D Lux 3 or V Lux 1

[leica dream]

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I am considering a change from film to digital use and seem to be homing in on V Lux 1 although D lux 3 also seems to meet the need. I would be grateful for any input on this comparison from people who know both cameras. For instance, what are the three most important things I should be looking for in a digital camera for general use (pcuture quality being paramount), and how do V Lux and D Lux match up - or otherwise!.

Richard

[glenerrolrd]

focusing just on the practical differences...we have both a d lux 2 and the vlux 1. SIZE First the d lux is extremely small and portable ...no reason not to have it with you always. The Vlux 1 is very light but its really much larger ..easy to carry but you need a small bag of some type. VIEWING..the d lux has no viewfinder ..only the LCD screen. The V lux has an EVF which I have found excellent even in very low light. FORMAT / FOV....the d lux is a natural 16:9 format making it ideal for wide angle shooting ..I would need to check but I think it corresponds to a 28-100mm FOV on 35mm ..28 on 16:9 appears wider . The VLUX natural format is 4:3 and the range is much larger 35-420mm. Both cameras shoot raw and jpeg and are capable of producing very high image quality. Purely on a subjective basis the Vlux image quality looks much better. My wife used primarily the Vlux on the Leica trip this June ....the auto focus, image stabilization and wide zoom range allowed her to images that were missed by a dozen photographers using primarily M8 s. The Vlux also has a very neat foldable LCD that allows you to hold the camera overhead or at and angle and view on the screen. This allowed her to shoot pictures of the Porsches while holding the camera physically outside the car. The IS made this possible. Negatives ...dlux unusable due to noise levels above 200 ISO ....Vlux ..widest view is 35mm.

[leica dream]

Thank you Roger for such a practical appraisal from Real experience. I am veering towards Vlux. On a recent holiday in Norway I saw a VLUX in action and had a chance to talk with the owner. That little swivel screen is a neat feature. I think the Vlux also has a built in flash which is useful for spontaneous occasions. I have to say, too, that I am a Viewfinder man rather than just "a screen at distance".

Coming from a Leica compact, the Vlux would certainly be more bulky but I a sure I could adjust to that.

Richard

[joachimeh]

Thank you Roger for such a practical appraisal from Real experience. I am veering towards Vlux. On a recent holiday in Norway I saw a VLUX in action and had a chance to talk with the owner. That little swivel screen is a neat feature. I think the Vlux also has a built in flash which is useful for spontaneous occasions. I have to say, too, that I am a Viewfinder man rather than just "a screen at distance".

Coming from a Leica compact, the Vlux would certainly be more bulky but I a sure I could adjust to that.

Richard

 

The VL ELV is very good stuff. I use that camera now for 4 month (and more than 1500 shots) in many different scenarios, and I am pleased. The electronic magnifier in the ELV when manually focussing is a great support in macro-shooting.

[ehecatl]

I also (sort of) have both cameras. Mine is a D-Lux 3 and the FZ50 (I was interested in the V-Lux but I couldn't find one). The D-Lux 3 was more of an impulse buy, I had a D-Lux 2 in the past that I passed on to a friend. When the D-Lux 3 was announced, I wasn't all that interested, given that I was trying to pare myself down to just one camera (my RD-1). But on a trip, impulse (and the fact that the D-Lux had the 28 mm lens) got the better of me. I do like the fact that it's an easy camera to carry around in a pocket. Soon after I got to thinking that I should've gone with the V-Lux for the type of shooting that I tend to do over the summer: bands playing at music festivals. So a few weeks ago I picked up an FZ50. It's larger than I'm used to carrying around (though not as large as the EOS that I used to use), and I feel pretty conspicuous walking around with it. It served me well at the Summercase music festival here in Barcelona last weekend, but I find now that when I go out for a walk around the city I reach for either the D-Lux or the RD-1. The swivel lens is an incredibly useful feature, especially for overhead shots. But I do wish it had a wider lens, and was smaller. I don't mind the EVF, and I prefer to use the viewfinder when I shoot (this is one of the things I never did like about the D-Lux 2 or 3 --lack of viewfinder-- though I quickly learned to work around this). I also kind of think that the V-Lux is more of a natural progression from the D2 than the D3. But whatever, that's another topic of debate.

Maybe today I'll go out with the FZ50.

 

Good luck,

 

S

[rsh]

I have a d-Lux 3 ans a V-Lux 1 as well as an M8. I carry the d-lux with me most of the time because it is a great snapshot camera, especially with the kids in tow.

 

The V-Lux is a far more versatile camera and the images it produces are quite amazing. The 35 - 420 Zoom gives you an all in one option with no chance of dust on the sensor.

 

The Camera is not large in my book, and less bulky that a standard DSLR with 2 to three lenses. The price of the camera, at $849.00, will not break the bank and it should retain a reasonable amout of value after it ceases production because it says Leica and not Lumix.

 

No matter what you get, buy it because it satisfy your needs it feels right to you.

 

 

 

 

I

[jackart]

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I would say, both. I have D-lux (actually its Lumix sibling) and Digilux2. I have smaller cam always with me and the quality in most cases is absolutely fine for me. Look my gallery. all pics are made using D-lux...

 

But instead of V-lux, I suggest Digilux 3 as "BIG" cam

 

-Jaak

[joachimeh]

ex oriente (V) lux

[Peat]

This little black box is next to being perhaps the nearest thing one can find that is closest to being the "PERFECT CAMERA". I admit this to be a bold assertion but please allow me time to explain my reasons for such a bold ass-umpire-shun.

 

1: The size means it fits the entire set of basic lenses required into one camera. O.K. It is not a Hubble telescope and nor is it able to rove about at the bottom of the Mariana Trench but for $1300.00AU who in their right mind would expect that kind of performance.

 

2: The lens quality is as good as it gets and since it uses a small CCD the maximum aperture gives it a lens speed that is unmatched by even its larger S2 cousin. A saving of how much was that I was quoted?

 

3: Never ever get dust on your sensor again!

 

Three good reasons and if anyone desires to argue the point’s then you are welcome to present a valid yet viable alternative.

 

 

Peat

[leica dream]

I started the thread back in 2007 and thanks to all the balanced comments I went ahead with the VLUX and have been absolutely delighted. I still have not explored all the facilities but it suits my needs. The change of mind set from film to digital was significant as was the digital darkroom, but I'm getting on well and confidence is growing. A slow process as a casual hobby participant, but at least I now refer to results as images rather than photographs! I agree with Peat's comments.

Richard