Search the Community

I have a Canon 5D which I use most of the time and a G7 to use as a pocket camera. For times when the 5D plus 24-105 lens is too big and I want more fun than the G7 will give, I was thinking of a D2. In fact, I put a $100 non-refundable down payment on a used (excellent ++) D2 from Tamarkin this morning. I am beginning to think I am crazy to pay almost $900 for a four-year-old 5MP camera with an EVF, long (by today's standards) shutter lag, and reported issues with sensor failure. On the other hand, the camera/lens are calling me, and the photo examples I have seen do seem to have a certain look about them. Does such a look really exist with this camera, or does it just seem this way because most who use this camera happen to be goood photographers? If there is such a look, does it come from the lens or from the in-camera image processing? Do the D2 users here tend to use JPEG most of the time?

Wer hat Lust seine 5 besten Bilder aus den Schwestern hier zu präsentieren? Zur Erinnerung an eine Leica wie es sie so nicht wieder geben wird.

Digilux 2

Hallo, ich habe meine Digilux 2 seit 11 Jahren. Ich habe vor einigen Jahren einen no-name Ersatzakku gekauft. Ich habe die letzten Jahre die Kamera selten benutzt - der Akku war schnell leer. Zuletzt lädt der Akku ca. 10 min auf - dann erlischt das grüne Licht beim Ladegerät - wenn ich den Batterie fest hineindrücke - leuchtet das Gerät wieder für eine Minute - und so weiter. Der Akku ist dann nur wenig aufgeladen. Frage: Genügt es einen neuen Akku zu kaufen oder ist das Ladegerät defekt? Kann man das Ladegerät einfach testen? Im Internetversand wird ein Set mit 2 akkus + Ladegerät um ca.40 € angeboten. Ist das empfehlenswert? Danke im Voraus für die Tipps. Imkerjoe

Hi, I suffered from Gear Acquisition Syndrome from 2005 through 2012. After that I never touched a camera for two years. Just wanted to let you know how I recovered. I purchased a Digilux 2. This was after reading through all the threads here. Thank-you all, and to the inomparable D2, for helping me. Over and Out.

Note: I am posting this here (instead of the photo forum) because the actual photo is not that great and the real subject of the post is the D2 low-light capabilities. Last night, after dinner at our favorite pizzeria with the family, I decided to stay around town and take some shots with the D2. While camera's max ISO is 400 – and it's already noisy at 200, in my experience a tripod and a couple of seconds at 100 can give you some pretty good shots. Having said that, I came home pretty dejected (and wanting an M9 with more usable ISOs more than ever) because carrying a tripod around was a real pain and I stood out like a sore thumb. Fortunately, despite the hassle of a tripod and 1sec+ exposures, some of the photos came out pretty darn nice. The following example was taken outside the town's library. It was very dark; with the naked eye, all I could see was the glow of a green LED and a crouched shape outside the lighted library window. Quiet as a mouse - not to draw attention to myself - I set the Digilux 2 on the tripod and zoomed it to 90mm. ISO was set at 100, f/2.4, 2.0 seconds. When I got home and downloaded the photo, I saw that that the crouching figure was someone using the library's free WiFi on their laptop. He never noticed me, probably because he also had headphones on and was pretty engrossed by what he was reading on the laptop. While an M9 with ISO 800 or 1600 would have been great and would have saved me the hassle of a tripod, I think that the D2 low-light performance can be impressive if you give it a second - or 2. Alberto P.S. The much less compressed (3.5MB) original is significantly better than what I uploaded. The green of the foliage and shrubs really stands out, as does the texture of the rocks. But even this 480KB image should convey the D2 low-light performance.

