D-LUX 4 Owners: Who's Upgrading to the D-LUX 5?

[ho_co]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

James--

Thanks for posting the prices, I guess???

 

I don't think Leica expects to sell as many of the EVFs as Panasonic does.

 

It would be nice to see the cosmetic difference between the two, but I'm sure there's no performance difference.

 

I mean, after all, you wouldn't want to sully a Leica with a finder that says Panasonic, would you?

[girphoto]

Dale Photo shows the Leica EVF for the D-Lux 5 priced at $349.00. Amazon is selling the Panasonic DMW-LVF1, which looks exactly the same, for $124.95. I don't know if there's any difference in the two models, but it is sort of astonishing that the Leica-branded model is way more than twice as expensive.

I did not upgrade to the D-Lux 5, but I did just get one on Tuesday and already shoot two assignments with it (images just great). I did however go to the KEH web site and purchased a like new LVF GF-1 for $126/with case and had it shipped to me at my current assignment.

On this product, why spend more than you have to.

I do understand that there is a GF-2 on the horizon and I will upgrade to it.

 

This is one great little walk around camera and a lot lighter than my Canon Mark III's and my Nikon D700's.

I must say that I like it a little better than my M8, but that is only my opinion.

D-lux 5 photos to follow after I resize them.

[girphoto]

I did not upgrade to the D-Lux 5, but I did just get one on Tuesday and already shoot two assignments with it (images just great). I did however go to the KEH web site and purchased a like new LVF GF-1 for $126/with case and had it shipped to me at my current assignment.

On this product, why spend more than you have to.

I do understand that there is a GF-2 on the horizon and I will upgrade to it.

 

This is one great little walk around camera and a lot lighter than my Canon Mark III's and my Nikon D700's.

I must say that I like it a little better than my M8, but that is only my opinion.

D-lux 5 photos to follow after I resize them.

 

 

These are some of the images with the Dlux 5

 

Early voting in Florida, inside the voting area, my friend Scott fooling around and the crew of Shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[aethelraed]

Jut bought the LX5 and like it, some nice evolutionary improvements make it a much more rounded shooter than its predecessor. I wanted to like its predecessor, the LX3, but all in all, it was to fiddly a camera for me.

Better zoom range, better UI with dedicated iso button, quite faster AF, the 1:1 format and step zoom among the more important improvements. And lastly, the Pana has a really nice grip. To compare prices one might want to include the cost of an after market handgrip to the D-Lux5 price.

High iso seems to be close to one stop better/more useful. Set the auto iso to 800 max, versus 400 with the LX3.

I just ordered the LX5 with the viewfinder. Much as I wanted to upgrade from my D-lux 4 to the D-lux 5, I just could not swing it finanically. I'll miss the Leica jpegs, which are wonderful, but the LX5 with viewfinder was

$550 at Amazon, $250 less than the D-lux 5 without the finder. I'll miss my red dot and, as I said, those jpegs, but I usually work with raw files if I'm going to print anything, so I should be OK in terms of quality. I don't like Silkypix, though, an am hoping I can get the Capture One 4.8.3 that came with the D-lux 4 to process my Panasonic raw files. Anyone have any information on that?

[anderswi]

As I already have Lightroom 3 and PS CS5, I could not see any advantage in buying the D-Lux 5. Instead I went for the LX5, which I think is absolutely up to par with D-Lux5. I already have the D-Lux4 in black and titanium. Comparing the results with a friends LX3, doubleblindtest, I could not see any difference. The red dot does not have any significance to me. For the money I saved, I bought some bottles of Amarone wine, filteradapter,circular polarizer, bag plus other good to have things. The electronic viewfinder was already in my camerabag together with the GF1. Very lowfi I must say. If Leica is charging the price you see on the net, and it is just a rebadged Panasonic, then it is a steal.

[drdannn]

I went for the D Lux 5 because the red dot is my entry fee to let me post on the Leica Forum. The EVF is great and the upgrades from the D Lux 4 are substantial. But as with all Leicas they all become collectible. I am selling my D Lux 4 on ebay right now.

[abowron]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

i am a complete novice, so apologies if this is an embarassing questions but has the longer lens on the D Lux 5 required the filter ring to get larger? - the cost involved in having to re buy a filter adapter and filters, and other extra's, is something i'd have to factor in to the cost of upgrading.

[ho_co]

Welcome to the forum, Ron!

 

Yes, the filter adapter is different. It has a larger diameter than the one for the D-Lux 4.

 

Somewhere on the forum, Pete Farnsworth and Ed Chatlos answered my similar question, concerning the distance the front of the lens protrudes at various focal lengths. At some settings, it does protrude further than the lens of the D-Lux 4 at its maximum.

 

You can check the accessory information at Panasonic's site under the listings for the LX5.

 

 

But maybe you could just buy the adapter tube and a stepdown ring from, what is it, 52 to 49? That would let you mount your current filters on the new model, but they might vignette at the shortest focal length. I haven't seen any information on that, but it's a possibility.

 

Maybe someone else has already tried it and will pop up here with the answer!

[Shade]

Seems like the DLUX 5 delivers well - but apart from the attached LR3, is there ANY HUGE improvements from the DLUX 4 that makes you guys go "Oooh and Ahh"?

 

Just wondering. I had a DLUX 4 before, and changed sold it to fund my M9. But my wife wants a small camera to go along with her for travelling, and I can find preowned DLUX 4 for quite a bargain down here, and the idea of shelling out some dime for a DLUX 5 is quite pricey...

[farnz]

Seems like the DLUX 5 delivers well - but apart from the attached LR3, is there ANY HUGE improvements from the DLUX 4 that makes you guys go "Oooh and Ahh"? ...

Well, yes.

 

Obviously there's 90 mm at the tele end now but higher ISO performance is much better and, for me, the EVF.

 

Pete.

[MPJMP]

I was comparing some short video clips taken with the DL5 to ones I made with the DL4 earlier this year. The overall video quality seems much improved with the DL5, as is the audio quality. It's still mono, but no longer sounds like it was recorded inside a tin can like it did on the DL4. The image stabilization is also a big plus and greatly reduces camera shake and allows me to get very smooth pans as long as I'm not jostling around too much. As expected, I'm not really using my Canon HD camcorder anymore. While DL5 is not quite as good as the dedicated camcorder (it's full HD and stereo sound), the advantage of toting one piece of gear vs. juggling two pieces of gear seems to outweigh the potential benefits.

 

I'm still trying to raise the funds for a used M8, but the reality is that a little camera like this is the perfect family-cam in ways that an M rangefinder might not be. One great capability I've discovered is to take photos and video while out and about, and then when I get back home (or to the hotel room) plug the camera into the analog RCA input of the TV using the included cable. Everyone can immediately enjoy a recap of the day's adventures. I even tried the slideshow feature yesterday after we got back from a visit to a childrens' Christmas event. I added the cheesy built-in musical score just to see what it was like. Guess what, it was a hit! Serious Leica photography? No. A lot of fun and an instant crowd pleaser? Yes!