Anyone tempted by D-Lux 6?

[NZDavid]

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D-Lux 5 is going fine and the D-Lux 6 doesn't offer any huge advantages for me, but I'd consider it if the 5 went on the blink and I'd also recommend it for someone wanting a high-quality versatile go-anywhere compact. Especially for travel. Faster lens and aperture ring for manual control look good, although IMO manual controls of M and X are much better. But I don't know if the faster lens will make much of a difference with portraits as far as bokeh is concerned (virtually impossible with small sensor cameras anyway). OTOH, wide depth of field even at large apertures can be useful.

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[marknorton]

A quick check shows the D-Lux 6 costs £600 while the Panasonic DMC-LX7 on which it is based is available for £359. Hard to justify the price difference for a P&S.

[NZDavid]

Yes, the difference is hard to fathom. I was wondering more about the difference between D-Lux 6 and D-Lux 5 (or the old and new Lumix models) and whether they would sway anybody?

[marknorton]

The lens is interesting - 11 elements, 5 of them Aspherical, 9 Aspherical surfaces. When you consider what a song and dance Leica make about including a single aspherical surface in a £5400 lens, you have to think Panasonic has got their production of these lenses sorted out.

 

As an aside, I have a Lumix MFT G1 in bits at the moment, replacing or at least repairing damage caused by the built in Li-Ion clock battery after the camera got soaked in a rainstorm - fortunately, only fresh water and the only electrolytic action is from this battery. Leaving aside the fact that the camera should ideally not have leaked, I'm reminded what masters of miniaturisation the Japanese are; the camera is far more tightly packed than an M8 for example.

 

Back on topic, I can't see anyone slavishly following a D-Lux upgrade path. Isn't a P&S really an appliance which you use until it fails and then you find the repair cost is more than the camera is then worth - assuming it can be repaired at all - and buy a new one? It's good that Leica are rebadging cameras which target enthusiastic photographers but the concept of a different casing and a red dot at nearly double the price is a deal breaker for me, irrespective of what else they may bundle in with it in terms of software and warranty.

[stuny]

David -

 

I bought a very lightly used D-Lux-5 with "hand grip" and EVF on eBay about three months ago (I mostly love it) and would only consider the "6" if I didn't have the "5", or as Mark suggests, the "5" dies.

[Anouk]

I would love to get my hands on the D-Lux 6, but I still have a perfectly working 4th version and can't justify the investment. And I must say, even though it's a "simple p&s", I still use it practically every day, much more than my other three compact Leica's ( even though the D2, X1 and V-Lux 1 each serve their purpose).

For anyone who doesn't have a D-Lux (whatever version) yet and is considering a small, but powerfull p&s, the new DL6 would be a very good choice!

[MarkP]

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I would love to get my hands on the D-Lux 6, but I still have a perfectly working 4th version and can't justify the investment. And I must say, even though it's a "simple p&s", I still use it practically every day, much more than my other three compact Leica's ( even though the D2, X1 and V-Lux 1 each serve their purpose).

For anyone who doesn't have a D-Lux (whatever version) yet and is considering a small, but powerfull p&s, the new DL6 would be a very good choice!

 

I also still have a D-Lux 4 which works perfectly well as my P&S. If it died I'd have no hesitation replacing it with a D-Lux 6.

[gshay]

In 2010 when the D LUX 5 came out, I read the comments about it being a clone of the Panasonic. I purchased both from B&H. Shot them side by side and asked opinions, ( women always have a better eye, right !)

 

With the pictures from both in the Mac, I could see a difference and so could others

that viewed them side by side, without them knowing which was which.

 

I gave the Panasonic away and am thrilled with the DL 5. If it dies I would purchase the DL 6 in a minute. Still have my other `M' models up to the M9. But with the DL 5

I no longer must stop and change out lens when `that moment' arises.

And no more pockets full of lens, etc. The options to change the color settings in the DL 5 are very nice. Sold on this little P&S, IMHO.

 

George

[iedei]

i'm still happy with my D-Lux 3 (!!!) which i've been using for 4+ years as a pocket P&S....it takes fantastic photos, and is so easy to shoot with that I couldn't ask for much more in such a compact package.

 

That being said.....the D-Lux 6 looks amazing. F1.4 sounds perfect....and would love to upgrade at some point.

 

The only problem stopping me would be that a 'used' X1 comes in at under $1k these days....i am not sure i could choose an $800 D-Lux 6 over a $1k used X1.

[NZDavid]

I've always thought a combo of the X1/X2 and D-Lux would be good -- even a D-Lux with the X's simple controls.

