobby that generates no income, and the ones in the under $5k range that I could live with for a while are either not suitable for field use or are nearing the end of their manufacturer support (i.e., Kodak has announced it will not provide any repairs or parts for its Pro Back Plus after 31 Dec 07, which is one reason why these can be bought for as little as $3k and sometimes even less. Personally, I'm reluctant to spend that much on something that might be useable for only one year!)

Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for the E3 since as long as it uses the 4/3 lens mount, it will be an easy update for me. Thanks!

[jdlaing]

Originally Posted by audidudi

Speaking of the E330, have you compared its output to that of the L1 (or D3)? I'm trying to adapt my L1 for use as a digital back on my 2x3 view camera (sort of ... for the moment, I'm looking into using it in combination with a Canon 24mm TS-E lens to flat-stitch 25MP files) and I suspect the E330's tiltable LCD would be a big plus in this application but I'm not sure how the image quality compares between the cameras. I hate to buy one just to try it, but so far as I can tell, either no one has made a direct comparison between them or if they have, they haven't bothered to post their thoughts on the net...

I am in the process of doing that for the next week or so. I have both cameras and am anxious to see the results myself.......................I'll let you know and see the results.

[jank]

Check bestpricecamera, L1 goes for $949 !

[Ecaton]

Originally Posted by jank

Check bestpricecamera, L1 goes for $949 !

Be carefull, these guys have a terrible track record (reputation).You may visit "epinions.com" to read a few victims' stories!

Happy new year!