Advice required on Dlux 7

[Cc_88]

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Hi all,

I was hoping someone might be able to give me some advice.  My husband is a big fan of Leica cameras having done a photography course at university many moons ago and owning his grandfathers vintage analogue Leica which I would imagine is circa 1940 so never actually gets used.  My husband has always wanted to buy a new Leica, but I know it’s the more expensive potentially analogue. cameras he is after as he is reluctant to fork out £5k for a camera (before all the accessories) for something that is just a hobby.

I was thinking I might buy him a camera for Christmas as he does like taking photographs on our travels and we both only own iPhones.  From my research I was thinking the dlux7 as it’s actually within my price range when purchased new, but I have also read lots of stuff online that says I can take similar quality photos on my iPhone.  I also wander if he won’t be so enamoured by it because he actually wants one of the more expensive models, although from my perspective I don’t see how great those could be for travel when you have all the lenses etc you need to take with you.  In terms of travel, we go to the mountains a lot as my husband loves to ski and he also loves astrology so it would be great if he could use his camera to take snaps of the night sky (I know this requires special equipment so the camera moves at the right speed).

Anyway, I am rambling so will cut this short.  I know next to nothing about cameras but know my husband would only want a Leica (he is German) so are any of the cheaper cameras actually worth it?  If so which one?

Thanks so much in advance.

 

Cc

[jaapv]

Welcome  You've come to the right place for your question. Yes, an iPhone is a good machine for taking images and the image quality is good as well.

However, there is a vast difference between a camera and a smartphone. The latter is basically meant to take snapshots for use on social media and as a quick pictorial notebook, a camera is meant to take photographs take are meaningful (at least, we hope they are  )  That is not to say that their functions don't overlap, there is a lot of dross taken with cameras and some artists do fantastic work with iPhones.

If, as you say, photography is the hobby of your husband and if the Leica brand is meaningful to him, I am sure that he will be delighted with the D-Lux. Despite the fact that the basis of the camera is by Panasonic, it is a fantastic camera, with an excellent lens that has been designed under guidance of Leica and has a bit of Leica magic dust sprinkled over it.

Beware though, Leica is a bit of a rabbit hole - from your description your husband is a perfect candidate for a a Leica Q and a Leica M set would be Nirvana. Give him a lottery ticket with the D-Lux.  

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[wda]

Welcome to the forum,  cc. Actually your choice makes quite a lot of sense. The D Lux 7 is reasonably compact and has an excellent lens. It should be be capable of capturing a good range of subjects, given an eye for a pleasing subjects. If the bug bites, well there are more birthdays to come, we all hope.

One further point. I have a slightly older D Lux Typ.109 and, despite having more versatile models, the little D Lux often travels with me, in a slim belt pouch. It is such a useful companion, when out on non-photography trips and yields excellent results.

Edited December 12, 2021 by wda

[Cc_88]

Hi both,

Thanks so much for your responses!  I feel like I’m really sitting on fence here with this, especially if it’s made in China by Panasonic.  Will the German in my husband think it’s not a true Leica? Or am I worrying unnecessarily? Where I work gives me a 20% discount so the dlux7 is only £860 where as a new q2 is £3740 so a huge difference and totally out of my budget 😂
 

Would buying a second hand q be a better option? Although these still come in fairly steep at £2.5k and only 6 months warranty.  
 

thanks so much 

[wda]

My D Lux was made in Japan  but that doesn't help either. I have the original Q, which is a remarkably good camera. I bought it new. It did need a replacement EVF when outside warranty. But I thought it was worthwhile.  The big decision for you is, would your husband be happy with a field of view, identical to his camera phone? See my historic article here https://www.macfilos.com/2018/11/15/2018-11-13-leica-q-28mm-focal-length-as-all-rounder/

If not, accept that an Asian-built, co-produced, D Lux will retain its vale better than its Lumix counterpart. It does have an excellent Leica lens. Also, Leica in London will service it for you. Their new technician recently demonstrated a complete strip-down of the current D Lux, and its reassembly, to a gathering of Leica Fellowship members, a few weeks ago.

I hope this helps you. 

[RSH-Photo]

I bought a D-Lux 7 a few months and have been absolutely pleased with it. The lens is razor sharp, the image quality is excellent, it offers image stabilization, and the camera is very versatile. I'm a long-time amateur photographer (Nikon and Fuji cameras mostly) and wanted to shoot with a Leica. I looked at the Q but found it's 28mm lens limiting, I wanted to go with the CL but I'm a little older and image stabilizing help is important to me and the CL and its lenses don't offer that. Then I read a review about the Q2 and the quality, excellent according to the reviewer, of its digital zoom. That review said the Q2 digital zoom at 50mm had the equivalent quality of the D-Lux 7. That sent me to the D-Lux 7 and, like I said, I'm super-satisfied.

[jaapv]

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7 hours ago, Cc_88 said:

Hi both,

Thanks so much for your responses!  I feel like I’m really sitting on fence here with this, especially if it’s made in China by Panasonic.  Will the German in my husband think it’s not a true Leica? Or am I worrying unnecessarily? Where I work gives me a 20% discount so the dlux7 is only £860 where as a new q2 is £3740 so a huge difference and totally out of my budget 😂
 

Would buying a second hand q be a better option? Although these still come in fairly steep at £2.5k and only 6 months warranty.  
 

thanks so much 

Don't worry. If you look inside the Q2 it will be filled with prints stamped Panasonic and made all over SE Asia on machines (made in the Netherlands BTW) These days all highly technical products are made from parts sourced from all over the world. Rest assured that the DLux feels and behaves like a Leica. There is of course the CL as well. A CL with an 18 mm lens starter kit should be somewhere around 3000 $ and with your discount 2400. More than you budget for but without Asian counterpart.

[jaapv]

Sorry, I see that you are in GBP, but that shouldn't be essential.