Email from Leica on D-Lux 3...

[PaulG]

I emailed Leica asking how the D-Lux 3 would differ from the Panasonic LX2, noting the LX2 review posted on this site.

Here is what they wrote me:

"Sorry for the delay in answering, I have not been in the office on a regular schedule this week.
It is true that Panasonic does have a similar model. The 2 cameras not only look slightly different, but the basic settings in the firmware of the cameras are different. The option in the "Image Settings" of the camera is clearly different and adapted to the needs of the Leica customer. The true to life reproduction of skin tones and realistioc colors are the main attention-getter.

The D Lux 3 will be packaged with Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, and a 64MB SD memory card. The warranty is 2 years. You will have to check with Panasonic to see how their camera is packaged."

Unfortunately I still have no idea if the Leica tweaking will improve the loss of detail vs. noise problems of the LX2.

Too bad they can't combine the LX2 with the Fuji image processing. :) Then they'd have one amazing little camera.

[Riley]

i can throw a little light on this, back when LC-1 was released with Digilux 2 some differences in the firmware were noted, as was the Leica Warranty which showed a good deal more grace than Panasonics. When pressed about those differences, a US based Leica representative answered the following in an email.

The obvious difference between the two unequal sisters is without a doubt the unique design of the LEICA DIGLUX 2. Leica is a welcome change from the mainstream "Japanese design". The design is reminiscent of the M System cameras and therefore easily fits into the Leica range. The clear arrangement of all operating elements makes handling this camera extremely simple and is very quick to learn. It is important to know that the two camera models provide very different picture results. This is due to the different settings on the internal camera software, responsible for the contrast, the color saturation and edge definition. The three factors can be set to three different stages (Low - Standard - High) on the camera. Leica has deliberately agreed to a more neutral setting here. Our Standard setting therefore corresponds to Panasonic's Low setting. The Panasonic Lumix cameras cannot reach our Low setting. The point of this is that dedicated photographers prefer to process their images afterwards in Photoshop. To do this they need as neutral an image as possible from the camera. If the image from the camera has been defined too strongly or if the color saturation is too high, this is naturally much more difficult to correct afterwards. Customer who do not want to post-edit their images can individualize their shots with the appropriate camera settings for focus, color and contrast. Furthermore, with Adobe Photoshop Elements and ACDSee we supply software with an excellent reputation with the camera.

The Panasonic model comes with Arc Software and a 16MB SD card. The Digilux 2 comes with a 64MB SD card. We have a 3 year warranty, I don't know what the LC1 warranty is.

***********************************

so as you can see the differences are subtle.


Riley

[PaulG]

So basically, at the end of the day, it's still the same Venus III engine. Still the loss of detail vs. noise issues. Maybe just slightly less processed jpegs, mainly in terms of color, but the overall quality will be comparable, as well as the same overall low light performance.

So for people hoping the Leica version would amount to a "fixed" version of the LX2, probably not going to be the case.

Damn.

[Riley]

hi Paul
yes thats my understanding
best not throw caution to the wind and wait and see
i think many people are waiting on reports about V-Lux-1, just some weeks away
which will give a better indication of how well or otherwise things are going
but basicly the Leica version is just a rebadged Panasonic with some detail differences and better warranty

Riley

[CptOfGondor]

I emailed Leica asking how the D-Lux 3 would differ from the Panasonic LX2, noting the LX2 review posted on this site.

Here is what they wrote me:

"Sorry for the delay in answering, I have not been in the office on a regular schedule this week.
It is true that Panasonic does have a similar model. The 2 cameras not only look slightly different, but the basic settings in the firmware of the cameras are different. The option in the "Image Settings" of the camera is clearly different and adapted to the needs of the Leica customer. The true to life reproduction of skin tones and realistioc colors are the main attention-getter.

The D Lux 3 will be packaged with Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, and a 64MB SD memory card. The warranty is 2 years. You will have to check with Panasonic to see how their camera is packaged."

Unfortunately I still have no idea if the Leica tweaking will improve the loss of detail vs. noise problems of the LX2.

Too bad they can't combine the LX2 with the Fuji image processing. :) Then they'd have one amazing little camera.

Or pull a FoveonX3. LoL

[pablo_lie]

...I did get a Leica D-Lux 3. I obviously have not used it as much as I should have before expressing a more educated public opinion, however I must say preliminary test shots show stunning detail. Whether that'll stay the case consistently I can not say yet - but lack of detail doesn't seem to be a totally generic trait of the D-Lux 3 that applies to every shot.

After I put the camera through the motions a bit more I'll post an opinion. I simply like the Leica approach to manual settings on digital cameras a lot, with all its flaws -the famed noise issue- the Digilux 1 has been a camera that has entertained me a lot (and which I have taken maginficant pictures with) because of its easy ability to introduce more creativity into digital photography, something I missed from the film days...

The D-Lux 3 has not kept the same user IF, though, so it remains to be seen whether it'll engage me to the same extent. It certainly is a good looking camera. :-)

[FREDO RIDER]

I went to a camera store last week, put one of my own memory card inside the new D-Lux 3 and took 2 same pictures. One set at 100 ISO and the second at 400 ISO just to see the noise level back home on my computer.
I find the result very satisfying, better than what I was expecting.
Compare the review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 done by Jeff Keller the 400 ISO shot with the D-Lux 3 is way less noisy and sharper than the 400 shot of the DMC-LX2.
My choice is made and I'm very exited about it.
Cheers.

[FREDO RIDER]

Here I cropped the same area of both pictures, to show you the difference.
So you can judge by yourself.

the 100 ISO
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l320/fredosf/Photo%20Test/LeicaD-Lux3100ISO.jpg

the 400 ISO
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l320/fredosf/Photo%20Test/LeicaD-Lux3_400ISO.jpg

Cheers.

[gary_hendricks]

I’m glad to see that somebody took some time out to send them an email however I do find their reply a bit confusing. I know that they cannot tell us about the other company’s camera but I would think that they would have done a better job of trying to sell you their camera. Personally, I have seen the Leica in action and really like it. It offers razor sharp imaging and is very easy to use, so easy that I honestly believe that even a beginner photographer could take some really nice photos with this camera. Unfortunately I haven’t seen the other camera in use so I am unable to say for sure how easy it is to use, how good the photographs are and if it would be recommended for a beginner photographer. I would really like to see how the images look in comparison to one another though.

[kaia]

Has anyone made an attempt to install D-Lux3 firmware onto the LX2?

By all accounts it seems settings in the software are the only difference between these two cameras, in which case their firmware might be interchangeable. Which would be very cool...

[Riley]

not really, in the first place it cant be done
read above how the low panasonic setting = the leicas normal
shooting RAW they are the same


Riley