D-Lux 3 New Gallery Online

[jr_in_dallas]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I recently redesigned and added to my D-Lux 3 gallery. I'd appreciate any input you guys may have on the work I have done with this camera as well as the gallery itself.

 

The gallery can be viewed at: Leica D-Lux 3 Photography by Jim Radcliffe

 

I've found that the longer I use the D-Lux 3 the more I appreciate it. With the exception of noise over ISO 200 and the lack of an OVF I really enjoy using it.

 

Regards,

 

Jim

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[harrisfoto]

The camera is very useful.

The photo at the link below:

Welcome to the Stephen Harris archive.

was taken using a studio lighting setup, and the flash on the D-Lux 3 to trigger the slaves on the studio lights.

The shot was hand held, and the camera on manual.

Steve Harris

[XD7]

A splendid piece of work, Jim. That is a marvellous web page and a wonderful gallery showing the versatility of the D-LUX 3 and just what it is capable of producing in the right hands.

 

I have had my D-LUX 3 for a month now and am warming to it more and more as each day passes. Images I had seen posted by you, Charles G and Mahesh were, in no small way, instrumental in my decision to purchase the D-LUX 3.

 

Maybe you should ask Leica for commission.

[mreddington]

Jim - I've been following your work with the D-Lux 3 over on dpr and have been amazed at the images you have produced with this little gem. I have one as a P&S backup but haven't advanced beyond the snapshot stage with it. I recently took it with me to a conference I was organising and used it to photograph some of the speakers and was rather disappointed with the results, but I think this was largely due to frustration with the lag before taking a photo. I was using autofocus and this is certainly the rate-limiting step and I was wondering how much you had used manual focus and if you have been able to use this to gauge well the DOF.

 

Cheers

Martin

[jr_in_dallas]

A splendid piece of work, Jim. That is a marvellous web page and a wonderful gallery showing the versatility of the D-LUX 3 and just what it is capable of producing in the right hands.

 

I have had my D-LUX 3 for a month now and am warming to it more and more as each day passes. Images I had seen posted by you, Charles G and Mahesh were, in no small way, instrumental in my decision to purchase the D-LUX 3.

 

Maybe you should ask Leica for commission.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I think the most important thing about the D-Lux 3 is you have to know the camera's limitations and then work from there. I keep pushing it and am sometimes surprised to see that it can do things I thought it not capable of.

 

As for the Leica commission.. maybe they could link from their D-Lux 3 page like they linked to Tim Ashley's photos from their M8 page.... or maybe they could just give me an M8 and save all the grief I've been going through trying to save for one.

[jr_in_dallas]

Jim - I've been following your work with the D-Lux 3 over on dpr and have been amazed at the images you have produced with this little gem. I have one as a P&S backup but haven't advanced beyond the snapshot stage with it. I recently took it with me to a conference I was organising and used it to photograph some of the speakers and was rather disappointed with the results, but I think this was largely due to frustration with the lag before taking a photo. I was using autofocus and this is certainly the rate-limiting step and I was wondering how much you had used manual focus and if you have been able to use this to gauge well the DOF.

 

Cheers

Martin

 

Thanks Martin. I normally take my 5D with me on weekends as well as the D-Lux3 but this weekend I left the bag of Canon gear at home and just used the D-Lux 3.

 

I understand your dissappointment with the images you captured at the conference. The D-Lux 3 is really not suited for that kind of work. You have to have very good light and make sure you are shooting at ISO 100 or 200... if you are shooting indoors and have poor light you most often be unhappy with the results.

 

The shutter-lag and AF issues also can cause loss of hair and considerable amounts of profanity at times. That's why, for my style of shooting, almost everything is static, the D-Lux 3 works for me.... but if I enjoyed shooting sports, dancing, anything that involved lots of movement, I would not have purchased the D-Lux 3.

 

You've got to know the limitations of the camera and work from within those parameters.

 

As for Manual Focus.... well, I've used it a couple of times but my eyes aren't what the used to be and I find the manual focus mechanism also has a degree of lag to it... no, I do not use it at all.

 

Thanks again for the comments.

 

Jim

[mreddington]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I understand your dissappointment with the images you captured at the conference. The D-Lux 3 is really not suited for that kind of work. You have to have very good light and make sure you are shooting at ISO 100 or 200... if you are shooting indoors and have poor light you most often be unhappy with the results.

