I've done it ... a BLACK Digilux 2!

[audidudi]

Well, sort of ... I swapped the main circuit board between my LC1 and D2 this afternoon just to prove they were interchangeable and as you can see below, they are. I had initially planned to swap all of the guts, including the lenses and sensors, but in the end, I decided it would take too much time for no obvious benefit.

Since the LC1 and D2 circuit boards are identical, the only difference between them has to lie with the firmware. I suspect Leica might not approve, but I wonder how difficult it would be to copy the firmware from one camera to the other? I seem to recall reading something about this in the LC1 repair manual I purchased a while ago. Hmm...

[overgaardcom]

Well, when the world run out of Digilux 2 cameras to get...

I thought you had really made a black D2 and before reading the post I had a few minutes trying to think forward what this would mean to the Leica society. I guess, if anybody could fix a chrome Digilux 2 into a original black with white text, there would be the first 50, 100 or 200 customers for such a job.

[John Thawley]

I too was thinking cosmetic. This is still visually a Lumix with all the things I don't like about the Lumix....hmmmm ... like the word Lumix. LOL

JT

[audidudi]

Thorsen and John are correct, of course ... I probably should have waited until April to post this, but it took all of an hour to swap the parts between the two cameras (they really are incredibly easy to work on!) and I had a bit of time on my hands yesterday, so why not?

I must admit that while I prefer a black camera to chrome and the LC1's built-in hand grip to the D2's absence of one, I otherwise prefer Leica's styling to Panasonic's styling. It's a shame that the only way to have a black D2 will be to creat one. That said, it definitely is a possibility, just not a very cost-effective one...

FWIW, I'll likely reverse the swap the next time I have a free hour!

[overgaardcom]

True about the handgrip. Wonder if one could integrate a handgrip on a D2 when changing skin on it. It was/is a very nice grip for the camera to "hand in one hand" thouhg I have developed some grip around the camera with a thumb locked around the strap when the camera is hanging from my right hand.

But...

So, John: Are you for crucifixion or stoning..?

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by overgaardcom

True about the handgrip. Wonder if one could integrate a handgrip on a D2 when changing skin on it. It was/is a very nice grip for the camera to "hand in one hand" thouhg I have developed some grip around the camera with a thumb locked around the strap when the camera is hanging from my right hand.

The parts are dimensionally identical and interchangeable, but it will be costly because Panasonic sells only two of five pieces you'll need separately, with the rest being sold only as part of the larger assemblies to which they're attached (i.e., the doors on the side and the rear half of the bodyshell). The doors can be swapped as complete assembiles, so that wouldn't be an issue, but I don't know how easy it will prove to remove the covering on the rear bodyshell and then readhere it to the D2's rear bodyshell or if this can be done without damaging it in the process.

Oh, and I would prefer whipping ... thanks!

[earleygallery]

From what others have said in another thread the Panasonic cameras are made with lower grade components (I don't believe it by the way) so although you have Leica firmware you now have a supposedly 2nd rate camera!

[daveleo]

okay, let me display my ignorance of the D2 structure....

wouldn't it be easier to remove and paint ( ? ) the chrome top plate black?

the internals would then be Leica.

PS ... don't ask me how to actually do that nicely.

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by earleygallery

From what others have said in another thread the Panasonic cameras are made with lower grade components (I don't believe it by the way) so although you have Leica firmware you now have a supposedly 2nd rate camera!

So far as I can tell, except for the components that are specific to one camera or the other (which are mostly cosmetic in nature), they are otherwise identical. In fact, I spent some time carefully examining the circuit boards for both the LC1 and D2 and I could see no differences between them or the parts that were stuffed into them. The parts numbers and component values were identical in every single instance (which, of course, doesn't mean the Leica parts weren't carefully selected for tighter tolerances than the parts Panasonic used and/or subsequently tested more rigorously, but I tend to doubt it.)

I do have some experience in these matters and am confident in stating that the basic "guts" of these two cameras are identical in all relevant respects (and even some irrelevant respects). As such, any difference in performance between them must be due to the firmware, as it's the only thing that's different.

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by daveleo

wouldn't it be easier to remove and paint ( ? ) the chrome top plate black?

the internals would then be Leica.