A little over a week ago, the prediction that I would inevitably be drawn to, and buy, a digital Leica M series came true. I found a great M8u for sale locally (from another forum member) and, before I could kiss goodbye to a many hard-earned $s, I was the proud owner of an M8 + a 28mm Summicron. Last Sunday, I went to SF and put it to good use as a street shooter (my newfound favorite and most fun form of photography.) I was very pleased with the results (posted on a thread in the photo forum) and the camera was a blast to use. Following that day of shooting, I gushed about it in the M8 forum on this thread. Today, after using the M8 exclusively for a week, I decided to take out one of my D2s for some local (Palo Alto) street shooting. I was not sure of what to expect; but I had a feeling that - after experiencing the wonderful world of a bonafide range finder, the "poor" "little" D2 with its low-resolution electronic viewfinder would not stand a chance. How wrong I was. Since I was taking street shots, and I always convert them to B&W, I set the D2 to B&W mode and started walking around looking for worthy shots. After a few minutes, my brain/fingers connections were retrained for the D2 controls and I was having a blast. The D2 definitely felt different from the M8, but just that - different. Not worse in any way. All the pleasure of manual controls was there and I stopped thinking about the viewfinder and its lower resolution. I was 'one with the camera' the same way I was with the M8, it became an extension of my eyes (a feeling I never had with DSLRs by the way, nor with the DL4). Unlike my SF outing, I did not have a lot of time to take photos (or as many interesting opportunities as SF offers.) But, I don't think I would have fared any differently if I had the M8 with me. The camera was pretty much out of the equation - I was not thinking much about it. Visualize the shot, pick an aperture and shutter speed and let it do its job. The 28-90mm range of the Vari Summicron came in very handy on more than one occasion -- and I do love the quiet shutter. But how did the photos come out? The shots came out great - I have no qualms about using in-camera jpeg with B&W. Yes, the resolution is lower, and there's a bit more noise but, frankly, for street photography those things are not a big deal IMO. The bottom line is that deciding which camera to take with me on any given occasion is not going to be as straight forward as I thought. I love the M8 and I STILL love the D2. If anything, I appreciate it even more now that I've satisfied my curiosity of what it would be like to use an M8/9. I consider myself fortunate to be able to own both (although the M8 was a self-gift for a milestone birthday - not something I would have purchased casually.) I am not really putting the D2 and the M8 in a competition - this should be clear by now. Since I did not find much in the way of comparisons between these two very different - and yet, very similar cameras on the web, I thought I'd to post my impressions as I gain experience with both cameras. And, at least as far street photography is concerned, I can say with confidence that owners of Digilux 2s definitely don't have to feel like they are missing a lot by not having an M8. I can even imagine some people preferring some of the conveniences of the D2 (such as auto-focus and the 28-90mm range.) Even though I did not succeed in capturing any great moments. I hate to post about photography without sharing a single shot. So below is one from today ... along with a bit of background: On my way back to the office I was passed by a beautiful woman in a red outfit that, with the word "Love" written all over it, looked like an advertisement for the upcoming Valentine's day. Just in case you are wondering, I don't make it a habit of shooting women's backsides , but I could not resist taking this one (notice the word "Love" on her belt.) I am glad I did, because it came out nicely, IMO. Thank you for listening, Alberto "Love"ly Woman - Digilux 2, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/320 (~60% cropped from original.)

Even if D2 has not been extensively popular from its beginning despite the "special and distinctive look" of the photos it produces, does it mean that Leica would not make a big mistake by launching a successor to it? Maybe with a sensor from X1 or even from M8, with a lens "not of this world" as in the original camera, with improved ISO range and with improved noise at higher ISO values going up to 1600? I would not mind its size once again. What do you, folks, think - is Leica thinking of something like that? Would D2n jeopardize X1? Leica, what do you say? Is this just a dream? M8, MP, CL, D2, Dlx2, WATE, MATE, 35Lux Asph, 35Cron, 40Cron, 50LuxAsph, 50Cron, 90Cron, 135TE, 200Telyt, Viso III

Much as we love the D2 -- I will never part with either of mine -- high ISO gets noisy. In the thread Digilux 2 and Low Light, noise reduction was called a last-ditch option, as indeed it is. We are fortunate not to need it too often, with an f2 lens and almost silent, vibrationless shutter, but making pictures can require compromises, so NR is nice to have. But I was astonished to see this ISO 400 picture on the huge distinctive look thread: In response to several posts admiring how clean the photo was, the OP said It might be helpful if we all compared notes on different NR apps or plugins and settings therefor, plus relative advantages of raw v. jpeg and contrast/saturation/sharpness settings in the camera, to deal with high ISO. Apparently we don't yet realize how good the D2 is. Let's find out!