 

Jim - your are right, I was certainly expecting too much. I would have taken the 5D or M8 with me but was flying from Europe to Australia with a couple of plane changes and since I needed my laptop as well I was worried about getting hassled about trying to take too much on the flight. I decided to just take the DLux3 and, as you so rightly say, was using it for things it wasn't really intended for. Nevertheless I did get some usable photos, even if my hit rate was poorer than usual.

 

If you need another vote for Leica to donate an M8 just shout! I took my 5D in my hands yesterday for the first time for ages after using the M8 for a while and it was just so heavy. I will see if I miss it before selling, but I am afraid its days might be numbered.

 

Martin

[jr_in_dallas]

Jim - your are right, I was certainly expecting too much. I would have taken the 5D or M8 with me but was flying from Europe to Australia with a couple of plane changes and since I needed my laptop as well I was worried about getting hassled about trying to take too much on the flight. I decided to just take the DLux3 and, as you so rightly say, was using it for things it wasn't really intended for. Nevertheless I did get some usable photos, even if my hit rate was poorer than usual.

 

If you need another vote for Leica to donate an M8 just shout! I took my 5D in my hands yesterday for the first time for ages after using the M8 for a while and it was just so heavy. I will see if I miss it before selling, but I am afraid its days might be numbered.

 

Martin

 

Well, I will be using my 5D and 20D next Saturday night. I have been contracted to shoot Don Henley, The Stray Cats and The Pretenders in concert at Nokia Center in Grand Prairie, TX for one of the local radio stations. I've never shot in that venue so not sure what to expect but I do know the D-Lux 3 will not take part in any of that action except for exprimentation. This is one of those few and far between paying gigs and it all goes towards my M8.

 

It's like my daddy always said... "Use the right tool for the job!"

 

Jim

[rick123]

Hi Jim!

 

Welcome to the Leica forum! I too have been following your posts on the "Digital Camera Reviews" Leica forum and I wish to both complement you on your obvious photographic talent (some of the best pictures I have seen) and thank you for all of your generous advice you have given out. I have the older version of your camera (D-Lux 2) and enjoy it for the same reason - it is so easy to bring everywhere (and looks great in that chocolate brown leather Leica case). Perhaps as a service to all, would you be kind enough to share your settings with the members here. In addition, I hope we can all figure out how to improve the low light experience with this little gem (my only complaint). I am hoping (maybe Guy can nodge Leica along), that the D-Lux 4 will have both a viewfinder and a stronger flash. Once again, welcome!

 

Rick

[jr_in_dallas]

Hi Jim!

 

Welcome to the Leica forum! I too have been following your posts on the "Digital Camera Reviews" Leica forum and I wish to both complement you on your obvious photographic talent (some of the best pictures I have seen) and thank you for all of your generous advice you have given out. I have the older version of your camera (D-Lux 2) and enjoy it for the same reason - it is so easy to bring everywhere (and looks great in that chocolate brown leather Leica case). Perhaps as a service to all, would you be kind enough to share your settings with the members here. In addition, I hope we can all figure out how to improve the low light experience with this little gem (my only complaint). I am hoping (maybe Guy can nodge Leica along), that the D-Lux 4 will have both a viewfinder and a stronger flash. Once again, welcome!

 

Rick

 

Thanks for the kind welcome and words about my work... actually, I should call it play, because that is what I do.. I play with my cameras.

 

My settings.... they are all set to standard... noise reduction to low unless I want a painterly image.. and then it is set to high. I post-process all of my images in Photoshop CS3.. All BW conversions are done in CS3 and I rarely use the BW mode built into the camera unless I want to "see" what a scene might look like in BW.

 

The camera has several weaknesses... it is just no good in very low light situations unless you want to put up with a lot of noise. That is not going to change as long as Panasonic/Leica sticks with the current sensor size. The more MP they cram into that size sensor, the worse the noise is going to be... Another big issue with me is that the D-Lux-3 lacks an optical viewfinder.. critical oversight.. and the LCD is nearly useless in bright sunlight and quite often, depending on lighting conditions, in even some shade situations. The one thing I love about a DSLR is I have no trouble in framing the shot. Having said all of that... I still love using the D-Lux 3... it can produce outstanding images.

 

I wish Leica would use a FF sensor (something equal to the sensor in the 5D) and mate a really, really good Leica lens on the thing. The Sigma DP1 sounds like they are on the right track but an F4 lens may be the thing that kills that camera.. I will wait and see.. it still sounds like the closest thing yet to the compact camera I've been dreaming of.