The problem with this is that unlike film-based Leicas, the lettering isn't engraved into the metal (and the top plate is metal even if it doesn't necessarily look or feel like it!) but silkscreened, so if you paint the chrome black, you'll need to replace it somehow unless you've committed each switch position and function to memory.

It is possible to recreate the original silkscreening, of course, but the cost is likely to be prohibitive. Replacing the silkscreened letters with engraved letters is also a possibility and would be less costly, but it's still not cost effective.

You'd also need to replace all of Leica's chrome switches and knobs with black Panasonic ones, which can also be done, but is likewise costly, and ... well, the list goes on.

The bottom line: If you have the resources or money to throw at a project like this, it can definitely be done, but realistically, it makes no sense to do so given the value of these cameras these days. I can easily imagine the tab for such a conversion running $1k or more...

[bowdie]

Is there such a thing as an after market handgrip add-on for the digilux2? It's the only part of the design I don't like. I end up getting leica-claw after walking around with it in my right hand for a while.

[overgaardcom]

Originally Posted by audidudi

Oh, and I would prefer whipping ... thanks!

Oh, that explains everything! (like how you got the idea of placing a Leica logo on a Panasonic)

Another member has just now on the phone volunteered to document it with his chrome D2

[daveleo]

audidudi

now that i look closely at my D2, i see the lettering and understand the issue.

but, in the spirit of advancing boldness and creativity.....

leave the rear chrome plate as-is (too much lettering to deal with).

slice (very) narrow strips of masking tape and cover each lettered area and the red dot.

after painting, there will be little chrome regions on the black top plate with the black lettering shown against it.

hmm..... i wonder what a spare top plate would cost? .... even more hmmmm..... if this works and you try it and make millions on D2 retrofits, please remember who encouraged you !!

[overgaardcom]

Problem solved.

Here you go (spot the difference):

[John Thawley]

Originally Posted by overgaardcom

So, John: Are you for crucifixion or stoning..?

Tarred and feathered would bring about lots more giggles.

[marknorton]

The assumption you're making is that there is no calibration data in EEPROM on the circuit board matching the sensor left behind in the camera.

I expect all this talk of higher grade components is baloney, the differences are most likely only cosmetic with a different firmware load which itself consists of cosmetics and slightly modified defaults.

Still, if it works for you...

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by marknorton

The assumption you're making is that there is no calibration data in EEPROM on the circuit board matching the sensor left behind in the camera.

My assumption is that if Panasonic is happy to sell you a replacement sensor and circuit board separately, then they are not calibrated to each other. This is further reinforced by the Panasonic repair manual, which mentions nothing of this in the sections about replacing these components. That's not to say the Leica versions are similarly uncalibrated, but my gut feel is they are setup to be plug-and-play as well.

I expect all this talk of higher grade components is baloney, the differences are most likely only cosmetic with a different firmware load which itself consists of cosmetics and slightly modified defaults.

Having examined the guts of both cameras fairly thoroughly, this is my opinion as well.

Still, if it works for you...

Eh, it was a lark. <shrugs shoulders>

[audidudi]

Okay, having given it some thought and concluded that refinishing my D2 so it's all black makes no sense whatever, economically or otherwise, I've decided to go ahead and do it anyway! It's the damndest thing, but even though I'm convinced the images I've captured with my D2-modified LC1 these past few days are identical to those I would have captured with my D2, the gestalt now feels all wrong somehow. Perhaps the red dot really does make a difference?

Anyway, I need a new hobby project right now and when I realized last night that I can use my semi-scruffy IR-converted LC1 as a source of black knobs and buttons instead of having to buy them (of course, this means it will get the D2's silver ones in exchange, which should make for an interesting look), the economics of the project started to look much more attractive.

Although I don't see this becoming a profitable adventure for me (for better or worse, I make too much money at my day job to devote much time to this), since other people have expressed interest in doing something similar, I will look into the cost of having some silkscreen patterns made for the lettering before I go ahead with engraving. If it's not too awfully expensive, this will open the door for others to follow in my footsteps and perhaps help me recover some of the upfront cost. That said, though, engraving might be a more stylish approach and one that befits an individualized camera. Hmm...

Stay tuned!

[Riley]

what if I said I might chrome my LC1

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by Riley

what if I said I might chrome my LC1

I'll trade you my D2's knobs, buttons, and switches ... should make it easier for the both of us!