Guest flatfour Posted May 1, 2009 Share #1 Posted May 1, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Having looked at pictures of the dinky D-Lux 4 I am tempted but can I ask those of you who have one. The controls seem mighty small and fiddly. Are they fiddly ? And I couldn't usea camera without a viewfinder. Does anyone have the official Leica viewfinder ? Is it coupled to the lens for correct image size? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Hi Guest flatfour, Take a look here D-Lux 4 Viewfinder. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
burkey Posted May 1, 2009 Share #2 Posted May 1, 2009 A lot of folks here, (including me), have the "official" finder. Others have opted to go with a variety of other options. Try a couple of searches here on the forum. I did before I bought my finder and found the information very helpful before I dropped the change for a very nice but pricey finder. As for the controls, they are a bit small but then again so is the camera. So aside from the very fine IQ, one of its strengths is its size. If you put the optional grip on the camera it helps a lot too. Good luck. . . . David, (Burkey) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prk60091 Posted May 1, 2009 Share #3 Posted May 1, 2009 A lot of folks here, (including me), have the "official" finder. Others have opted to go with a variety of other options. Try a couple of searches here on the forum. I did before I bought my finder and found the information very helpful before I dropped the change for a very nice but pricey finder.As for the controls, they are a bit small but then again so is the camera. So aside from the very fine IQ, one of its strengths is its size. If you put the optional grip on the camera it helps a lot too. Good luck. . . . David, (Burkey) i have smallish hands and i do not have any issues with the controls- i let my father in law use my dlux4 last weekend and he has very large hands and he was frustrated using the controls Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burkey Posted May 1, 2009 Share #4 Posted May 1, 2009 Actually I too have fairly small hands. Regardless, an incredible camera. The viewfinder and the optional grip really are worth the money IMHO. The camera is much easier for me to hold now with the grip than prior to me adding it on. . . . David, (Burkey) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
julien080 Posted May 3, 2009 Share #5 Posted May 3, 2009 related to the D-Lux 4 viewfinder: do people manage (or is it ok) to keep it mounted on when putting the camera back in its bag (assuming everything fits in the bag)? i would find it rather cumbersome having to remove the viewfinder from the hot shoe each time the camera is put away... thank you for your inputs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilG Posted May 3, 2009 Share #6 Posted May 3, 2009 related to the D-Lux 4 viewfinder: do people manage (or is it ok) to keep it mounted on when putting the camera back in its bag (assuming everything fits in the bag)? i would find it rather cumbersome having to remove the viewfinder from the hot shoe each time the camera is put away... thank you for your inputs. This is something I am looking at myself and would be very interested in the views of a bag that would take the camera and viewfinder. Also can anybody suggest where the cheapest option for buying the viewfinder would be? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo035 Posted May 3, 2009 Share #7 Posted May 3, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) This is something I am looking at myself and would be very interested in the views of a bag that would take the camera and viewfinder. Also can anybody suggest where the cheapest option for buying the viewfinder would be? I see from your profile that you are in the UK, Phil. The result from my own quest for the lowest price of the Leica viewfinder (DLUX4VF) intended for the D-Lux 4 was Ace Cameras (01225 466975) £195, with free delivery during May. As to a suitable bag, I'd recommend taking a look at LowePro. Just 'Google" the name for their Website, then check out internal dimensions of their range. The only other Leica Dealer I found offering free delivery is Harrisons in Sheffield, (01142 760002) @ £199.99. Robert White and Ffordes prices are under £200, but I don't know how much they'd charge for delivery. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturelady Posted May 3, 2009 Share #8 Posted May 3, 2009 Having looked at pictures of the dinky D-Lux 4 I am tempted but can I ask those of you who have one. The controls seem mighty small and fiddly. Are they fiddly ? And I couldn't usea camera without a viewfinder. Does anyone have the official Leica viewfinder ? Is it coupled to the lens for correct image size? Your question "Is it coupled with the lens..." I don't believe it is...to my knowledge it is a 24mm wide and fits the 24mm width only. Others...correct me if I am wrong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
likealeica Posted May 5, 2009 Share #9 Posted May 5, 2009 After 40 years of screw-thread and M cameras, I bought a DLux4 a few weeks ago. Found it awful to hold and use until: I added the grip and and an Imarect finder from my screw-thread stuff. Finder goes from 35 to 135, so I only use the 35 to 60 range, but it does a nice job. If I'm staying at 60mm, I use an SBOOI 50mm finder. Imarect has distance settings to minimize parallax; SBOOI only has a close range line for <6 feet. Both work fine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Franiec Posted May 5, 2009 Share #10 Posted May 5, 2009 I posted this today on DPR Leica forum, maybe someone will find it useful: Re: Alternative: Leica Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review Cheers Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_K Posted May 6, 2009 Share #11 Posted May 6, 2009 Although i didn't choose the original leica viewfinder, i did special-order the Panny one 2 months ago and still waiting. My present compact LowePro won't fit the combo together for sure, and i have to look for a new one when the viewfinder finally deliver .... hopefully soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickjj Posted May 7, 2009 Share #12 Posted May 7, 2009 I mainly shoot at the 60mm end so use the SBOOI 50mm viewfinder, although I often shoot using the screen, especially when I want to take more candid shots. I use the bottom half of the titanium case, which protects the bottom and sides of the camera while allowing the SBOOI to remain permanently attached. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossawilson Posted May 7, 2009 Share #13 Posted May 7, 2009 Regarding the controls, I use the handgrip and they're are not at all fiddly, actually I find them very intuitive and just the right size. When I take the handgrip off however, the whole control area becomes a thumb support. Don't like that. With the handgrip I can take one handed photos and adjust the controls. Even the girls who I know that have used it prefer the handgrip, and they have small hands. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thondup Posted May 7, 2009 Share #14 Posted May 7, 2009 I use the handgrip and the View finder. As I am used to my M7 the VF is perfect. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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