C-Lux 1

[Conforto]

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Hi guys,

 

I’ve just registered at the forum, and have always been a fan of Leica cameras. Right now, I’m willing to buy the C-LUX 1 since I’m just an amateur photographer. I’d like to know the pros and cons of the camera, as well as the picture quality.

 

Regards,

 

Bruno

[brucemcl]

Do a search for clux on this board. You will find some interesting threads including this one:

http://www.leica-camera-user.com/showthread.php?t=1257

[burkey]

Bruno - I think you will find that the CLUX is a very useable camera with some intersting quirks that many of us are working through right now. As Bruce has suggested you should serach around a bit on the forum and I'm sure you'll find some interesting reading about this cool little camera. The thread Bruce mentioned I'm sure you will find pretty informative. Good luck.

. . . David

[jon_streeter]

I've had my C-Lux 1 since May of this year. I bought my wife a Canon SD630, a small point-and-shoot digital that gives the C-Lux 1 a real run for the money. The Canon image has less noise. It has a meter that can be set to three different modes. It has built-in panorama software that allows the user to stitch together images while shooting. Videos can be edited in the camera. Its autofocus is faster in some respects than the C-Lux 1, particularly in flash mode. The display is larger. Slide shows can be set to various methods of changing from one image to the next, such as a wipe or a pattern.

 

What the Canon does not have is a 28-mm equivalent zoom setting, 1600 ISO, and image stabilization, or the ability to quickly (as in "quickly") set the exposure to up to 2 stops higher or lower.

 

The noise issue: It is indeed an issue. However, just to see what it would look like, I printed a 13 X 19 of a shot of my wife comforting our little girl during an episode of illness that developed during the middle of the night, a very tender moment I caught on "film" simply because the C-Lux 1 was so easy to drop into the pocket of my bathrobe. Because it was dark and because it was shot at 1600, the image is far from sharp, no really fine detail such as eyelashes or individual hairs. But, operating on the plan of using disadvantages as advantages, the resulting print can be compared to a watercolor. It's a bit like an impressionist painting. I was pleased. And at ISO 80, it makes great 4 X 6 prints, excellent postcards.

 

And I've only begun to experiment with any of the "scene" settings other than "food" and "high sens."

 

The real charm of the camera is that you always have it with you. And as we all know, a C-Lux 1 in the hand is worth two Deardorffs in the closet.

 

Get one. You'll have a blast.

[jon_streeter]

One final thought. Even if you're just beginning and you eventually buy a larger more capable camera, you'll still be glad you have the tiny C-Lux 1 that you'll take with you when you're just not up to toting around even so small a camera as the M8 is likely to be.

[Conforto]

Thank you all for your replies regarding the C-Lux 1.

 

Bruce and David, the thread you indicated came in a good hand. I am aware now, though just a little bit, about the gripes of the CL1.

 

Jon, sharing with us the experience you had taking the photo in the dark was good as well. Right now, I am pretty sure that the camera is very good for point and shot.

 

However, I'm in doubt now, either I buy the CL1 or the D-Lux 2.

 

Regards.

[brucemcl]

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The real charm of the camera is that you always have it with you. And as we all know, a C-Lux 1 in the hand is worth two Deardorffs in the closet..

Agreed, and thanks Jon for the comments on your new small Canon camera. I have a couple of friends who bought the Canon 700IS, partly at my recommendation. I do like the image quality I see from that little Canon, but I wouldn't trade my FX01 for it, mostly because of the wide angle on my camera.

 

Bruno, good luck on your purchase, I think there is a lot of enjoyment to be had from either camera.

[Mark Lee]

Hello, I'm a new member of the Forum and followed this thread with much interest. I am trying to figure out whether a) to get a C-Lux 1 over a Panasonic FX01 - here in the UK, the difference in cost is sterling 350 versus sterling 210 for the FXO1, at an exchange rate of 1 sterling = $1.8! Badging and Photoshop Elements apart, does it warrant the extra cost? whether to get a Canon Ixus 800 IS (in the US, it's called the Powershot SD700IS, I believe).

 

I also read that the Panasonic LX1, which is the twin of the D-Lux 2, is soon (in September) to be superseded by a LX2, and wonder if the same might happen soon to the FX01 (and therefore, at some stage in the not too distant future, to the C-Lux 1).

 

I'd much appreciate any comments and advice others have.

