My New D-Lux 4 and Canon G-10

[Tenor1]

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After reading the Leica e-mail asking us to support our local dealers I bought a G4. Well not really, it was plannted before that. It is a fabulous camera, just as people here stated. I also have a Canon G-10 but after one day of shooting prefer the G4 over it. The Canon is very good but there is no comparison with low-light shooting. I sing in a lot of church concerts and that type of low light is a lot of my shooting (along with aquariums).

 

The Canon has some underwater and aquarium settings that do a great job for me. I'll play around with the D4 to see how it compares.

 

Regards,

Carlos Marques

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[george_b]

I look forward to reading your comparisons since i am thinking about buying one or the other of these two cameras.

[wda]

Yes, Carlos, do let us see your comparison pictures, particularly under the demanding lighting conditions you describe. (I presume we should read 'D4' - meaning 'DLux4 - for 'G4'?

[Tenor1]

Sorry for the confusion, I do mean D-Lux 4 and Canon G-10. I'll bring both cameras to midnight mass on Christmas. My sister can take pictures of me performing Sheep May Safely Graze on the recorder.

 

Regards,

Carlos Marques

[sandymc]

For what its worth, I chose the G10 purely on handling - specifically that it has a button that can programmed to do a dedicated "autofocus now and lock" only, separate to the exposure lock button. It allows me use the G10 the way I use a RF - focus first, then compose. Maybe the D-Lux can do the same, but after spending an hour with one, I couldn't work out how.....so the G10 it was

 

Sandy

[Gift]

For what its worth, I chose the G10 purely on handling - specifically that it has a button that can programmed to do a dedicated "autofocus now and lock" only, separate to the exposure lock button. It allows me use the G10 the way I use a RF - focus first, then compose. Maybe the D-Lux can do the same, but after spending an hour with one, I couldn't work out how.....so the G10 it was

 

Sandy

 

 

I think it works just the same as in a Reflex. Just half press the shutter button, autofocus will work, then compose while you are midpressing the button, then compose and finally press the shutter button down completly.

At least so it works on my D-Lux 4.

[sdommin]

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For what its worth, I chose the G10 purely on handling - specifically that it has a button that can programmed to do a dedicated "autofocus now and lock" only, separate to the exposure lock button. It allows me use the G10 the way I use a RF - focus first, then compose. Maybe the D-Lux can do the same, but after spending an hour with one, I couldn't work out how.....so the G10 it was

 

The D-Lux4 has an AF/AE Lock button right next to the joystick. You can set it to lock focus, exposure, or both at the same time.

[sandymc]

I think it works just the same as in a Reflex. Just half press the shutter button, autofocus will work, then compose while you are midpressing the button, then compose and finally press the shutter button down completly.

At least so it works on my D-Lux 4.

 

The D-Lux4 has an AF/AE Lock button right next to the joystick. You can set it to lock focus, exposure, or both at the same time.

 

Trying to keep shutter buttons half pressed while I compose causes sense of humor failure on my part, and I find separate FL and AE buttons far easier to work with - basically, I'm a one button per function sort of a person. But that's me - others will probably have no issues with combined buttons.

 

Sandy

[ho_co]

Sandy--I think the D-Lux 4 works in a way you would be happy with.

 

Yes, it has AF/AE lock, and with menu functions, AF and AE can be separated.

 

Yes, you can keep the release half depressed.

 

And of course, you can focus it manually as well.

 

 

 

But here's the sweet spot:

 

Set it to manual focus using the lever on left of lens mount (manual--AF--AF macro).

 

Point it where you want to focus and press the "focus" button right beside the zoom lever and shutter release. That turns on AF until you lift your finger, at which point the focus stays set until you either press the "focus" button again, focus manually using the joystick or return the camera to AF mode.

 

(The camera also has a programmable "Fn" button, but I haven't looked at that yet.)

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[bill]

But here's the sweet spot:

 

Set it to manual focus using the lever on left of lens mount (manual--AF--AF macro).

 

Point it where you want to focus and press the "focus" button right beside the zoom lever and shutter release. That turns on AF until you lift your finger, at which point the focus stays set until you either press the "focus" button again, focus manually using the joystick or return the camera to AF mode.

 

Woo-hah!

 

Thanks for this, Howard. Mine arrived yesterday and I am only just starting to play with it. This is a great tip (you can tell I haven't read the manual ) Thank you.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[sandymc]

Set it to manual focus using the lever on left of lens mount (manual--AF--AF macro).

 

Point it where you want to focus and press the "focus" button right beside the zoom lever and shutter release. That turns on AF until you lift your finger, at which point the focus stays set until you either press the "focus" button again, focus manually using the joystick or return the camera to AF mode.

 

(The camera also has a programmable "Fn" button, but I haven't looked at that yet.)

 

Hmm, thanks Howard - I guess it was the bit about needing to set Manual before the focus button did what I wanted that I missed. Need to get hold a D-Lux 4 and try again....

 

Sandy

[farnz]

Woo-hah!

 

Thanks for this, Howard. Mine arrived yesterday and I am only just starting to play with it. This is a great tip (you can tell I haven't read the manual ) Thank you.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

To add to Howard's post, in AF mode, if you depress the focus button once then you can manually move the autofocus 'target' around the screen to wherever you want using the arrow keys. Turning the camera off and on returns the target to the centre of the screen.

 

 

Another tip I found very useful is that you can preselect which function your down arrow key normally performs from:

 

Picture review (default)

Film mode

ISO

WB

Metering mode

AF mode

Intelligent exposure (automatically adjusts contrast and exposure when there is a significant difference in the brightness of subject and background).

 

Personally I like being able to access ISO through a single button. (This might be Howard's Fn button actually. )

 

Pete.