Digilux 3

[Rosebud55]

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I have just come across a second hand digilux 3 for sale locally. Is it worth buying?

 

Thanks

[jrethorst]

It's a nice camera in a number of ways, but two things to keep in mind: it's an older model with a 4/3 sensor with 7.5 megapixels. Current 4/3 sensors often have 16mp or more. A megapixel race or contest is pointless, but with 7.5 you might not want to enlarge a shot to greater than 18 x 24 inches, and if you crop part of a shot the enlargement limit for that is similarly less than you might want.

 

The other issue is that in order to make an SLR within the rectangular body and thus keep the classic Leica shape, a porro prism was used, a design with one more mirror than usual. Each mirror in a light path cuts light by about 50%, so the view thru the Digilux 3 prism is darker than that of most SLRs. You would want to use the camera a little to see if that's bothersome.

 

A nice point about the camera is the available lenses. There's a wide range of 4/3 mount glass made by Leica/Panasonic, Panasonic, Olympus and others. If I ever get a 4/3 camera I'll add Leica/Panasonic's 25mm (50mm equivalent at 35mm) 1.4 prime, and the 14-150 (28-300) zoom. One or both of those may no longer be in production but I'd think they could be found. Both were well-reviewed and have the particular Leica lens signature (or "light" or "glow") we're all so fond of.

[earleygallery]

I guess it partly depends on the price it's being offered at and why you need it, or what other options you could consider.

 

I wouldn't buy it because if it develops a fault it's likely to be uneconomical to repair, you will be buying lenses for a 'dead' system so if your camera failed you would have to buy another older used example to keep using the lenses and most likely for the same money you can buy a much more capable micro 4/3rds or APS-C system camera which also offers you a future 'upgrade' path.

[Rosebud55]

Thanks. Decided not to purchase.

[jhluxton]

Thanks. Decided not to purchase.

 

You have probably made a good decision.

 

I ended up buying my Digilux 3 when my Leica Digilux 2 suffered sensor failure. Leica offered a free repair on the D2 or a chance to buy a new D3 for half the advertised price which appeared a good deal.

 

However, it was a camera I didn't enjoy using and it ended up lurking in the cupboard quite a lot unlike the Digilux 2 or even the Digilux 1 or the V-Lux / V-Lux 3 which I subsequently acquired.

 

I had a great difficulty with keeping my horizons horizontal - the balance appeared wrong - something I had never experienced before or since. The bulky lens which was mounted off centre appeared to be the cause.

 

I finally disposed of it in October trading it in for a new M262 at Leicastore Manchester where was I was given £200. This appeared a fair deal as I had only paid £800 for it in 2007/8.

 

However, when I went back to the shop one week later to buy an additional lens for the M they told me that they had sold it quickly.

 

The Digilux 3 would probably have been better if it had been sold with a standard non zoom lens with a zoom as an optional extra. i know a separate fixed focal length lens lens became available later but it just didn't appear to be a worthwhile buy.

 

John

 

John

Edited December 13, 2016 by jhluxton

[war]

I love my Digilux 3.  It was my first venture into digital. The change from film to digital was traumatic for me so I wanted  the closest thing I could come to SLR. All the controls are where they are on my SLR's, the viewfinder is large and bright and the lens range 28-100 (35mm equivalent) is a great piece of glass. I've added only a 140-600 for good long distance results.   The camera made my transition easier. I'm sorry the Leica has left us hanging out here for the reasons stated by others above, but until such time as it fails me I'm a believer. 

[earleygallery]

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If it works for you that's great and you were offered a good deal at the time, but this was about someone buying into the Digilux 3 now which is a completely different matter.

[war]

I do agree.

[Peter Waddell]

Can you suggest an adaptor ring to I can use my lumix 4/3 lenses on my Digilux 3?    Thanks

[jaapv]

Olympus MMF 3. 4/3 lens on  MFT. But not the other way around. The register distance won’t fit. 

