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Making the most out of my D lux 3


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I just received a D lux 3 for x-mas, which is something that I am very excited about. I know that this forum is full of mainly professional photographers, so I think I am the minority. Im actually a starting web/graphic designer and think that learning how to take great pictures could greatly help my career, and is something that I find personally very interesting. So that brings me to the question, what suggestions do you have to someone in my position? How exactly do I make the most out of my D lux 3? Im hoping that this can not only help me but anyone else who is a starting photographer (professional or just hobby.)

 

What Ive compiled so far:

1) Shoot in raw and let the newest Adobe updates decode (if using photoshop).

2) Lower the noise reduction to 1 or zero if possible and then use noiseNinja for the actual reduction.

 

So I would love to hear from other users and know what else they would suggest.

Thanks!

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Set the OIS to setting #2. Get yourself a Sandisk eXtreme III SDHC card- it'll lower raw write times to around 3.5 seconds. Always shoot RAW. Forget ISO 1600. The rest of the ISO settings are fab, tho'. Even ISO 800 produces great pictures. Use LightZone or iPhoto or Aperture to process the RAW files.

 

Bask in the sharpness of the lens and the film-grain-like noise of the files. Oskar would be proud.

 

Here's some of my shots with the D-Lux 3.

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  • 2 months later...

Bask in the sharpness of the lens and the film-grain-like noise of the files. Oskar would be proud.

Maggie, you´re absolutely right. My wife recently bought a D-Lux 3 and took it on a trip to China. (China - a photoset on Flickr) I´m absolutely impressed by the quality of the pictures, although she only shot in JPG. Even prints in 20cm x 30 cm are really good.

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Set the OIS to setting #2. Get yourself a Sandisk eXtreme III SDHC card- it'll lower raw write times to around 3.5 seconds. Always shoot RAW. Forget ISO 1600. The rest of the ISO settings are fab, tho'. Even ISO 800 produces great pictures. Use LightZone or iPhoto or Aperture to process the RAW files.

 

Bask in the sharpness of the lens and the film-grain-like noise of the files. Oskar would be proud.

 

Here's some of my shots with the D-Lux 3.

 

I like the shot of the Enterprise. :-)

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Take a look at this site:

 

Leica D-Lux 3 Photography by Jim Radcliffe

 

Most impressive. I have a D-Lux 2; is the 3 much improved? I was thinking of lugging my M8 and a couple of 'crons up Kilimanjaro later this year, but looking at this I am not sure if the little Lux would't be sufficient.

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Most impressive. I have a D-Lux 2; is the 3 much improved? I was thinking of lugging my M8 and a couple of 'crons up Kilimanjaro later this year, but looking at this I am not sure if the little Lux would't be sufficient.

 

This is the publication by my friend Bruce, who did the Kilimanjaro "climb"

<http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/181_11_061204/rob10752_fm.html>

 

I suspect given the current M8 battery saga,..... it's gunna be another "Space Shuttle Launch" scenario.....

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This is the publication by my friend Bruce, who did the Kilimanjaro "climb"

<http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/181_11_061204/rob10752_fm.html>

 

I suspect given the current M8 battery saga,..... it's gunna be another "Space Shuttle Launch" scenario.....

 

Thank you for the link. As to Space Shuttle I am taking an MP too as back-up though judging by an article on cold weather photography in BJP last week brittle film is no less a problem than battery failure!

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I'm a long-time Leicaphile who, out of economic necessity, shoots digitally with a Canon 40D these days (yes, I'd love an M8, but...).

 

The big Canon is, however, unwieldy as an everyday travel camera -- especially because my wife and I travel most frequently on our motorcycles. For her, I got a tiny and very capable Canon PowerShot SD1000. I chose -- naturally -- a Leica D-Lux 3 as my traveling companion. For the most part, I'm very happy with the little Leica and the fine images it produces but I do miss having an optical viewfinder. While shooting from the LCD is fine for static subjects and careful compositions, I find it darned near impossible to use in bright sunlight and for action capture. So, I'm experimenting with a very simple, totally reversible modification. I've attached an economical "TELE-WIDE" viewfinder from an eBay seller to the Leica top plate. It's secured with a removable Scotch Clear Mounting Square -- a double-sided adhesive coated piece of transparent vinyl.

 

The viewfinder, while optically crude, works nicely. Its "Wide" brightline frame corresponds almost precisely with the Vario Elmarit's 4.9mm wide angle setting while the "Tele" frame approximates the lens about halfway into its maximum zoom range. It's no substitute for TTL viewing, but it works just fine for following and snapping action shots.

 

Since the cheap viewfinder works so well, I'm now planning to install the tiny Voigtlander 28/35mm viewfinder in its place, perhaps in a more permanent fashion.

 

I'll post some photos soon from a current work-related photo assignment.

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