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Dlux6 vs LX7 Don't laugh


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And the response from Leica to their devoted customer of 40 years in support of the Leica D-Lux 6 not being a cloned Panasonic says ??????????. Or can't they be bothered ? That's not very high end customer service is it. They must at least come back with a completely honest answer in line with checking these things up with mystery shoppers surely ? Come put us out of our misery

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Quite a debate going on here, and I'm trying to decide which one. DLUX 6 at B&H is $799 and Panasonic LX7 is $403. At Amazon it's $783 vs $369 (prices have been going up for LX7. I'm exclusively a RAW shooter - Lightroom 5 is a plus since Photoshop and ACR went to a cloud server with subscription. FWIW I have the DLUX 5, but would like the fast lens of the 6 version. I've read every one of these threads and still can't decide.

 

FWIW I've ruled out Sony RX100ii (lens gets too slow real fast) and Fuji and m 4/3 (fast lenses in m 4/3 sends the price tag up there real fast). I'm going to use whatever I get for ethnographic photography in Guatemala and the equipment will have to be small and discrete.

 

Years ago I did this type of travel with two cameras - Nikon FE2 and FM2n with small fast primes. This time my small camera kit will be the DLUX 5 and DLUX 6/LX7.

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

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Guest badbob
Quite a debate going on here, and I'm trying to decide which one. DLUX 6 at B&H is $799 and Panasonic LX7 is $403...

 

Unless you simply want Leica, or need the free Lightroom, paying double wouldn't make much sense. In my case, I bought a M Monochrom and Noctilux this week, so the $1200 I spent on a fashion version of the D-Lux6 seems trivial now. But in any other person's case they've committed their own large sums to any number of things, and the $400 difference between the D-Lux6 and LX7 is still very important. The LX7 I had 3 or 4 months ago seemed like it had the same lens as the D-Lux6 - I wish now I had some good uncropped test shots from it to compare. But the LX7 camera body seemed cheap - like stamped out sheet metal you'd make in high school metal shop, then coat with enamel paint.

 

So I can't compare the LX7 and D-Lux6 side by side, but I have the $500 Panasonic LF1 now, and it looks and feels *really* cheap next to the D-Lux6.

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But the LX7 camera body seemed cheap - like stamped out sheet metal you'd make in high school metal shop, then coat with enamel paint.

 

So I can't compare the LX7 and D-Lux6 side by side, but I have the $500 Panasonic LF1 now, and it looks and feels *really* cheap next to the D-Lux6.

 

Thanks for responding. That's pretty much my experience comparing my DLUX 5 with a friend's LX5. And that's a good headsup on the LF1 - I had considered it, but the lens gets too slow as one zooms. I have some time, but will probably go with the DLUX 6.

 

Gene

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Guest badbob
I have a Dlux5 and the LX5 and I use both on a daily basis. I see zero difference in build quality between the two. Ernst

 

I remember being very favorably impressed with the build quality and finish of my LX3, but not so much with the LX7. It would be interesting if someone could take a close look at the LX7 side by side with either the LX5 or LX3.

 

Even if the 5/3 were better in that respect than the 7, I would still choose the LX7 on the basis of its lens.

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I will take my DLux-6 with me this holiday, and leave the M9-P/Summilux Asph at home. It is that good. The Panny is for the Mrs., it fits well in her handbag. The bright color makes it a little easier for her to find it back. (And it survived this treatment already for some time). There are obviously different views on quality, thus different opinions.

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I did this exercise earlier in the year and came down in favour of the D-Lux 6. First and foremost it is a better looking camera and is likely to give more satisfaction purely as an object of desire. I agree that the LX-7 is the same camera behind the façade and you are not going to get better results, but the experience of ownership is likely to be more rewarding.

 

1) You get a better after-sales service, including Leica Passport which, as far as I know, is still offered for *two* years on the D-Lux here in the UK. So catastrophic damage is covered.

2) The resale value will be greater, thus narrowing the gap with the fast-depreciating Panny. Just bear in mind the venerable Digilux 2 from 2004: It still sells for £600 despite being so old. From what I see, older D-Lux models still sell for the same price as a new LX-7.

3) Free Lightroom is a factor but was not a great influencer for me because I already had it.

4) As someone else pointed out, the D-Lux takes a Leica grip and this is worth bearing in mind.

 

After all this, there isn't a lot in it on price yet the D-Lux 6 is definitely the more desirable camera that will always resell well on commission through a Leica dealer.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hi guys,

 

I am planning to buy a Dlux 6, but considering the price different, I look at the Pana LX7, too. I now they are the same camera, but does the Leica branded one produce any difference in terms of color reproduction, etc...?

 

FWIW, I have the DLUX 5. I needed a second body as backup for long distance overland travel to Central America. This time, after much anguish and debate, I went with the LX7. I shoot exclusively in RAW so the jpeg engine wasn't of much importance, I already have PS6 so don't need Lightroom. I wanted to go with the DLUX 6, but at B&H it was $799 vs. $348 for the LX7. In the end I just couldn't see paying $450 more - there may have been advantages to the Leica, but not $450 worth.

 

So now I have a light-weight two camera travel kit for ethnographic photography in Guatemala (mainly indigenous Mayan fiestas). In the "old days" I did this with film - Nikon FE2 and FM2n and 3 primes. Digital Nikons SLRS have grown exponentially in size - they actually became painful to backpack/bus/hike with. The DLUX5 and LX7 will be my new kit.

 

I read every thread in this topic - and did not decide until a few minutes ago!

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So now I have a light-weight two camera travel kit for ethnographic photography in Guatemala (mainly indigenous Mayan fiestas). In the "old days" I did this with film - Nikon FE2 and FM2n and 3 primes. Digital Nikons SLRS have grown exponentially in size - they actually became painful to backpack/bus/hike with. The DLUX5 and LX7 will be my new kit.

 

I think your choice was well considered and wise - good luck with your photo adventures.

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