D-Lux 7 Vs Q2/Q3?

[nicci78]

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On 8/14/2023 at 5:53 PM, GaryC said:

I didn't know that....is that automatically a bad thing? I do want to learn and grow with the camera. I'm happy to spend the extra on a Q, but is the D-Lux really a sub-prime option?

I had the D-Lux once. Not the latest variant. 
CL is way better. 
Q is even better.

in every way. No contest. I don’t see the point to buy old overpriced Panasonic with Leica tax. 

You won’t regret Q/Q2/Q3 to CL. D-Lux I am not sure. I was disappointed. 

[GaryC]

1 hour ago, nicci78 said:

I had the D-Lux once. Not the latest variant. 
CL is way better. 
Q is even better.

in every way. No contest. I don’t see the point to buy old overpriced Panasonic with Leica tax. 

You won’t regret Q/Q2/Q3 to CL. D-Lux I am not sure. I was disappointed. 

Thanks Nicci. I'm erring towards getting a lightly used Q2 and putting my name down for a Q3 to futureproof.

[Le Chef]

11 hours ago, nicci78 said:

I had the D-Lux once. Not the latest variant. 
CL is way better. 
Q is even better.

in every way. No contest. I don’t see the point to buy old overpriced Panasonic with Leica tax. 

You won’t regret Q/Q2/Q3 to CL. D-Lux I am not sure. I was disappointed. 

As usual you define "Better" for everyone else on this forum. It's very gracious of you to make such a gift of your priceless opinion.

[bobtodrick]

50 minutes ago, Le Chef said:

As usual you define "Better" for everyone else on this forum. It's very gracious of you to make such a gift of your priceless opinion.

Yes, it’s what I hate about these forums.

I like ‘this (whatever ‘this’ is)…so it’s obvious best for everyone.

As someone who has owned both…they each have their strengths and weaknesses.

I would never presume that what works for me is best for everyone…but maybe I’m just not that ‘smart’ 😂😂😂

[nicci78]

Ok it is fair.
I am just trying to avoid any buyer remorse.
I don’t understand how we can say that a D-Lux can be as ok as a Q ? 
In all fairness they are not comparable. 
Q/Q2 is way better, there is no comparison. Just try them side by side. 
One is a marvel of German ergonomics. The other is a typical Japanese compact camera. 

My take, if you want a Leica, just buy the real deal : a made in Germany one. Otherwise you can buy any other very nice Japanese compact cameras : GR III, X100V, LX100 II, RX100 VII etc..:

No need to pay Leica tax 

Edited August 18, 2023 by nicci78

[Le Chef]

You never asked the OP to define “better” in his terms. You just assume that your “better” is what everyone else should have.

[nicci78]

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I stand by what I said. 
Q is way better. Saying the contrary is weird. 
D-Lux 7 in 2023 is a subpar camera. Especially at its current outrageous price. 

You may think the contrary it is fine. OP ask for an advice. I gave mine. He won’t regret Q or Q2. But might with D-Lux 7 

OP can choose whichever he wants. Just don’t be fooled by the Leica badge upon a quite old Japanese compact camera with no real strengths (it is not pocketable and its sensor is quite small more akin to 1 inch than real m4/3) 

One more thing, D-Lux tiny EVF is a deal breaker. Q/Q2 EVF are once again way better, especially the Q2 one. 

Edited August 18, 2023 by nicci78

[bobtodrick]

2 hours ago, nicci78 said:

Ok it is fair.
I am just trying to avoid any buyer remorse.
I don’t understand how we can say that a D-Lux can be as ok as a Q ? 
In all fairness they are not comparable. 
Q/Q2 is way better, there is no comparison. Just try them side by side. 
One is a marvel of German ergonomics. The other is a typical Japanese compact camera. 

My take, if you want a Leica, just buy the real deal : a made in Germany one. Otherwise you can buy any other very nice Japanese compact cameras : GR III, X100V, LX100 II, RX100 VII etc..:

No need to pay Leica tax 

Your right...they are not comparable.

Just like my Alfa Romeo Spider is not comparable to my Acura MDX (SUV).

