Essential accesories for Digilux 2

[pigorini]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

hi! I am a new enthusiast owner of a Digilux 2. I was delighted by the wonderfull site dedicated to Digilux 2 by Th. Overgaard (leica.overgaard.dk) and I would now acquire every essential accessory for this camera. After a long trip around WEB and a direct contact with Luigi Crescenzi in Rome (where I live) I have found the original leather case in eBay and I am now waiting for it (from Israel). What are the other possible chances to join other must to have accessories to this camera, Leica original or not? What about flash: is it better the SF or the CF and so on...

Thanks

[Advertisement]

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

[rjans]

Congrats with your D2 and welcome to the forum.

A spare battery is usefull.

Concerning a flash: I already owned a Leica SF 24 flash (from my CM). I have tried it on the D2 and it works fine, but I hardly use a flash. I like to take pictures without flash. The build in is not very powerfull but it has the advantage that is can be bounced.

Very nice is the Elpro-D macro lens (not easy to find). I also bought a cable release (not an original Leica or Panasonic).

Enjoy your camera.

Best

[audidudi]

If you're really committed to this camera, a Panasonic DMW-LW69 wide-angle converter may be something you wish to consider acquiring. They are still available new from Panasonic and some dealers, but if you're patient, used ones turn up on eBay every now and then, and can sometimes be had for very attractive prices. I don't use mine very often, but when I need it, there's no substitute...

 

 

Besides the extra battery (or batteries ... I typically carry two or three spares with me), a polarizer filter is sometimes useful as is an ND filter. These can be a little hard to find with a 69mm filter thread, but they do exist and, again, can sometimes be found on eBay at bargain prices. If you don't have it, the remote shutter release is handy to have around as well...

[pigorini]

Thank You Rijians and Audidudi. I saw in several forums and sites this special option for filters; ELDO, polarizer and ND, but wich is the exact function of these items? Specially ELDO and ND are not so clear... despite their effective price I mean!

[doubice]

Superb camera - if a digital can become a classic collectible, the Digilux 2 is it! I agree with all the above accessory suggestions; there actually were not that many available for the Digilux or its Panasonic equivalent. I would also like to see a telephoto accessory lens as I find the 90mm rather limiting but, I don't believe one was ever offered by any manufacturer. If you do a careful framing check with the Digilux 2, you'll find that the wide setting is actually closer to 24mm and the 90mm setting is closer to 80mm, compared to a 35mm full frame camera.

 

I just found another sweet item - a hard acrylic protector for the LCD. I never liked the thin plastic film, this one fits the camera perfectly - I bought three; one for the Digilux 2, one for the M8 and one to replace the one on a Canon G7. The 2.5" size is ideal for all the above! Sure beats paying $800 for the Sapphire glas upgrade! Here is the link:

 

ACMAXX 2.5" HARD LCD ARMOR PROTECTOR - SONY A100 DSLR - eBay (item 230322556634 end time Feb-05-09 12:56:45 PST)

 

Best,

 

Jan

[farnz]

I saw in several forums and sites this special option for filters; ELDO, polarizer and ND, but wich is the exact function of these items? Specially ELDO and ND are not so clear... despite their effective price I mean!

I can't help you with the ELDO (unless you mean Elpro-D) but a polariser cuts glare from shiny surfaces, helps to saturate colours, and can make blue skies bluer, while a ND is a Neutral Density filter that cuts down brightness on very bright days so you can use a larger aperture - it's like sunglasses for your lens.

 

Pete.

[whorg]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Filters - ND, Pol, UV

Stronger/bigger flash

Luigi case

Tripod

Shutter release cable

2GB SD cards

 

~jk

[Overgaard]

I would say the most essential things are:

Cable release (Panasonic's will work as well)

Elpro-D close-up (if you can get it) is a remarkable piece of glass and easy to use.

A Leica M strap that is more compact than the original Digilux 2 strap.

