Leica Digilux 2

Opinion: By now most people have read all about the D2 in the well known reviews at,

http://www.photo.net/equipment/leica/digilux2/

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/leica-digilux2-part1.shtml

http://reviews.cnet.com/4505-6501_7-30733386.html

so I won’t repeat all the wonderful features of the D2.

What I will say is that I now understand the intelligence of the EVF, there is no other way to present all the smart data to the photographer without an EVF. The magnified focusing box is a terrific concept that works very well for manual focusing.

The bounce flash that’s smart enough to increase it’s output during a bounce flash is very clever, and works beautifully, flash photo’s are beautiful using this feature.

The D2 sits very comfortably in the hands of those familiar with using analogue SLRs, (reminds me of my old Olympus OM4) and suits those who love to manually zoom, or adjust aperature/shutter without taking your eyes off the subject.

I’ve waited a long time to find the digital equivalent to the usability my OM4 and now I’ve found it in the D2. For years I’ve said to myself, that someone needs to make a digital camera with a big fat lens, thankyou Leica for achieving this. I could not bring myself to buy one of those new plastic high tech geekish digital SLRs that’s being churned out with mega megapixels, so I delayed my entry into digital as long as I could, fortunately the D2 meets all my criteria for photography (based on my award winning amateur photography experience).

Much has been written about the D2’s DOF, all I can say is use it as a strength, don’t make excuses and blame it as a weakness.

The D2 may look like a range finder camera, but after using it, one quickly realizes it’s a hybrid of RF-SLR (without the Reflex), so with no mirror bounce, it’s very smooth and quiet. I love it’s quietness and small size (relative to SLRs) is absolutely vital to reduce/remove any technology intimidation away from your subjects during a shoot.
It’s much lighter than an SLR too.

I can highly recommend the D2 to any serious photographer who enjoys the artistic side of his work to recognize that this tool will compliment and assist you in achieving the right shots. You don’t need to wade thru any menus to photograph digitally anymore.

And the best part is.... the Red Dot

Dugby, Perth - Australia

Opinion: This is probably the most underappreciated camera on the market at this time as evidenced by the lack of reviews. A real shame in my opinion. I am an avid amature and have a stable of cameras including Canon Gs, Elphs, S70, Nikon D100 and D2x (I probably have others I am not using at all). Make no mistake, this is a contender, still getting lots of use. This is not a "does all " camera. If you are a 100 ISO photographer and like to do portraits, I doubt you can beat this at any cost (Ok, the Panasonic version of same, perhaps). Being able to set the video monitor on B&W is huge for composition as well if this is your forte. The fast, razor sharp lens, very intuitave controls (the manual is almost unnecessary), and fantastic auto / Pre white balance set the tone. Great colors! The large LCD shows a lot more "picture" than the same sized display on the D2x which is a lot more meaningful than you might appreciate without seeing them. The built in bounce flash is unbelievable (this from a guy who can only seem to use a flash for outdoor fill otherwise), The minimal shutter lag, silent operation and light weight complete the outfit. Problems? Limited ISO range (100- 400) and too much noise at 400 (OK at 200 but not great), stupid "Macro" setting on the lens which can easily be activated without intent. Just try to get a 69 mm filter. LCD prone to scratches with no ability to place a plastic cover. Marginal supplied software. AF good, but no batter than others excapt in low light. Further, this is really intended as a "mostly manual" camera and, as such may be disappointing if you prefer "set it and forget it" photography.

Don't be fooled by the 5 mp label, though; this will keep up with cameras of higher nominal resolution (maybe not on scientific analysis but certaingly subjectively in even a blinded fasion). I did not expect the lens to be much of an issue as we are still well below 35 mm resolution (according to numbers, Bayer, Nyquist etc.) but this camera/ lens seem at times to be supernatural. I set most of my cameras on tripods one afternoon to photograph a group of flowers of many colors and sizes in mixed natural and incandescent lighthing. I used multiple techniques from auto through fully manual and RAW, then blew them up to 8.5X11. Although the D2x had a slight advantage in resloution, I was only able to beat the Leica when fully manual and with a wide range of WB attempts. Don't get me wrong, buy the D2x if you can and if you want a "does all camera (except "fits in my pocket'," but portaits and indoor photos as well as tripod mounted landscapes still belong to this device in my houshold as it just takes less work to get the images where I want.

Why did I go Leica instead of the sexier Panasonic?

1.Family history of Leicas dating back to the IIIf
2.Delusions that resale might be better if the camera wasn't any good
3.German sirname?

If you have the bucks and already own a workhorse DSLR, don't overlook this camera. Leica did a lot of homework on this one. Although it misses the mark in some respects, it is so spectacurlar in others that it diserves a long, hard look.

Opinion: E' la miglior bridge camera esistente. Ha dimensioni, stile e raffinatezza di una Leica M. Intuitiva nell'utilizzo, soddisfa tutti: amatori evoluti, professionisti, feticisti del bollino rosso di Solms. L'obiettivo è il massimo, e costa anche poco per quello che offre. Sono molto pentito di averla venduta, vorrei ricomprarla ma è introvabile. E nel mercato dell'usato mantiene una valutazione che nessuna altra digitale ha.

Opinion: Every camera is a compromise between many different options but the D2 comes 99% close to what I’m expecting. It feels like a camera (not a plastic piece of junk looking like black metal) and you use it like a real camera, not a PC with a build-in lens and menus in stead of controls.
The fast Summicron lens is so wonderful, pictures are sharp and natural. It’s worth every Euro.