[tommyleicaR4M5]

Just got a Digilux 3 and Lumix/Leica D Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH and pretty happy to be back in the "red dot" club. As my user name reveals, I formerly had and loved an R4 and M5, and more recently an M8 (got in 2020, sold in 2021). I'm a freelance wedding shooter for a studio (25-35 shoots/yr), 8 years running now, mostly second shooter/photojournalist, Canon cameras and couple of L primes and couple of L zooms, Flashpoint strobes. What happened as of late is I'm getting a little bored, hate to say it. Images I make with my Canons are fantastic and my dedication to making those great images for every bride and groom I work with remains high level, no question about that.

But man, in the past month or two I felt the lure of the Leica again and developed a bad case of GAS. I wanted to incorporate a red dot camera into my wedding day arsenal but I was in no mood to spend M (or Q) money this time, and honestly, after using manual focus Leicas in the past I am in no mood to go that route for wedding photography either.....although I understand there's plenty of pros out there using M's in the field to great effect. Not for me any more.

What did that leave me with? Fixed lens Leicas like the Q or the SL/TL/CL line. Still really pricey gear to expose to the hazards of wedding shoots (I have insurance, but still). 

I dug a little further back in time and decided a Digilux 3 was gonna relieve my GAS. Got the body, the PanaLeica Summilux 25mm, a Sigma 10-20mm zoom, several batteries for US$800. Still crazy pricing if you ask me, for a 17-18 year old 7.5mp quirky oddball dinosaur camera. My perception of the DL3 previously was that is was some kind of toy camera, a mistake in a way by Leica. Oh, well, that is until I had it in hand and took some initial test shots. Man, any stupid and uniformed perceptions I had about it flew right out my bathroom window and I'm just in awe right now. Maybe I'm geeking out with a new toy but my goodness this camera body and the Summilux lens are un-#%@*-believable. The Summilux is better than my 50mm 1.2 Canon L and that Canon lens is absolutely superb.....when it decides to hit focus. The focus speed of the DL3 is not as fast as Canon by any measure but for some close up portraits and B&G environmental portraits, and of course, food and displays, cocktail hour and candids galore, the speed of this Leica I think is going to be fine. This is a serious camera and I can't wait to acquaint myself more with it before bringing it out into the field......this coming weekend actually.

Question: has anyone out here used Canon or Flashpoint/Godox for Canon speed lights on the Digilux 3? I've researched that they'll work in manual on any camera but just wondering if anyone on the forum has done so.....with Canon or Nikon flashes, or even a Flashpoint R2 transmitter? I use on and off camera flash all day long and I don't think I'm going to use the Digilux in low light situations, but just wondering if I have the option with what I have.

Cheers everyone!

[war]

On 6/17/2024 at 8:41 PM, tommyleicaR4M5 said:

Just got a Digilux 3 and Lumix/Leica D Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH and pretty happy to be back in the "red dot" club. As my user name reveals, I formerly had and loved an R4 and M5, and more recently an M8 (got in 2020, sold in 2021). I'm a freelance wedding shooter for a studio (25-35 shoots/yr), 8 years running now, mostly second shooter/photojournalist, Canon cameras and couple of L primes and couple of L zooms, Flashpoint strobes. What happened as of late is I'm getting a little bored, hate to say it. Images I make with my Canons are fantastic and my dedication to making those great images for every bride and groom I work with remains high level, no question about that.

But man, in the past month or two I felt the lure of the Leica again and developed a bad case of GAS. I wanted to incorporate a red dot camera into my wedding day arsenal but I was in no mood to spend M (or Q) money this time, and honestly, after using manual focus Leicas in the past I am in no mood to go that route for wedding photography either.....although I understand there's plenty of pros out there using M's in the field to great effect. Not for me any more.

What did that leave me with? Fixed lens Leicas like the Q or the SL/TL/CL line. Still really pricey gear to expose to the hazards of wedding shoots (I have insurance, but still). 

