PHOTOSTRUT: Leica's and such
NateBizzo
2,328 Posts
Hi,I just got a new Leica D Lux 4 digi cam and I was wondering if anybody on Soulstrut has one. If so what type of stuff have you been shooting and do you have any special tricks or techniques that you'd be willing to share.I know getting photography insight on a "hip-hop / race relations / politics" messageboard is a long shot, but I thought I'd throw it out there.
I'm headed to Alaska next week for some crazy 
type of stuff so I figured that is when this camera will get its official work out.Any insight is appreciated.
I'm headed to Alaska next week for some crazy type of stuff so I figured that is when this camera will get its official work out.Any insight is appreciated.
Comments
Do you know what the main diff between the D-lux3 and 4 is?? I'm curious to know.
Anyway, before you go on your trip, play around with all the manual functions. If you're really into the short depth of field biz, you can only get so much w/the manual functions and focusing...not quite like a DSLR, but it can come in handy at times, and it's helpful to know how to do it ahead of time rather than figure it out when you're trying to capture a moment (I had many stupid moments trying clumsily how to figure out shit on the fly!)
Also, you might want to try to mess around with some of the settings like Baby 1, Baby 2 (!!!!!!!!!!), food, candle, etc...so that you know how they alter the exposure. I've used Baby plenty of times when babies were nowhere in sight...
Have fun and don't be one of those lazy-ass people who get Leicas just to show off that they have the $$$ to buy a Leica but end up taking the same photos you can get on a Canon Powershot!! I'm assuming you got it to take advantage of the many manual functions that the camera offers that many p&s cameras don't!
This case is sexy too, but $$$ just for the case.
May I also suggest that when shooting in snow, switch to spot metering mode rather than one of the evaluative metering modes if it supports it. Or bump the exposure compensation up a little. The whiteness of snow tends to leave your photos a little under exposed at times.
I considered getting one last year, but probably would have gone for the Panasonic, as chungtech said, they seem to be the same camera and you pay extra for the red dot.
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What I really want is the a digi version of my old Nikon F SLR, without it being bulky, ugly, and having to feel like you need to learn a knew language to figure out how to program it.
The Leica/Panasonics seem to be the closest thing to that. I might still get one when I have the ????.
Kinda small and portable, although not as compact as the leica, but the options and photo quality are kinda bonkers. Not cheap though...
Seriously, though. If there was such a thing, it would be always on. Pick up a Photo 101 book, or a "How to take better pictures with your digital" book, or do some innerweb searchin'. There's no trick to taking better photos other than to understand the basics of camera controls and especially lighting.
Things to search for on the internet:
Depth of Field
Open Shade
Long Exposures
ISO Settings
Macro Photography
Read your manual to find out about Saturation Control, White Balance, and Manual Controls.
And..... sick camera!
I have a D Lux 3 and think its totally overrated. The pictures are noisy or overly sharp. Paid 600 bones for the thing and just never felt it. I gave it to my wife and she loves it.
Me, I would rather shoot Canon 5D or iPhone with the Camera Bag app (if I want to be compact.)
You sound rich. (or in debt)
Could the "noisy or overly sharp" problem not be compensated for by adjusting the settings, or format? If there's one thing you'd expect Leica to get right it would be that.
The 5D costs 5 times as much as the d-lux, so it should take better quality pictures. But thats a large sum of $$ to spend on something that most people are just going to use to take holiday pictures and photos of their kids.
I have one of these and I actually found it on Craiglist. Reduced quite a bit, with sexy case. Almost left it in Brooks Brothers while trying on a blazer, they were having a big sale, I put it down and nearly left it there and had a heart attack.
Camera is great.
I liked the look of your pictures in the cat-strut thread from the other day, and meant to ask..
I like to think of myself as an amateur enthusiast when it comes to photography... so I didn't just throw Benjamins at expensive cameras and wish for the best. The 5D and Leica's were heavily researched.
My pitfall is that I have always HATED point and shoot compact digital cameras. So when I got the thing it was a bit foreign to me.
No diss to the Leica. I still technically "own" it. I just wasn't all "that" impressed for the price tag. I wanted a DSLR quality point and shoot and thought the Leica was the answer. While technically it is pretty damn nice, I find myself reaching for the 5D for the Kodak moments.
The Leica has insane noise when cranked above 100 iso. I'm told because it's cramming 10 megapixelz on to a tiny chip.
When I need a quick pic of the kid in a toy store, I reach for my iphone which has some killer apps these days for making crappy cel phone pics look good.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rajsoulstrut/
Unfortunately, no.
Even tho I don't have an iphone, I think they take great pixx straight off the camera even w/out apps. They seem to have kind of a slow shutter speed image quality (soft blurs) but w/good color saturation?!?! Maybe I'm just lusty too since I don't have one.
A Leica discussion is exactly the thing I'd expect on this board...
Ohhh yeah! I miss my Holga, I hacked the lens off to try and mount it to my SLR, but i just couldn't quite get it right. I'm tempted to have another go ones of these days.
This is good advice
Have a great time in Alaska! Here's a little inspiration from a ski touring trip I did in the Northern Selkirks two years ago... ski up ski down, lot's of time to take pics, not as much vert as heli but 1/10th the cost.
I've been saving money (up to $700 so far!) to upgrade my Nikon D70 to the new(er) D90. I'm just debating whether to invest in a high quality 20mm lens; I definitely need a wide angle to complement my 50mm and 85mm lenses but considering how expensive the body alone will cost for the D90, I'm debating if I should buy a cheaper wide angle or the stock zoom (which I suspect I'll hate b/c of its slowness).