hello again i just returned from vacation and the airline lost my luggage. among other things that were lost was the cable that attaches my Digilux2 to a computer, and also my battery charger. i found a replacement charger on the internet and ordered it, but i cannot find where to by a replacement computer cable. (B&H in new york is closed for the week, so I can't check with them.) any advice would be much appreciated .... the camera is out of production and I am getting seriously worried about this. is the Leica end connection (oposite USB end) a standard connector? is it possible to get a generic cable without melting some electronics? thanks for any help (or hope). daveleo

Hello forum I have just purchased a Digilux 2 and my first results are brilliant. Having read the many threads in this forum I am looking forward to using this camera. I have a few questions and any help will be much appreciated: In the box came a disc - Leica software V3.1, what do I do with this? Are there any know issues that I should be aware of other than wear and tear? What type of memory disc ( not MB) do I need for Raw files or is any reputable make suitable to write the data quickly. Tony

hello this is not a joke.... it's causing me some grief. i've had a dililux-2 for 2+ years and the camera is just great on many respects. my big BIG problem is that every time i point it at someone, the camera becomes the center of attention.... the moment collapses into a discussion about cameras or how much i paid for it etc etc etc..... it is really getting in the way of taking people pictures. so much so that i am now using either my voitlander or my nikon (both small film cameras) and to be honest i am looking at getting a commonly familiar digital camera so the camera becomes less intimidating. this is not my imagination .... the D2 attracts too much attention. the irony of it all. regards daveleo

hi there i think i have this correct, but would appreciate some verification or correction. the D2 has an HDTV aspect ratio format option. my question regards the resolution of a JPG image. the resolution is established by the compression level set by the user, it is NOT effected by the selection of the HDTV aspect ratio. that is.... the "high definition" term doesnt mean better resolution. correct? the HDTV format is a simple masking action..... the image perspective is not effected by this selection (at least i cant see it having an effect). the image is panoramic only in the sense that it is wider than it is tall .... it is not extreme wide angle..... or are my eyes gone bad? correct? the D2 is my main camera on an upcoming trip, but i am bringing 2 film cameras as backup because i understand them a lot better than i understand digital.... so if you can clear this up, it would be appreciated. regards daveleo

I love my D2, but unfortunately I found a problem in Digilux 2 manual focus @ infinity. Basically manual focus @ infinity will not focus on infinity at all. Here is my test: [1] Put camera on tripod, set aperture @ F2, set zoom @ 28 mm, and set focus distance at infinity. I took a picture, and I found both foreground and background are blur, and I don't even know where is the focus. [2] Set focus @ AF, point to infinity, and took second picture when AF indicate light is green. this picture is very sharp, both background and foreground, which is expected. It looks like this problem only occur at bigger aperture (F2, F2.8, F4), when I use F5.6 and F8, manual focus @ infinity seems work fine, I got sharp image. I think this issue will make manual "zone focus" difficult. I am not sure if this happened to me, or someone else also experienced the same issue? thanks a lot!!

Liebe Mitglieder, Ich habe eine Digilux 2 mit einer späten Seriennummer, also zu einer Zeit gebaut, wo es keine Probleme mit dem Sensor geben soll wie bei den früheren Produktionen. Jetzt ist es mir passiert, dass die Camera von Zeit zu Zeit nicht mehr anging, dann aber wieder doch, also soetwas wie ein Wackelkontakt. Wenn sie angeht ist sie voll funktionsfähig, wenn sie nicht angeht passiert gar nichts. Ich habe sie zu Leica eingeschickt und telefonisch erklärt bekommen, die Camera sei nicht mehr reparabel, da die Elektronik kaputt sei und Leica die entsprechende Platine nicht mehr lagert. Auch auf wiederholte Nachfrage wurde mir nicht gesagt, was genau kaputt sei und stattdessen angeboten zu einem ermäßigten Preis eine neue Camera zu kaufen. Meine Frage ist nun, ob jemand jemanden kennt, dem ich die Camera zur Reperatur schicken kann? Der Defekt ist ja an/aus, es müsste sich also um ein relativ grobstoffliches Problem handeln, dass ggf. auch ohne neue Platine repariert werden könnte. Auch würde ich gerne wissen, ob ich anderenfals die Platine von der baugleichen Pannasonic benutzen könnte? Ich bin Geigenbaumeister und war sehr glücklich mit dieser Camera um meine Instrumente abzulichten! Sie war für mich als Laie perfekt und lieferte sehr charmante Photos. Liebe Grüße und vielen Dank für die Hilfe :-)

Hello, this is my first post on the forum. Am currently reading page 81 of 117 pages on this thread so I don't know if this has already been posted. I am actively searching for a D2 and contacted Leica UK the other day asking about free sensor replacement. Was told by Customer Services that; ' up until quite recently, sensor replacement on the Digilux 2 was carried out free of charge, but as of 2013 this is no longer the case ' So there is now a charge and it was suggested that this would be under £200. My apologies if I am posting something you all already knew...