I dug a little further back in time and decided a Digilux 3 was gonna relieve my GAS. Got the body, the PanaLeica Summilux 25mm, a Sigma 10-20mm zoom, several batteries for US$800. Still crazy pricing if you ask me, for a 17-18 year old 7.5mp quirky oddball dinosaur camera. My perception of the DL3 previously was that is was some kind of toy camera, a mistake in a way by Leica. Oh, well, that is until I had it in hand and took some initial test shots. Man, any stupid and uniformed perceptions I had about it flew right out my bathroom window and I'm just in awe right now. Maybe I'm geeking out with a new toy but my goodness this camera body and the Summilux lens are un-#%@*-believable. The Summilux is better than my 50mm 1.2 Canon L and that Canon lens is absolutely superb.....when it decides to hit focus. The focus speed of the DL3 is not as fast as Canon by any measure but for some close up portraits and B&G environmental portraits, and of course, food and displays, cocktail hour and candids galore, the speed of this Leica I think is going to be fine. This is a serious camera and I can't wait to acquaint myself more with it before bringing it out into the field......this coming weekend actually.

Question: has anyone out here used Canon or Flashpoint/Godox for Canon speed lights on the Digilux 3? I've researched that they'll work in manual on any camera but just wondering if anyone on the forum has done so.....with Canon or Nikon flashes, or even a Flashpoint R2 transmitter? I use on and off camera flash all day long and I don't think I'm going to use the Digilux in low light situations, but just wondering if I have the option with what I have.

Cheers everyone!

Welcome to this very small group that still use the Digilux 3. Can't help with any knowledge of flash equipment, I've found the built-in flash suitable for my use and have used it very seldom. Look forward to seeing more of your posts in the Digilux 3 thread, very few members post there.  Your first photos are very good.

Regards.

[jaapv]

The flash protocol is Olympus/Panasonic.

[tommyleicaR4M5]

On 6/28/2024 at 10:17 PM, war said:

Welcome to this very small group that still use the Digilux 3. Can't help with any knowledge of flash equipment, I've found the built-in flash suitable for my use and have used it very seldom. Look forward to seeing more of your posts in the Digilux 3 thread, very few members post there.  Your first photos are very good.

Regards.

Thank you War. The pop up flash doesn't work on my D3 and I wouldn't use it on my wedding shoots anyway, but it would be cool for personal use I guess. I brought along the D3 and Summilux D 25mm for a couple of wedding shoots (as second shooter) I had the past couple of weekends. For the time being, I put my Canon 600EX on it with a bounce card, manual flash of course, dialed all the way down to 1/128 power. This isn't ideal, I think the flash is firing stronger the 1/128 power, but I'm working around it with aperture and ISO adjustments. My Godox/Flashpoint transmitter works on the D3 in manual of course, firing a couple of strobes for select reception shots and first dance shots. This works amazingly well and I got some KILLER first dance shots with the D3 at ISO 400 between f/2 and f/2.8. The PanaLecia Summilux 25mm BLOWS AWAY my Canon 50mm 1.2 L lens for sharpness and nailing focus at wide apertures....and that Canon is awesome when it wants to work right. The legendary Leica "micro-contrast", Leica "glow", whatever you want to call it, is real and it rules. The D3 is mostly slow focusing in low light, sometimes a little faster, sometimes hunts a little too long......might have to go manual focus. but outdoors is pretty solidly fast for such old tech. This camera is my secret weapon on shoots.

Thank you jaapv as well for confirming the Olympus/Panasonic protocol for the D3 speedlight. I'm planning on getting one for my Leica. I'm now trying to research if I can actually get high speed sync on the D3 with the Oly/Pana speedlight.

Sorry if I sound like a giddy fanboy. I shoot professionally most of the time I pick up a camera and see gear as just tools for the trade but in the case of the Digilux 3, holy roses batman, this thing is a tiny beast!!

I might find a random generic recent wedding shot to post on the Digilux 3 picture thread soon. Can't post any of the really good people shots at this time.

Edited July 1, 2024 by tommyleicaR4M5