williamgm Posted June 17, 2013 Share #1 Posted June 17, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I found a mint Digilux 2 at a Leica dealer in the UK, 3 months warranty for £200. I took a chance & bought it, though I have yet to find out if the sensor has been replaced (I've emailed Leica). One thing I cannot do, in spite of downloading the manual, is access the 'Play' menu to format the card - can anyone help with this? I thought I could find my way around camera menus, but this one has me going in circles. I also need to find a lens hood somewhere. Thanks in advance for any help/advice/tips. Geoff 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 17, 2013 Posted June 17, 2013 Hi williamgm, Take a look here My first Leica camera - a Digilux 2!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
elgenper Posted June 17, 2013 Share #2 Posted June 17, 2013 I found a mint Digilux 2 at a Leica dealer in the UK, 3 months warranty for £200. I took a chance & bought it, though I have yet to find out if the sensor has been replaced (I've emailed Leica).One thing I cannot do, in spite of downloading the manual, is access the 'Play' menu to format the card - can anyone help with this? I thought I could find my way around camera menus, but this one has me going in circles. I also need to find a lens hood somewhere. Thanks in advance for any help/advice/tips. Geoff Congratulations! The D2 is still a very attractive alternative to much newer cameras. As for the Play menu, you have to move the lever on top (below the time wheel) to the leftmost (play) position, and then press the Menu button. There it is.... Also, once you get familiar with the camera, don´t forget to choose the four Functions of the four-way switch according to your personal preferences! They give you an easily accessed Custom menu that is very convenient. The hood is probably not altogether easy to find, but well worth the effort! Mine stays on the camera all the time. Good luck with your new friend! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted June 17, 2013 Per, many thanks for your quick reply, I have now formatted the cards. I have yet to hear from Leica regarding the 'status' of my sensor. Obviously, I hope it has already been done, but if not that Leica still offers the sensor replacement as a free service. Fortunately, I think the camera was at a low enough price for me to take a chance on these things, though I do have a short (3 month) warranty. I have read that the camera produces good B&W images - is this by conversion in e.g.. Photoshop, or is there a mono option in the camera menu (I have not yet found one if there is!)? Regards, Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 17, 2013 Share #4 Posted June 17, 2013 Try googling 'Leica digilux 2 manual' and you can download one. Random emails to Leica often go into a black hole, you're best off calling them. I've no idea if they're still honoring to replace sensors for free. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucisPictor Posted June 17, 2013 Share #5 Posted June 17, 2013 Very good price! Congratulations! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share #6 Posted June 17, 2013 James & Carsten, thanks for your replies. I have downloaded the manual & will perhaps try phoning Leica tomorrow (I did send the same email query regarding the sensor to both the UK & German offices). I hope all will be OK - it should be interesting to use alongside my main camera, a new Fuji X100S (which is excellent). Now I just need to find a lens hood......... Regards, Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrethorst Posted June 17, 2013 Share #7 Posted June 17, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Now I just need to find a lens hood......... Panasonic still sells the identical equivalent. You'll also need a cap for the hood, which Pana also still sells. It says Lumix rather than Leica on the front but is otherwise identical. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
symmetron Posted June 18, 2013 Share #8 Posted June 18, 2013 Here's a copy of the D2 manual; English version. Digilux 2 Instructions_en_sm.pdf 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsolomon Posted June 23, 2013 Share #9 Posted June 23, 2013 Great Camera - Enjoy it -- had mine out today ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan d Posted June 24, 2013 Share #10 Posted June 24, 2013 Congratulations! That's a very low price for the D2! I usually don't shoot with the lens hood attached. I think it makes the camera look intimidating because the lens hood is so big. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share #11 Posted June 24, 2013 Thanks for all the comments & advice. I took a few shots with the camera in the shop, before buying it, and the images looked fine; however, a couple of later ones had blue lines running across the frame (near the top) and one has an odd, fine texture over the whole frame, almost like a canvas effect. I contacted Leica Customer Service in Solms & they said it would be best to check it over (they confirmed the camera had never been back for a new sensor). A UPS shipping labels arrived via email & the camera is now at Leica in Germany, so we'll see what they say. The camera was purchased from a Leica dealer and has a 3 month warranty; if it's the sensor, Leica cover it (apparently), if not, then the dealer warranty should cover anything else. So I had my first and only Leica for just over a week....... In the very short time I've had it, I can certainly imagine enjoying using it, when it is returned. In a way, I hope it is the sensor as it's probably a good idea to have it replaced. I don't really want to have to return it again - I'm missing it already! Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted July 4, 2013 Author Share #12 Posted July 4, 2013 Update on my Digilux 2: After a complete check at the Leica factory, the sensor & circuit board are being replaced. The sensor is under the on-going Leica extended warranty, the circuit board is covered by the warranty from the shop. Once completed, I hope the repair gives the camera a few more years of useful life. As other have noted, XX at Leica Customer Services has been extremely helpful throughout the whole process. I'm now looking forward to being reunited with my 'new' Leica and having the opportunity to see what it is capable of. Very impressive service from Leica! Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted July 4, 2013 Share #13 Posted July 4, 2013 That's excellent service from both Leica and your dealer. That Leica are still replacing sensors for free on a older model is impressive. I'm quite surprised that the dealer agreed to bearing the cost of a circuit board - given the price you paid I'd have expected them just to refund you and scrap the camera, as their share is likely to be a lot more than £200! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share #14 Posted July 16, 2013 James, apologies for the delay in replying to your post. I've been abroad and internet access was often not possible. I must admit I was surprised that the circuit board repair was approved under the warranty (though I'm not sure what these cost, I don't expect it is an inexpensive repair). As you say, impressive service from Leica - not only did they replace the sensor, but they also handled the warranty repair direct with the dealer. They also found me a lens hood, which was an unexpected bonus. The camera is now on it's way back to me (should arrive tomorrow), so I will finally have an opportunity to see what it is capable of. Hopefully, with both the sensor & circuit board replaced it will last for quite a while. Regards, Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share #15 Posted July 19, 2013 My Digilux 2 was returned on Wednesday, following sensor & circuit board replacements & a general check & calibration. Fortunately, the work was covered by either the Leica or shop warranty, and I now have a further one year factory warranty on the work done, plus a two year parts warranty. I cannot think of any other camera manufacturer who would provide this level of support on such 'old' equipment. I have yet to try the camera out properly, but the attached snap in a local shop (when my wife & I were trying out shoes!) does, I think, show something of the special Leica image qualities. I'm looking forward to using the camera over coming years, alongside my much newer (and excellent) Fuji X100S, which I just used on a 3 week trip to Japan. Sadly, the Leica was in Germany for repair, otherwise I'd have taken that as well. Nice to be a Leica-owning member of this forum at last, if only in a very modest way (for now!) Geoff 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! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/207047-my-first-leica-camera-a-digilux-2/?do=findComment&comment=2378280'>More sharing options...
bill Posted July 19, 2013 Share #16 Posted July 19, 2013 Nothing modest about a Digilux 2 Regards, Bill Sent from another Galaxy Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share #17 Posted July 19, 2013 Agreed, I should have said modest from a financial point of view, when compared with much of the equipment mentioned in this forum. By the way, while in Japan I took the opportunity to buy a few 2Gb SD cards - Panasonic, Sony, Fuji, Toshiba & other makes seem to be quite easily available there, whereas the choice is a little more limited here (as far as I can see) - mainly Sandisk. Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted July 19, 2013 Share #18 Posted July 19, 2013 Good call. Are you shooting raw? I have to say I don't bother these days; I enjoy the challenge of getting the jpgs right - they reward the effort. Regards, Bill Sent from another Galaxy Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share #19 Posted July 19, 2013 Bill, I only purchased the camera about five weeks ago (from a UK Leica dealer) and, apart from the first week, the camera has been in Germany & I have been in Japan. Therefore, opportunities for trying the camera in raw or jpeg mode have been rather limited. I have, however, read many posts on this forum that advise avoiding raw (due to slow write speeds) & to stay with the excellent out-of-camera jpegs.I usually shoot raw on other cameras (including my new Fuji X100S) as I like to have them to work on, if necessary, but so far with the Digilux I have it set for jpeg only. Actually, one of the reasons I looked for SD cards in Japan was to see if I could find any with better write speeds, as I might shoot a few raw images from time to time (maybe with potentially 'tricky' subjects) & it would be nice if they wrote reasonably quickly. The image attached in my earlier post is a jpeg, modified slightly with a Photoshop action that Thorsten Overgaard kindly sent me a while ago - it makes various adjustments to the image and is based on one he uses when submitting images from the Digilux 2 to Getty. I also altered the white balance slightly, as it was shot under fluorescent lighting. Regards, Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted July 19, 2013 Share #20 Posted July 19, 2013 Sounds like you are on the right track, Geoff. Thorsten's experience with the camera and his willingness to share is a real asset. Have fun with it, and post more! Regards, Bill Sent from another Galaxy Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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