A back-up Digilux 2 (everybody seem to have one ;-) (and then you have spare batteries and spare charger as well)

 

 

The ND filter, I have one, is for Saudis or other places where the sun shines bright. Might be handy in Italy some days. But where I'm living, winter time of year is 100 ISO, f/2, 1/60 second so I don't need any filter to bring down the light ;-)

 

There was a tele converter at some point from Olympus or Panasonic that would work, but apart from the price being in the range of 5-800$ is was huge and would only make the 90mm into 135mm or thereabout. I would get one though if I could find one at a reasonable price, just for the heck of it.

 

As for flash, the D2 is not a flash camera. You can shoot handheld at 1/4 and 1/8 second which will include many dark places even at 100 ISO (parties and such are usually 100 ISO 1/4 - 1/15, concerts 100 ISO 1/60 second or faster). Apart from the light a flash provides, it also ruins the silence of the Digilux 2 operation.

[pigorini]

I can't help you with the ELDO (unless you mean Elpro-D) but a polariser cuts glare from shiny surfaces, helps to saturate colours, and can make blue skies bluer, while a ND is a Neutral Density filter that cuts down brightness on very bright days so you can use a larger aperture - it's like sunglasses for your lens.

 

Pete.

 

Dear Pete,

thanks for the easy and effective suggestions on filters. I failed the exact name of Elpro-D not ELDO...). Could you tell some more about it (macro?)

[pigorini]

Dear Mr. Overgaard,

with all my compliments for your site on Digilux 2 (I bought it for your suggestions) and many thanks for the answer, could I ask you something more about this mythical Elpro-D? May be I need it for portraits, that is my hobby (except professional field, archaeology, that it's not the better place for a Leica...)?

Thanks

[Overgaard]

Thanks.

 

The Elpro-D is for close-up. I don't remember how close, but it's like 1:1 and stuff like that which means the max viewing field is probably half a face. So the Elpro-D is great if you want to go real close and photograph textures, flowers, etc.

 

But you can use the normal macro setting on the lens for portraits. The only difference from the normal setting is that you get DOF (Depth Of Field), unsharp background.

[audidudi]

The ND filter, I have one, is for Saudis or other places where the sun shines bright. Might be handy in Italy some days. But where I'm living, winter time of year is 100 ISO, f/2, 1/60 second so I don't need any filter to bring down the light ;-)

 

FYI, the ND filter also comes in quite handy in Arizona, where I live, even during the winter. Without it, I would often be forced to shoot at f/8 or smaller apertures or at 1/1000th or faster shutter speeds, both of which take away somewhat from the D2's signature "look."

 

Obviously, though, if you live somewhere that the sun doesn't shine 340+ days each year, it may not be as essential for you as for me.

[audidudi]

But you can use the normal macro setting on the lens for portraits. The only difference from the normal setting is that you get DOF (Depth Of Field), unsharp background.

 

It was my understanding the maco setting only allows you to focus slightly closer than the normal setting and Panasonic/Leica offered the two positions because allowing the lens to focus more closely has the effect of slightly slowing down its ability to focus at more normal distances. At non-macro distances, the images should look identical regardless of which setting is used, but I confess I've never checked this. Has this not been the case in your experience?

[Overgaard]

My experience is that set at Macro, I get out-of-focus normal distances. But I'll check what you say as it would be nice if that was the case (problem is that Macro setting often gives green light (for focus) on non-macro distances as well; so one can easily get fooled. Which is why I recommend, if one use Macro for portraits, doing a series at normal as well, because you can't fell from the green focus-confirmation if it's in focus or not - and you won't really notice before you look at a real screen. Checking at the small screen on the back of the camera you might think everything is sharp and nice. So do two series to make sure).

[Overgaard]

My experience is that set at Macro, I get out-of-focus normal distances. But I'll check what you say as it would be nice if that was the case (problem is that Macro setting often gives green light (for focus) on non-macro distances as well; so one can easily get fooled. Which is why I recommend, if one use Macro for portraits, doing a series at normal as well, because you can't fell from the green focus-confirmation if it's in focus or not - and you won't really notice before you look at a real screen. Checking at the small screen on the back of the camera you might think everything is sharp and nice. So do two series to make sure).