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Digilux 3 not Leica?


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Digilux 3 is the least discussed among the "Leica Experts". I mean, people like Erwin Puts, Overgaard, etc. Much unlike the other Leica digitals, such as Digilux 1, 2, X, or even the pocketable P&S Dlux x. Overgaard even didn;t include it in his Leica Chronicle. Erwin Pts never mentioned it.

 

It's like some kind of conspiracy :).

 

There is very few Leica lenses for it. The kit lens, 14-50mm f2.8~3.5 were regarded not as good as Olympus's 12-60mm, for example.

 

I understand most small sensor Leica P&S are simply Panasonic. They are Leica but not that Leica. Not regarded with the same level of heat as other Leica digital such as X or M. The Digilux 3 seems the least regarded.

 

How Un-Leica is Digilux 3?

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Digilux 3 was a sales flop for Leica, and didn't do much better for Panasonic (who made them).

 

It had a half crop sensor yet was as large as a FF DSLR. It didn't make any sense (to me at least). Being a Leica it was also very expensive compared to the crop sensor DSLR's which were smaller but had a larger sensor and much wider range of lenses.

 

In the end Leica were basically giving them away.

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Digilux 3 was a sales flop for Leica, and didn't do much better for Panasonic (who made them).

 

It had a half crop sensor yet was as large as a FF DSLR. It didn't make any sense (to me at least). Being a Leica it was also very expensive compared to the crop sensor DSLR's which were smaller but had a larger sensor and much wider range of lenses.

 

In the end Leica were basically giving them away.

 

I share every point you mentioned, but I still don't get why Digilux 2 got so much praise.

What you said could be applied to Digilux 2 too.

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The Digilux 3 is a very good camera and many are still in use. The Olympus E-330, Panasonic DMC L1 and Leica Digilux 3 all share the same camera chassis but tweaked by each manufacturer to provide different / additional functions and specifications. The Olympus E-330 has become a cult camera and has a firm following. All three cameras can be used with Leica R lenses; Leica contracted Novoflex to make a Leica R to 4/3 adaptor specifically for the Digilux 3.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

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Let’s put it this way. At the introduction at Photokina the M8 stand was overcrowded all the time by enthusiastic photographers. The Digilux3 stand got maybe two visitors per hour and most took one look and handed it back….:o

 

Leica’s main error was calling it a Digilux3 and trying to make it resemble the Digilux2. That made it a bulky non-starter.

Edited by jaapv
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I share every point you mentioned, but I still don't get why Digilux 2 got so much praise.

What you said could be applied to Digilux 2 too.

 

The Digilux 2 was a lot more compact than the 3. It was also released a lot earlier, when there wasn't anything else quite like it and even the cheapest DSLRs were still very expensive. It caught people's imagination in a way the 3 completely failed to.

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Two Leica 4/3 lenses, the 25mm (50mm equivalent) Summilux and 14-150mm zoom, are very highly regarded. I think the D3's main drawback is its porro prism, done to make an SLR fit inside a Leica-looking box and which provides a dark viewfinder image.

 

I think Leica has a major mistake, and Digilux 3 is the worst example of such.

The mistake is to have an expensive Leica camera but you can get the same camera with less than half the price. OK, may be not exactly the same, but people has the reason to think they are the same. The firmware and file format difference are not enough to convince the people it justifies the extra arms (or legs).

 

All Panasonic Lumix Dlux X fall into this category, but they are not as disastrous as Digilux 3 because at least the Leica version is essentially the same version as the Lumix version (yes, still announced later) Digilux 3 is falling behind the then newer Olympus E-4xx.

 

I think Leica learned the lesson, and that may be why you can't get a twin of Leica X. This may be also the reason of the ends of the LX7 line and the FZ200. I think Leica is refusing the support those lines. Panasonic is on its own.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Leica made an enterprising decision to join the 4/3 partnership and the R&D experience must have had some positive outcomes including the continuing partnership with Panasonic and resultant PanaLeica cameras and lenses. The Digilux 3 camera was essentially an Olympus but Leica and Panasonic developed their own versions and designed their own lenses. The Panasonic partnership continues to this day and Leica have benefitted from same.

 

I wonder how many of you who are now so critical of the Digilux 3 have ever used or handled the camera? I know a number of very satisfied users of both the Digilux 3 and the L1; I have both the L1 and the E-330 and am pleased with each.