But they both have their strengths.

Why can't you figure out that just because it doesn't say 'Made in Germany" it is not better for it's intended use????

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, nicci78 said:

I stand by what I said. 
Q is way better. Saying the contrary is weird. 
D-Lux 7 in 2023 is a subpar camera. Especially at its current outrageous price. 

You may think the contrary it is fine. OP ask for an advice. I gave mine. He won’t regret Q or Q2. But might with D-Lux 7 

OP can choose whichever he wants. Just don’t be fooled by the Leica badge upon a quite old Japanese compact camera with no real strengths (it is not pocketable and its sensor is quite small more akin to 1 inch than real m4/3) 

One more thing, D-Lux tiny EVF is a deal breaker. Q/Q2 EVF are once again way better, especially the Q2 one. 

The problem is that you are phrasing it as an absolute, a fact. Your post is fine when we consider it your own subjective opinion.

- a Q3 and D-LUX 7 owner

[GaryC]

So.....I bought a lightly used Q2 with Traveller Kit from Leica Manchester. They threw in SD card, few bits and a free one hour tutorial to get me going in the next few weeks too.

8 months old so comes with a warranty of 2yrs & 4months. Perfect condition. I've not even opened the box yet, but I'm like a child at Christmas with anticipation.

I'll post pictures once I get round to opening.

Thank you for all the advice!

Edited August 19, 2023 by GaryC

[LarsOtium]

You made the correct choice. Enjoy the camera.

[bobtodrick]

2 hours ago, GaryC said:

So.....I bought a lightly used Q2 with Traveller Kit from Leica Manchester. They threw in SD card, few bits and a free one hour tutorial to get me going in the next few weeks too.

8 months old so comes with a warranty of 2yrs & 4months. Perfect condition. I've not even opened the box yet, but I'm like a child at Christmas with anticipation.

I'll post pictures once I get round to opening.

Thank you for all the advice!

You haven’t opened it!!!

I wish I had your patience 😂

[CalStanford]

15 hours ago, bobtodrick said:

You haven’t opened it!!!

I wish I had your patience 😂

How does one get around to spending thousands of dollars for something new and then not 'get round to opening' yet have time to post about it on a web forum? 

I am genuinely so confused

[nicci78]

On 8/18/2023 at 7:02 PM, bobtodrick said:

Your right...they are not comparable.

Just like my Alfa Romeo Spider is not comparable to my Acura MDX (SUV).

But they both have their strengths.

Why can't you figure out that just because it doesn't say 'Made in Germany" it is not better for it's intended use????

Because not made in Germany Leica should not exist. If you want a Lumix, just buy a Panasonic, not an overpriced skinned version of a made in China camera with Leica tax. 
Ergonomics are so different that Lumix rebadge are not worthy of the red dot. 
That’s just the absolute truth : they are not real Leicas and never will. 
 

By the way D-Lux/LX100 are just an almost decade old camera born in 2014. 
They just got a minor update with a sensor swap in 2018.
Everything else is 2014 tech. 
 

For more clarity this is Leica compact cameras timeline :

Jun 2013 : X Vario 🇩🇪 
Sep 2013 : C 🇯🇵 
Sep 2014 : X 🇩🇪 D-Lux 🇯🇵 V-Lux 🇯🇵 
Jun 2015 : Q 🇩🇪 
Jan 2016 : X-U 🇩🇪 
Jun 2018 : C-Lux 🇨🇳
Nov 2018 : Q-P 🇩🇪 D-Lux 7 🇨🇳
Mar 2019 : Q2 🇩🇪
Jul 2019 : V-Lux 5 🇨🇳
Nov 2020 : Q2 Monochrom 🇩🇪
May 2023 : Q3 🇩🇪

D-Lux 7 is just a sensor swap. Otherwise it is the same as D-Lux. 
V-Lux 5 update is so minor that is almost the same camera as V-Lux. 

Edited August 20, 2023 by nicci78

[nicci78]

FYI : Lumix LX100 II seems to be discontinued. At least not available in France for a while. 
Same for Leica D-Lux 7. Leica stores did not have any stocks.
Most major french online stores have delisted both. 
 

