D-Lux 3 Good Companion for Digilux 2?

[richam]

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I have the Digilux 2 and am quite happy with it, except for the 3 months it was in Solms for a new sensor. I'm thinking of a small size companion/backup and have been looking at the D-Lux 3. I want a reasonably small camera that I can take along when I don't want to lug the D2 around and to backup the D2 in case of failure. Additionally, the DL3 has the 28mm (35 equivalent) widest zoom plus some manual focus and exposure options not normally found on P&S cameras. Also, it has ISO settings up to 1600, and aperture as wide as f2.8, according to the brochure. I did a search for the two cameras and got some indication that the DL3 has some image quality problems. So my questions are:

 

Normal image quality. Just how bad is the normal (e.g. 100-200) ISO image quality compared to the D2? Any comparisons?

 

Available light image quality. Can one get decent available light shots with the ISO 1600 setting? At f2.8, how do they compare with the D2 at the same EV (e.g. ISO 400, -1 EV at f2)?

 

I like the black model, but don't want to burn my fingers in sunlight as I did with my D1 some time ago. Has anyone used the DL3 in sunlight? Does it get as hot as the smooth black finish on the D1?

 

Thanks in advance.

[stunsworth]

Michael, I have the Panasonic equivalent the LX-2. I don't have a D2, so I can't compare the two.

 

The Lx-2 is very good indeed for a compact p&s. High ISOs are pretty poor, as usual with this class of camera, but ISO 100/200 are excellent.

 

I don't like the lack of a 'real' viewfinder. I'm not comfortable using the screen to compose the image, but that's probably just me. I bought mine mainly as a back up camera and thought playing with the 16:9 mode would be interesting, which it has.

[audidudi]

Normal image quality. Just how bad is the normal (e.g. 100-200) ISO image quality compared to the D2? Any comparisons?

Expect more noise than a D2 (and more still than a D3) but there are ways to work around this in post-processing if it's problematic. For most outdoors shots, I haven't found it to be a problem with my LX1 (basically the same camera, save for a different noise reduction engine and LCD size, etc.) nor did I see much difference in either the amount of noise or its characteristics when I compared my camera to a friend's DL3. (In fact, the performance of these two cameras is so similar, I decided there was no need to upgrade mine for the newer version.)

Available light image quality. Can one get decent available light shots with the ISO 1600 setting? At f2.8, how do they compare with the D2 at the same EV (e.g. ISO 400, -1 EV at f2)?

IMO, ISO400 on the LX1 is bad enough and ISO1600 on the LX2/DL3 exists solely for marketing purposes or capturing only once-in-a-lifetime images (Bigfoot, Loch Ness monster, space aliens, etc.) when no other camera is available. Don't expect to use it on a regular basis.

 

I like the black model, but don't want to burn my fingers in sunlight as I did with my D1 some time ago. Has anyone used the DL3 in sunlight? Does it get as hot as the smooth black finish on the D1?

I live in Arizona, where we have plenty of sun, and I have never noticed any problem with my LX1 nor has my friend ever commented upon this with his DL3. Mine usually lives in my briefcase but when I carry it around, I use the black leather case Leica offered for the DL2 and have never noticed it getting excessively warm. However, my chrome CL1 has gotten too hot to handle a few times...

[richam]

Steve, Thanks for the observations. FWIW, the D2 has an EVF finder that I hardly ever use. Just don't like the size, distorted colors, poor resolution, and view lag. At least I got used to using the D2 LCD instead, so operating the DL3 should not astound me.

 

Jeffrey, Good information. I'll be keeping both cameras at as low ISO settings as I can just to ensure image quality. And I'll be keeping an M and Summilux for available low light situations. Also good news about the black finish. The D1 has a shiny black "paint like" finish that apparently doesn't dissipate heat well. I had a very difficult time with it during the summer in Southern Turkey. The DL3 appears to have more of a matte finish that theoretically should dissipate better. I'll bet the chrome CL1 has a smooth finish.

[lesh]

I have the LC1 and D-Lux 3 combination and, the latter is imho, a great shirt pocket camera.

It is let down however by not having a viewfinder. In very bright sunlight, sods law always results in the sun is being at an angle where the screen is washed out (even at the bright resolution).

It would be almost perfect if there was a viewfinder, and it's a pity that you can't even adjust the screen angle.