 

There never was and never will be a perfect digital camera - they all have their +ve and -ve attributes. I take much of the forum's naysayers' opinions with a pinch of salt … some of them just look for the opportunities to have a good moan about Leica products and in doing so look no further than the ends of their noses!! Furthermore, I do not recall seeing many images posted by them.

 

dunk

Edited by dkpeterborough
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Dunk, Leica were already in bed with Panasonic before 4/3 came along. The Digilux 1 was the first in the line (not a 4/3 camera) although I don't know how long the 4/3 concept was in development.

 

A good photographer can use pretty much any camera and get good results, and of course a D3 is capable of producing good results too, but the D3 was a flawed design. It was bulky, had a very limited range of lenses and offered no advantage over a DSLR with a larger sensor.

 

Leica pulled out of 4/3 and ended up pretty much giving D3's away at the end through various promotions or swapping them for broken D2's.

 

Micro 4/3 makes more sense - smaller sensor = smaller cameras/lenses.

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I owned a Digilux 3, as well as other Olympus 4/3 cameras.

 

The D3, despite the lower pixel count, had one of the best 4/3 sensors, at least at ISO up to 800. The images have a very distinctive look, that in my opinion stands out among the 4/3 crowd. The RAW files are also a very good starting point for B&W work.

The user interface of the D3 was a joy too.

 

The lenses are wonderful, all three. I owned the 14-50 Elmarit and the Oly 14-54 and 12-60: no way here, the Elmarit had better micro contrast and a much larger tonality resolution. I ended up to use it on any of my Olympus bodies (mainly for the larger viewfinder in this case).

The 14-150 Elmar is simply the best lens of its type I have ever tried. I still own it for use on the E-M5.

 

The whole 4/3 business was not a success, not only for Leica. I agree, the system that has a lot of sense is the m4/3 one. Smaller bodies and smaller lenses, but like the Summilux 25 f:1,4 of very high quality. I'm waiting for the 15 Summilux now :)

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The 14-150 Elmar is simply the best lens of its type I have ever tried . . . the system that has a lot of sense is the m4/3 one. Smaller bodies and smaller lenses, but like the Summilux 25 f:1,4 of very high quality.
Many people agree with you about both these lenses. It appears that Leica/Panasonic are not going to release a m4/3 version of the Elmar as they did with the Summilux. A shame . . . or maybe a blessing in disguise, since if they did I'd probably have to buy a m4/3 system . . .
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Iow ed the Digilux-3; I quite enjoyed using it. The kit lens was fantastic as far as kit lenses go. I sold my Digilux-3 to fund the purchase of a Canon full frame camera (5Dmk2), which in hindsight was a mistake. The control layout alone makes the camera worth it. Until the release of the Fuji X series, no other camera had that control layout besides the Leica M series. On the flip side, the viewfinder of the Digilux-3 is quite dim.

Incidentally, for a flop camera they rarely pop up for sale on the big auction site. And when they do, they command a ridiculous premium.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Leica made an enterprising decision to join the 4/3 partnership and the R&D experience must have had some positive outcomes including the continuing partnership with Panasonic and resultant PanaLeica cameras and lenses.

 

I wonder how many of you who are now so critical of the Digilux 3 have ever used or handled the camera? I know a number of very satisfied users of both the Digilux 3 and the L1; I have both the L1 and the E-330 and am pleased with each.

 

 

...yes...indeed...leica's decision to join the 4/3rds community (in the form of the digilux3) resulted in the production of some excellent lenses (such as the leica d 25mm summilux) for ps users in the prosumer market...

 

...there are things a digilux3 with a 25mm summilux lens/14-150mm lens can do that can't be replicated by the beloved digilux2; and vice versa of course...

Edited by tomas
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Iow ed the Digilux-3; I quite enjoyed using it. The kit lens was fantastic as far as kit lenses go. I sold my Digilux-3 to fund the purchase of a Canon full frame camera (5Dmk2), which in hindsight was a mistake. The control layout alone makes the camera worth it. Until the release of the Fuji X series, no other camera had that control layout besides the Leica M series. On the flip side, the viewfinder of the Digilux-3 is quite dim.

Incidentally, for a flop camera they rarely pop up for sale on the big auction site. And when they do, they command a ridiculous premium.

 

There's two on ebay right now, and a Panasonic. Looking at 'sold' auctions they go for around £500 with lens, or £250 body only. That does seem high for a relatively old 4/3 camera.

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