Chris Sorensen wrote:
The buttons on the back are small, crowded, and flimsy. The dial turns on it's own way too often.
Buttons are definitely small and crowded given how small the camera is overall, but I certainly wouldn't call them flimsy at all. Pretty substantial actually. And yes, the damn dial is always moving when you pull the thing out of a case!
As far as the size goes, definitely one man's blessing is another man's curse - regardless of hand size. I have fairly large hands and yet I have no trouble with small cameras, love them in fact. My SLRs are Canon Rebels and I love the fact they are so small and I love how compact the LX3 is. Others it seems just want more flesh in contact with a camera and don't like it. Like most things, if you can try before you buy!
This is great as I'm in the dilemma of which of these to get. I think that there is such a thing as too small and so favor the G10 for that but the lens speed is what really draws me to the XL3. The G10 is faster in operation ... is it not?
All in all, while I long to get another ps (my last was a G1) I may wait this out and see what sigma offers for the successor to the DP1. If they get the speed in operation a bit faster and perhaps a 2.8 fixed 28 or 35 lens (24 is too wide for me) I will jump on that one as I like to shoot at 400 and find slower speeds stifling.
Pavel wrote:
I may wait this out and see what sigma offers for the successor to the DP1. If they get the speed in operation a bit faster and perhaps a 2.8 fixed 28 or 35 lens (24 is too wide for me) I will jump on that one as I like to shoot at 400 and find slower speeds stifling.
Great thread ... keep it going!
The DP2 was announced with specs in September. It's a 41mm 2.8 lens. And the next generation image procesor, so hopefully faster. Recent rumors have it coming out in February/March, but Sigma has a record of delays.
A quick shot out the car window with the LX3. I wish there had been time to find a more appropriate foreground, but its nice to be able to carry such a camera in your pocket.
This is the reason I have the LX3. It is the camera I plan to use for some time to grab shots along the trail when I've gone up with my 4X5 camera. In this sense it is replacing a function of my dslr.
These were taken yesterday on the ridges above Loveland Pass in Colorado.
I bought an LX3 to carry with me always. Instead of breaking my back with the D700 every day.
It's a nice little camera, but the IQ isn't too impressive. It is fine at ISO 80, but at 400 it is merely "OK", and 800 is like 25600 with the FF dSLR. That means; you'd only use it if you have to.
I shoot in JPG + RAW, and I mostly use the most contrasty of the BW modes, which I like alot. Here are a couple of samples, from JPG but PP:d with local contrast and sharpness.
Edit: By the way, all of them are wide open. First two are 24/2 equivalent, and the third is 57/2.8 equivalent. You don't gain anything IQ-wise by stopping down, and DOF is huuuuge even at f/2.
For the few weeks that I have had my G10, I have mainly shot quick test shots as I get use to it and work out which is the best RAW conversion process.
I have also been using this time to set up lens adapters for my Lee grads & CPL, plus an underwater housing and making a pano head for G10 (the one for my DSLR is 3 times bigger and heavier than the G10, so something small and compact was required.) I think I pretty much have it sorted now and am confident that I have a "mini system" that I can take anywhere and still have image quality that can mix it with the big boys.
I had trouble stitching the images perfectly and found that my regular blending plugin just did not like G10 images. A simply change to another and all is now good, so I hope that I can shoot some "real" panos soon.
IMO the trick with the G10 is to shoot RAW and process with DXO, it really does take the IQ to a new level. I have heavily tested DPP and CapOne also, but DXO seems to be the magic bullet for this cam. (CapOne is still my weapon of choice for the 1DsII however)
Also, for landscape set the G10 to f3.5 and just leave it there (it will automagically go to 4.5 when zoomed) as this will give the crispest image by avoiding diffraction, yet still have plenty of DOF.
I have just got back from a short camping trip with my G10 to find that my DXO trial period has expired So tonight I had to play with the in-camera JPEGs (I shoot RAW + JPEG). I must say that they are not bad straight from the cam, although I know that DXO will make them a whole lot better.
Indeed, the G10's JPEGs straight out of the camera are sometimes superior to what you can do with Lightroom. LR's noise handling for the G10 is horrible. If you're shooting high ISO, you'd do yourself a favor to shoot RAW+JPEG, and file the RAW files away in hopes that someday Adobe might improve its RAW noise handling.
As an aside, I asked Adobe to improve its G10 noise handling, and the ever-friendly (sarcasm!) Thomas Knoll essentially replied "the G10 is crap, it's not worth our time".
CKrueger wrote:
As an aside, I asked Adobe to improve its G10 noise handling, and the ever-friendly (sarcasm!) Thomas Knoll essentially replied "the G10 is crap, it's not worth our time".
Just tell him that you have purchased DXO and you now realise that Lightroom is crap and not worth your time.
So tonight I had to play with the in-camera JPEGs (I shoot RAW + JPEG). I must say that they are not bad straight from the cam, although I know that DXO will make them a whole lot better.