 

But who listens to us? What do we know? I'm sure the engineers in Japan and Germany must laugh at some of our suggestions... but if they ever listen and put it all together, they will have a killer camera on their hands.

 

Jim

[GoldieLocs]

The new online gallery is just amazing. I've had my D-Lux 3 for about a month and I am trying to learn all I can. I am very much an amateur, but your online gallery is just the inspiration I need to keep trying. I love the way you compose your photos in such an artistic way that even dice become photo-worthy. I keep wondering if it's just the problem of me not having anything exciting to take photos of. But that's not the case. We have dice and wrenches right in the house.

 

Thanks again, Jim.

[jr_in_dallas]

The new online gallery is just amazing. I've had my D-Lux 3 for about a month and I am trying to learn all I can. I am very much an amateur, but your online gallery is just the inspiration I need to keep trying. I love the way you compose your photos in such an artistic way that even dice become photo-worthy. I keep wondering if it's just the problem of me not having anything exciting to take photos of. But that's not the case. We have dice and wrenches right in the house.

 

Thanks again, Jim.

 

Trina,

 

There is always something to shoot. The thing that I have found to be most effective is to look for "the picture" that no one else took the time to see... the wrenches, geometric lines, shapes, light and shadow and on and on...

 

Thank you for the kind words about my gallery and the fact that you find it inspiring is even more of a compliment. I appreciate it.

 

Jim

[chejus]

Hello Jim,

 

Congratulations on your photographs. I am really amazed at the colors you get with your

D-Lux 3. Also delighted to see that you have already received visitors from where I come from, Argentina.

 

I have done some search (this is my 1st post) on this camera since I bought it some months ago and am quite dissapointed with the images I get. I may be doing something wrong so I appeal to your knowledge.

I may also open a new post to see if I get the answers I get and I do not have to sell it!

 

The problem I have is that the images I get are completely pale...maybe the right word in English is soft. The colours are not strong. Everything very "sad" so to say.

I have compared it to a Panasonic which is the same model as Leica C-Lux 2....shooting with the same mode, everything the same..and the colors are faded out. I do not know if I am expressing myself correctly but it lacks brightness! I always shoot at 5.5MP with highest quality (not RAW) and the normal settings...

Is this a normal problem? Any clues? Thanks for your help!

Diego

PS: I have posted some images in my flickr site. You can find me as user chejus

[jr_in_dallas]

Hello Jim,

 

Congratulations on your photographs. I am really amazed at the colors you get with your

D-Lux 3. Also delighted to see that you have already received visitors from where I come from, Argentina.

 

I have done some search (this is my 1st post) on this camera since I bought it some months ago and am quite dissapointed with the images I get. I may be doing something wrong so I appeal to your knowledge.

I may also open a new post to see if I get the answers I get and I do not have to sell it!

 

The problem I have is that the images I get are completely pale...maybe the right word in English is soft. The colours are not strong. Everything very "sad" so to say.

I have compared it to a Panasonic which is the same model as Leica C-Lux 2....shooting with the same mode, everything the same..and the colors are faded out. I do not know if I am expressing myself correctly but it lacks brightness! I always shoot at 5.5MP with highest quality (not RAW) and the normal settings...

Is this a normal problem? Any clues? Thanks for your help!

Diego

PS: I have posted some images in my flickr site. You can find me as user chejus

 

Diego,

 

Thanks for the kind words about my photography with the D-Lux 3.

 

To address your issues with the camera. First, I shoot everything in standard mode.. that goes for sharpness, color, contrast, etc... Once I get an image I feel has potential I pos-process the image in Photoshop.

 

Photoshop IS the digital darkroom and just like back in the old days, when I was shooting film, a lot of the magic happens in the darkroom. I dodge, I burn, I adjust curves, contrast, saturation, etc.. If you are not post-processing your photos you will probably always be dissappointed with the image straight from the camera. I do the same thing with my Canon 5D images.... It is very rare that I get an image straight out of ANY camera that would not benefit from post-processing.

 

When I shoot with the D-Lux 3 I almost always use P mode and shoot in the 16:9 aspect ratio.. in addition, I almost always shoot with -1 EV so that highlights do not get blown. I bring the rest of the image back to where it should be exposure wise in Photoshop.

