sparkie Posted April 23, 2009 Share #1 Posted April 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) For those that are interested, thought I'd post some quick and initial impressions about the camera and accessories etc. Purely just the kit, no pictures at this stage (battery still charging!). These are just very first impressions from taking it out of the box along with a few Leica accessories that I got with it. I ordered the standard black version. 1. BUILD: Very nice build quality. It feels solid and the finish is pretty much identical to my black M8. It feels more pro than toy. 2. SIZE: Its a good size, but not what I consider "pocketable" as the lens protrudes out a fair centimeter. Bummer, as I wanted a really flat camera to slide in my pocket/jeans. So not as compact as my Ricoh GRD. So I'm tempted to say this is somewhere between a truly pocketable camera and my M8. 3. WEIGHT: Its light but with enough weight to feel "weighty" and feel like its made of quality materials. It doesn't feel cheap and light. So very happy in this department. 4. STYLING: very simple styling. It's clean without extra adornments like the LX3. The red dot still sucks but b/c its small I can live with it or tape it over 5. HANDGRIP: ok this is pretty nice, but expensive IMHO. so whats new with Leica accessories? LOL. One gripE is that you have to take it off to change batteries and SD card. I'm spoilt with the M8 design I guess, where the M8 grip completely replaces the baseplate so you gain immediate access to the battery and card. Maybe a detachable base design for D-Lux 5 Leica/stefan? 6. LENS CAP: What the? whats with this. I really wished Leica could have designed an auto-cover for the lens. There are going to be thousands of lost lens caps guaranteed. Next (related) gripe.. 7. LENS CAP STRING: this is a catch 22. its kinda practical, yet impractical! so its there so you don't lose it. yet it dangles and is extremely annoying. May have to look into that lens cap mod... Edit: Forgot to mention mine was missing from the box 8. LENS: Kool F2.0 cron. now that is awesome. a fast lens in such a small camera. and only up to 2.8 ( a major plus) when at the longest focal length. great! -- cant wait to shoot with it. i think this is one of the biggest selling points about this camera. 9. BUTTONS/INTERFACE: looks well laid out on 1st look. but will get a real idea after a bit of use. i did read people wishing there was more manual dial like Iso settings 10. FLASH: whats with the button? - more opportunities to be inadvertantly/accidentally pushed. 11. STRAP: umm, does the job. but a bit fiddly. could be less bulky/easier to wrap around camera and transport 12. BATTERY CHARGER: I like small and compact. pity no built in detachable prong heads like the M8 charger. so u dont need to travel with a cumbersome/space grabbing power lead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 23, 2009 Posted April 23, 2009 Hi sparkie, Take a look here D-Lux 4: First impressions > out of the box. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ldm92 Posted April 24, 2009 Share #2 Posted April 24, 2009 Just got mine and my impressions are very similar. 2. SIZE: Its a good size, but not what I consider "pocketable" as the lens protrudes out a fair centimeter. Bummer, as I wanted a really flat camera to slide in my pocket/jeans. So not as compact as my Ricoh GRD. So I'm tempted to say this is somewhere between a truly pocketable camera and my M8. Yes, this bummed me too; now looking for a lightweight pouch to protect the lcd and keep out dust whilst carrying in my pockets. 6. LENS CAP: What the? whats with this. I really wished Leica could have designed an auto-cover for the lens. There are going to be thousands of lost lens caps guaranteed. Next (related) gripe.. Yes, auto lens cover would have been nice; however coming from an slr world, this doesn't bother me too much. 7. LENS CAP STRING: this is a catch 22. its kinda practical, yet impractical! so its there so you don't lose it. yet it dangles and is extremely annoying. May have to look into that lens cap mod... Edit: Forgot to mention mine was missing from the box Not going to use the string. Have always found dangling lens caps to be annoying and have always removed them from purchased used lenses. Btw, my string was taped to the outside of the cable bag; in case you missed it. 11. STRAP: umm, does the job. but a bit fiddly. could be less bulky/easier to wrap around camera and transport Same thoughts as well; now looking for thin wrist strap. 12. BATTERY CHARGER: I like small and compact. pity no built in detachable prong heads like the M8 charger. so u dont need to travel with a cumbersome/space grabbing power lead. Huh? mine has flip-out prongs, no leads. Only fired a few test shots but already my overall impression is that this is an awesome little camera! Have always shot RAW, but the out-of-camera jpegs from this litte wonder are amazing, so will shoot RAW + jpg with this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted April 24, 2009 Just got mine and my impressions are very similar.Btw, my string was taped to the outside of the cable bag; in case you missed it. thanks for the heads up. yeh i found it. very inconspicous place to attach it to! Huh? mine has flip-out prongs, no leads. Mine definitely is different did you get one of the earlier units? whats your S/N range. mine looks just like the one pictured in the manual. you need a power cable to hook it to your country's power point Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldm92 Posted April 24, 2009 Share #4 Posted April 24, 2009 thanks for the heads up. yeh i found it. very inconspicous place to attach it to! Glad you found it. Mine definitely is different did you get one of the earlier units? whats your S/N range. mine looks just like the one pictured in the manual. you need a power cable to hook it to your country's power point Mine looks almost identical to the one in the manual, except without the power lead socket on the bottom. Instead it has flip-out prongs on the underside near top right. Its model # is BC-0C4-U; serial # K8000314DC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted April 24, 2009 Mine looks almost identical to the one in the manual, except without the power lead socket on the bottom. Instead it has flip-out prongs on the underside near top right. Its model # is BC-0C4-U; serial # K8000314DC. we have DIFFERENT chargers My model No. is BC-DC4-E (E=Europe), S/N J8006101DC... which leads me to think yours is newer? from the latter prefix in your S.N. When did you get your D-Lux 4? Here a grab from my manual.. Whats the dimensions of your charger btw? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/83029-d-lux-4-first-impressions-out-of-the-box/?do=findComment&comment=880293'>More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted April 24, 2009 Share #6 Posted April 24, 2009 This 'difference' is due to different charger being supplied in different markets. Many manufacturers supply chargers with flip-out prongs for US market goods. See the note on the manual page that you posted about 'If outside USA' regarding connecting a power lead. Don't worry Sparkie, you haven't got an old model, just one for a different market. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted April 24, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) ok thanks for the clarification Nicole Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted April 24, 2009 Share #8 Posted April 24, 2009 ...6. LENS CAP: What the? whats with this. I really wished Leica could have designed an auto-cover for the lens. There are going to be thousands of lost lens caps guaranteed. Next (related) gripe. .... Sparkie, Check out this thread about using the Ricoh LC-1 lens cap instead, which doesn't need to be removed so it won't get lost. I've been using one for a while and I just wouldn't go back to the standard cap. The Ricoh cap is available quite cheaply through Amazon. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted April 29, 2009 thanks Pete. I posted about the same thing above. so is it worth it? bit concerned the double-sided tape would with the backing side would eventually come off, smearing the side of the lens with glue residue Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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