Hi All Not long ago I finally took my Digilux 2 to a Leica store for inspection and repair. I have always suspected the reason why I got dead black screen and couldn't power on was the image sensor (or whatever reason that everyone else had). The shop examined it and reported that they couldn't fix it because Leica no longer produced the parts for Digilux 2. I know it's my fault to have waited this long to try fixing it, but I've always thought Leica would value its machines well enough to at least keep the capability of repairing them. I don't know what to do now. The shop I brought it in was a legit distributor in Taipei. They claimed they have called Germany headquarters and no luck with spare parts. Should I try Leica Germany again? Or Leica US? Or is there any third party Leica-specialist repair shop I can go to? Perhaps use the parts from the Panasonic counterpart of Digilux 2? Sorry for the rambling. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. HC

I have a Digilux 2 on the way, courtesy of EBay, and wondered what others were using for a remote shutter release. I tend to do a lot of night shots and would like to see how the camera handles daytime long exposures with an ND filter. Appreciate any guidance. Christian

Ok, this is a bit out of season, but hopefully no one will mind. I shot this on a backpacking trip in New Hampshire in October. In addition to the amazing ability of the Digilux 2 to capture the image, is the fact that I was bending over with a 40lb pack on my back to shoot this in the early morning light. Thank you for looking. kaethe

I just bought a nice used Digilux 2 and understand that it will only accept up to 2 GB SD cards. I have a standard Sandisk 2 GB card for it, but would like to know if getting either a Sandisk Extreme III or Ultra II is worth the extra cost as far as gaining noticeable performance, upload speed, etc.? I've read 4-5 year old comments/reviews saying Sandisk Extreme II, 2 GB cards work well in Digilux 2's but apparently Extreme II cards aren't made any longer - only "Extreme III". Are the 2 GB Ex. III's and/or Ultra II or III's compatible with the D2 and if so, will I gain any noticeable speed by using them with such an old camera, or should I just keep using the regular 2 GB SD card? (I will seldom, if ever, use the "burst" function). Thanks.

Has this been discussed? A search didn't find anything. The D2 has a great lens; does it have a 'sweet spot' as many lenses do?

I've read a few very interesting pieces on the Digilux, including Andy Piper's excellent Photo.net review, Torsten Overgaard's inspiring article and C. Garrard's more recent and positive "re-review". I'm pretty intrigued by this camera. Accepting the various flaws of the camera (RAW buffer, EVF, ISO noise etc) and that it is by today's standards old tech, how would it be to use it as a completely manual camera akin to how one uses an analog M? I mean I usually don't take photos at a faster rate than 10 secs between them and provided one can live with the EVF I guess it should be fine to use manual focus at all times. The lens seems to be able to produce really nice photos, esp black and white and at 100 ISO. Perhaps I'm completely wrong, but this camera seems like a pretty cool camera to have and use. Cheers Philip

Hi, I just received a digilux 2 in the post today and there is a problem with it. It looks like the sensor needs replacing. Here's an image of the display from the lcd However, I currently can not find a SDSC card at home so have yet to try it with a memory card in. I have already contacted leica via phone about the issue and was told it sounded like the sensor has given up but they also said just to try it with a card just in case. Is someone able to confirm whether this is the sensor from the image shown? I need to contact the seller and may not be able to find/buy a smaller card in the next few days. Thanks. Jack

I have recently purchased a little used D2. It has had its sensor replaced. When turning on and off, or when it is exposed to bright lights, there is a quiet ticking or clicking noise to be heard, coming from the front of the camera. I cannot be more specific than that. Has anybody else had a similar issue and do you know what it is? thanks Robert