 

My best advice to you or anyone else using the D-Lux 3 is to constantly "play" with the camera and settings.. everyone has different tastes and you need to find which settings work the best for you.. then, learn as much as you can about Photoshop as possible. It can salvage many images that at first review seem to be of no value or poor quality.

 

There is NOTHING that can be done in-camera that Photoshop can not do better.

 

I noticed I had a visitor from Argentina the other day. You live in a beautiful country. Wish I could visit as there is so much to photograph there. Maybe one day.

 

Best regards,

 

Jim

[mrtaber]

Jim,

 

Just wanted to say 'thanks' for sharing your great photos with us. Your photos, and those of others here, were instrumental in selling me my D-LUX 3. Keep up the good work (as if you need *that* encouragement), and thanks for the inspiration.

 

Mark

[ckthual]

Great photos here, thanks for posting, very inspirational.

I'm very happy with my Dlux3, I'm sure I could think of dozen of enhancements (size of sensor, no more noise reduction issue, a bit faster raw file writing, external viewfinder.... bla bla...), but I found out that, keeping the camera on my bag all the time, I now shoot more pictures with this little camera than with my Canon 5D ! The ability to shoot raw was what decided me to get this particular camera, and it's always a pleasure to play with the raw files in Lightroom.

PS/ the gallery is nice and sober, but I miss the ability to go from one picture to the next without going back to the menu, or have i missed something ?

 

Kind regards

[jr_in_dallas]

Jim,

 

Just wanted to say 'thanks' for sharing your great photos with us. Your photos, and those of others here, were instrumental in selling me my D-LUX 3. Keep up the good work (as if you need *that* encouragement), and thanks for the inspiration.

 

Mark

 

Thanks Mark, glad you enjoyed the photos and found them inspiring. I try to shoot something every day.

 

Noticed you live in Sacramento. I lived there from 70 to 73 while in the military stationed at McClellan AFB.. many fond memories. I'd give just about anything to get back to California.

 

Jim

[jr_in_dallas]

PS/ the gallery is nice and sober, but I miss the ability to go from one picture to the next without going back to the menu, or have i missed something ?

 

Kind regards

 

My original gallery used Flash and was a bit of a pain to update.. I made this one myself for simplicity... click on the picture to view it.. then click on the larger version to go back where you were before... simple, costs nothing and allows me to easily update the site, remove images, add them, etc..

 

I've yet to see a gallery/software package that really impressed me... so, I rolled my own.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Maggie_O]

D

Photoshop IS the digital darkroom and just like back in the old days, when I was shooting film, a lot of the magic happens in the darkroom. I dodge, I burn, I adjust curves, contrast, saturation, etc.. If you are not post-processing your photos you will probably always be dissappointed with the image straight from the camera. I do the same thing with my Canon 5D images.... It is very rare that I get an image straight out of ANY camera that would not benefit from post-processing.

 

When I shoot with the D-Lux 3 I almost always use P mode and shoot in the 16:9 aspect ratio.. in addition, I almost always shoot with -1 EV so that highlights do not get blown. I bring the rest of the image back to where it should be exposure wise in Photoshop.

 

My best advice to you or anyone else using the D-Lux 3 is to constantly "play" with the camera and settings.. everyone has different tastes and you need to find which settings work the best for you.. then, learn as much as you can about Photoshop as possible. It can salvage many images that at first review seem to be of no value or poor quality.

 

CAN I GET AN "AMEN"?!?!?

 

Well said, Jim. That's my attitude, too, and it has served me well- the D-Lux 3 produces some of the most workable digital negatives around, even when you think it didn't. For instance, this series of photos left me totally underwhelmed at first, but by golly, the information was there in the files and it was surprisingly easy to coax the good bits out of them.

 

Great tip about shooting a bit underexposed- if the DL-3 has a weakness, it's in its handling of highlights. (I don't consider the small-sensor a disadvantage- it renders so close to 35mm film that it's more like an old friend than a "bug.")

[XD7]

The great thing about this forum is that good advice and practical tips are freely dispensed by the likes of Jim, Maggie and others.

 

In my humble attempts with the D-LUX 3, I had noticed a tendency towards blown highlights. From now on, I shall follow Jim's tip about shooting EV-1. As to whether my Photoshop skills are up to getting images without the yellow triangle and exclamation mark remains to be seen.

 

I seem to remember that it was always advised to shoot slide film slightly under exposed, in order to increase the color saturation but maybe my memory is playing tricks on that one.

 

Thanks for the tip, Jim.