[spylaw4]

I have a feeling I will get the 6 when it arrives to supplement my X2 for those (very) occasional moments when something wider/longer is the right thing to use rather than ones feet.

Having had a good look at Photokina and later, I am impressed by the 1.4 lens, the quality of the rear screen, the new EVF, and the ability to manually set the aperture (even though it is over-ridden by the zoom action). I fully expect the image quality to be as good as the previous models or even better.

[ajthornbury]

I bought a DL5 with EVF a month back, whilst hearing that a DL6 was due out. But I really wanted some thing instead of my V lux 20. I was fed up not seeing what I was taking with the rear screen in daylight. Also I didn't get on with the long zoom.

I decided not to wait for DL6 and am happy with the DL5 it does all I want. Seems to be good at high ISO as well. Don't think I would have got much more from the DL6.

[NZDavid]

Liveview is useful but pretty hopeless in bright light. I use a 24mm accessory OVF which is nice and clear. I just have to remember I can't use it when zooming.

[pop]

Liveview is useful but pretty hopeless in bright light. I use a 24mm accessory OVF which is nice and clear. I just have to remember I can't use it when zooming.

 

You mean Liveview on the screen, don't you? I found Liveview in an electronic viewfinder quite useful even in the D2, considering the low spatial and temporal resolution those used to have.

[NZDavid]

Yes of course, accessory EVF would be useful, but the simple clarity of the OVF is handy. I like the grid pattern on the screen, which helps with composition -- when you can see it.

[richfx]

I bought a new Panasonic LX-7 a couple of weeks ago but returned it because Apple has not yet created a RAW conversion profile for it or the D-Lux 6 in Aperture. When they do, I'll uprade from my LX-5 for the f 2.0 lens and aperture ring.

Rich

[wda]

I rarely upgrade unless there is a compelling need. Hence my X1 and D-Lux5 will continue to be useful companions. I have mixed feelings about the EVF on the latter; it is useful outdoors in bright light, but indoors I find the image lag a little unsettling when moving the camera for final framing. But I can live with that foible.

[peterb]

I let my son use an LX-3 three years ago and I never saw it again. (He moved from the U.S. to Belgium in fact!) So I'm looking forward to the D-Lux 6 (even over the Lumix LX 7 variant) for several reasons:

 

1. The zoom is superb. f1.4 on a compact camera? Unheard of. And having the equiv. of 24mm to 90mm is nothing short of fantastic.

2. The images are superb...well from what I saw in Digital Camera Resource Page's review of it. (They seem to have teamed up Dpreview.) Interestingly enough, I set up two browser tabs: one for the LX 7 review and one for the review of Sony's RX100. Call me crazy but I swear the LX 7 was sharper in the lower ISO's than the highly vaunted and doubly pixeled RX100 as evidenced by the sharpness of the vertical lines you can see on the label of the wine bottle. Enlargements to 12 x 18 will no doubt be possible. Certainly enough for my needs. (My other camera is Sigma's DP2 M so if I really need to print large I have that. This simply beats having to tote around a large DSLR or even an MFt kit with a decent zoom when I just need to grab and go.

3. I LOVE the idea of an optional EVF for precise viewing. I first embraced it in the Digilux 2 and later saw how it has nicely evolved in the Lumix G1. So it's good enough for me.

4. I LOVE the fact that no matter which aspect angle you choose there's no losing out on sensors.

5. I LOVE the 1/3 stop detents on the aperture dial. And that the thing has an aperture dial in the first place.

6. I LOVE the grip which will give a tiny camera a slightly larger feel yet still feels unobtrusively compact. A good walk about camera for general milling about when you don't want to be seen as having a camera in tow. To me it's a lot better than the well designed bump on the LX 7. Plus having the fast f1.4-2.3 24-90mm zoom really insures that most bases are covered. (This, by the way, is the key feature that sent me toward Leica and away from Lumix.)

7. I love the fact that noise is totally controlled to ISO 400 and with some minor PP in RAW easily controlling it well to ISO 1600 with a film-like quality especially in BW.

8. I LOVE the fact that AF is snappy and that low light shooting for nighttime grab shots (again with the help of the fast lens) are not out of the question.

 

Yeah...I'm on board with this one.

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[NZDavid]

I haven't found any D-Lux 6 pics so far but did find these taken with the LX 7: The World's Best Photos of lx7 and panasonic - Flickr Hive Mind

[Clickie McPete]

I have one on preorder from B&H...I have a D-lux 4 and have enjoyed it for several years. On this new model though I'm looking forward to the 1.4, ND switch, closer macro and manual aperture ring.