 

Mark

[burkey]

Hi Mark - welcome to the forum. I'm sure you'll find a wealth of information here as do I. 'Ya know. . . the question you pose is a valid one and a topic that's had much discussion here with various Pana-Leica cameras with different branding. My own answer would be more emotion based than maybe factual - I'm a real Leica fan so for me it's always the Leica version. I could argue the warranty "thing" to favor Leica but even without such I'd probably still buy the red dot version. Silly maybe, but it's just a passion for Leica, even when they partner. Anyway, welcome to the forum and good luck.

[jonathangraham]

@Mark - Welcome to to the forum. If you want small size and easy to use, the clux-1 is quite good (exactly as good as the Pana equivalent). Compared to the Digilux 2, well there is no comparison.

 

I have switched from the Leica small digitals to the Ricoh GRD as a carry everywhere camera. It has a suberb fixed 28mm lens, big optical finder and built like a tank. Since I switched, my wife observed my digital pics have improved (she didn't know I changed cameras). It is worth a look, a very close look.

[steve_l]

Panasonic announced two new cameras today that replace the FX01 (pana version of C-Lux 1). FX07 and another one with bigger display.

 

They sound really interesting and actually better than what they replace in a number of ways..check them out at DPReview or wherever

[Mark Lee]

Thanks, Burkey and Jonathan, for both your comments and advice. Now that the successors to the FXO1 and LX1 have just been announced today, I think I'll wait to see if Leica (as i would expect) will announce their own versions - and when they will be available and at what cost!

 

I am wondering whether, on balance, if I should just stick with my existing Ixus 400 and get myself an LX2 or Leica equivalent when that appears. Then I'll still have a compact, but the advantage of a 28mm digicam with all the other controls.

 

Mark

[binaryman]

Great the successor of the FX01 has been announced... But the FX01 itself was only released earlier this year and the Leica equivalent also. So now we have these new models in July this year. I was just about to buy a C-Lux1. Now I am in a quandry. If I buy the new model now then possibly in another 5 - 6 months time there will be the successor to that model again. In my opinion they bring out too many new models too quickly after each other forcing you to update and buy a new model every 6 months.

[rvaubel]

I have the LX1 (my companion to RD1). It would be perfect if it only was useful at 800 ISO. I realize thats a tall order but I would be willing to accept fewer megapixels for bigger megapixels and thus lower noise. But today I see that Panasonic has come out with the LX2 with 10 MP !!

Hay Pani, your going the wrong way! Are their really any idiots that want 10 MB resolution in a point n' shoot! What are they going to do, make 24" X 36" prints of Aunt Tilly standing in front of the Eiffel tower?

 

O Lord, spare us any more megapixels and grace us less noise

 

Rex

[MTM]

I recently bought a C-Lux 1 and am very happy with it overall. It's a beautiful little camera (amazingly small) and performs very well. My only complaint in fact, is not with the product but with the lack of an included case. For a camera that costs that much and has a huge, easily scratched view screen, it seems nearly criminal for Leica not to include a case. I have to admit that my respect for Leica has lessened.

[stuny]

Conforto -

 

Welcome to the Forum. We recently bought the FX01 for underwater photography in Panasonic's enclosure, with an underwater strobe attached. We wanted to change the underwater rig to digital (we finally went all digital for land photos), so that we could save weight and space (50-100 rolls of film) in our carry-on only luggage. The first time we used the camera for more than just a few test shots was last Saturday. It is possible to get good results with the camera as you can see in my posting in the Nature & Wildlife section of the Forum called "Liz - 5 Images". Also, have a look at the last few pictures on our 3rd New York page in our site (http://www.barbara-and-stu.com). I did some post shooting processing in the computer. This included on some images adjusting the exposure, on some cropping, on some rotating a degree or two to set the horizon level, and after reducing file size for the Internet, applying some sharpening. I find that the camera over exposes a bit and have set the exposure compensation either to 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop underexposed (easy to do on this camera). My only reservation is that it is difficult to see the image on the LCD screen in bright sunlight -- I guessed at the two external shots on our site and then slightly cropped in the computer. There is a setting to increase the brightness of the LCD display, but I was too rushed with both shots to try it.

 

It's a good camera, it requires knowing what you can and can't do with it, and it requires you to work around its limitations. But I think you'll agree that you can get very good results with it.