[bobtodrick]

2 hours ago, nicci78 said:

Because not made in Germany Leica should not exist

 

1 hour ago, nicci78 said:

FYI : Lumix LX100 II seems to be discontinued. At least not available in France for a while. 
Same for Leica D-Lux 7. Leica stores did not have any stocks.
Most major french online stores have delisted both. 
 

BTW, you may want to temper your statement “Because not made in Germany Leica should not exist”.

Some lllg’s, M2’s, M4’s, the original Noctilux and the Series Vl Summicron were made in Canada.

[Le Chef]

3 hours ago, nicci78 said:

Because not made in Germany Leica should not exist.

Such a silly statement born out of either ignorance of QC these days, or racism.

QC (tough for you to understand maybe) means any company can control quality and failure rate wherever production takes place. Portugal and Japan seem to work pretty well for Leica…

[SrMi]

2 hours ago, bobtodrick said:

 

BTW, you may want to temper your statement “Because not made in Germany Leica should not exist”.

Some lllg’s, M2’s, M4’s, the original Noctilux and the Series Vl Summicron were made in Canada.

Some are still made in Portugal, and much of every Leica is made in Portugal. Quelle horreur!

[MindsEye]

On 8/14/2023 at 1:46 PM, GaryC said:

Newbie with Leica, but as mentioned above, I've had a good trench of experience with DSLR and SLR prior to that, such is my age. 

A mirrorless Canon or similar could be an option, but getting away from a multi-lens option is part of the driver. Learning something new is an another. The attraction of a Leica is yet another 😉

@GaryC, As always, ask two photographers, get three opinions 🤣 I started out as a serious hobbyist many decades ago and have been a full time photographer since 1985. I've owned more systems than I can count including Leica rangefinder film and digital along the way. Bottom line is that no-one can tell you what's best for YOU. The Q3 and D-Lux are very different. I own a Q3 and a long time ago had the D-Lux (Typ 109) which was a precursor to the D-Lux 7 (In 2015 I wrote a review of it.) The Q3 is my take-it-with-me-everywhere camera. Since getting it, I hardly shoot anything on my iPhone 13 Pro. I have full system cameras for the rest of my shooting. So having experience with both (sort of) here are some considerations that may help guide you along with some devils advocate thrown in:

I think first and foremost you want to ask yourself which type of camera you're going to enjoy using the most. If, for example, you pick up a used CL and a couple lenses, will you be willing to schlep around the gear? The D-Lux is very compact. On the flip side (vs Q3) the D-Lux 7 doesn't have a wonderful EVF and you might dislike viewing through it.

1. Is size and weight a high priority?

2. How important is the fact that the Q3 is better made? In other words if you dislike composing with a 28mm (about the same as the standard lens on the iPhone) without the optical zoom, who cares if it's "better" if you don't like using it.

3. What are you doing with the images? If you're not making fairly large prints, you're not likely to appreciate the the difference in image quality. Can you see it? Sure, but if you hang a vacation photo or family photo on the wall, are you going to walk up and scrutinize it from inches away?

4. Try to rank the importance of the red dot versus the manufacturing quality. That is D-Lux 7 vs Q3. Ninety nine percent of the people you'll run across while using your camera won't know one Leica from another IF they even know what a Leica is. However, YOU need to feel right about it also.

My personal feeling is there are different cameras for different purposes and I own multiple cameras and lenses, but I also do it for my living. If you just want one camera to carry around that will yield good images, pick the one best suited to your needs, desires, and budget.

So make your pros and cons list. Maybe buy the D-Lux 7 from a store with a liberal return policy or rent one if you can. The Q3 and D-Lux 7 are very different from each other so it's a tough comparison but perhaps the right ones for YOU to consider.

Good luck deciding!

Edited August 20, 2023 by MindsEye

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[GaryC]

On 8/19/2023 at 3:38 PM, bobtodrick said:

You haven’t opened it!!!

I wish I had your patience 😂

Life, not patience ;-)