RustyBug wrote:
Spec says "central" shutter. Is that a zoom lens with a leaf shutter, like the Q?
Yes, it is a Leaf Shutter with all the associated benefits of that including very fast sync speeds. This is a very nice feature.
RustyBug wrote:
How's the shutter response (similar to Q, I expect)?
Fast and smooth. I put a soft shutter release button on mine as I like it better than the stock release button.
RustyBug wrote:
AF response?
It is not as good as my Sony A1 in speed, accuracy, or feedback when shooting. That said, I have not found it lacking in the kind of shooting I am doing with the camera. I am getting a hit rate far higher than I expected from Leica AF. The AF is more than adequate for my use case with this camera.
RustyBug wrote:
Battery life?
I have yet to use a full battery on a single outing. The USB-C charging allows easy top up charging during the day. So I find the battery life perfectly acceptable. I do carry a second (cheap $29.00) third party battery just to be sure however.
RustyBug wrote:
Zoom looks a bit slow to rack out, but that shouldn't be a biggie after shooting only primes for that last several years. It's not like I rely on zoom for composition the way I once did.
Hmmm ...
I do find the power zoom not ideal, but that is true of all cameras with this feature I have used. I would prefer a manual zoom ring. But having the zoom is a very useful feature. One of the big benefits of the M11 61 mpx sensor is that you can crop a lot and still have acceptable IQ. But, it is still a cropped perspective in many ways. The zoom on the D-Lux 8 takes the place of cropping. This is a huge help in maintain acceptable IQ with a small sensor. I find that with tighter shooting discipline regarding composition using the zoom, focusing on keeping ISO low, and shooting to optimize the sensor capabilities I am able to maintain IQ that is perfectly fine for most use cases.
KLaban wrote:
So, the only thing I have to do over the next couple of years is find a camera that's actually in stock and then pray it never needs fixing.
I don't think it is actually that hard to find one. Our local small San Diego Leica Dealer was able to get a camera for two of my friends last week. They waited less than two weeks after placing their order.
Great images from the D-Lux8 on this thread! For those who have been shooting with it for a while, what's your assessment? How do you find the camera and image quality?
Fred Miranda wrote:
Great images from the D-Lux8 on this thread! For those who have been shooting with it for a while, what's your assessment? How do you find the camera and image quality?
Honestly Fred- Its exactly what you think it is.
Identical in use and menus to the Q
Very useful zoom range
Very "nice" image quality
Very useable dng files with lots of room for editing
Its not a Lieca Q from an IQ perspective- I didn't expect it to be
It replaces my phone. Its 100% pocketable and I use it when I want a camera with me, I just can't carry anything bigger than my phone.
I am very happy with it and its already been with me places I would have either not taken pictures or would have snapped 3 with my phone. Cool little camera that just works-
Fred Miranda wrote:
Great images from the D-Lux8 on this thread! For those who have been shooting with it for a while, what's your assessment? How do you find the camera and image quality?
I agree 100% with Rusty.
It is the full Leica user experience in a wonderfully small, compact, and efficient package. The Zoom is very nice to have. Convenient for when you just want something better than a phone, but not so demanding on you and your companions as shooting an M camera. When appropriate you can just set everything to "AUTO", hand the camera to anyone, and they will get great results. Perfect for when you want to be in the picture, or want to share the fun of photography with others (Wife and family). Can't do that with an M.
The image quality is very nice as long as you are disciplined and shoot within the limitations of the micro 4/3 sensor. Colors are wonderful. The Leica DNG files are a joy to work with, and the JPEGS look very nice just the way they come out of the camera.
The most important things are that it is easy to live with, affordable by Leica standards, and fun,fun,fun to shoot.
Total agreement. Love the rendering the D-Lux 8 gets . . . it is a Leica. As I've said on several posts, I love having the Macro-AF. Close focusing is very close and at f/1.8 I can blur the background even with a micro four-thirds sensor.
The DLux 8 is the kind of camera I would take w me everywhere. And that is saying a lot given I am primarily a film shooter.
It is interesting how there was mis-information about it early on - being made of plastic etc.
I want one.
For those who don’t have the opportunity to hold one in their hand, what camera would you compare it to in size?
Is it the first Leica branded camera manufactured in China?
TR3B wrote:
For those who don’t have the opportunity to hold one in their hand, what camera would you compare it to in size?
Is it the first Leica branded camera manufactured in China?
There have been so many Leica film p&S cameras made in China back in the pre-digital day.
And I'm pretty sure many of their digital p&S cameras were also made in China.
But why does that matter? Especially given the price point.
Desmolicious wrote:
There have been so many Leica film p&S cameras made in China back in the pre-digital day.
And I'm pretty sure many of their digital p&S cameras were also made in China.
But why does that matter? Especially given the price point.
I come from using the SL3, Q3, M11P & M11M and I think you could sum it up by saying that it’s more than the sum of its parts. A while ago I had the LX100II and it just seems better all round, not massively so but enough that it gets under your skin and is just so easy to take everywhere.
This may well be more by luck than judgement but Leica may have hit the sweet spot here as v the GR3 it has.a decent viewfinder, v the X100vi it’s a zoom and has Leica menu’s and feel. Image quality is more than acceptable unless you want to print big.
A few bugs and irritant's now such as no double tap to centre the focus point (a pain to manually bring back), FOTOS doesn’t yet seem to sync the date and time, only 3 user profiles and you can’t name or export them.
Great to just bring along with your M’s or your SL3 when travelling or just a far better social camera than your iPhone. Great JPEG’s for sharing via the FOTOS app (faster transfer than the large M11 files but slower than the chip in the Q3 or SL3) which has matured into the best photo app available today.
All round just joy and fun, flash is surprisingly good to and no issue with sync speed.
Had one of the first in the UK and yes it’s not an M or an SL but it’s fun and you can take in anywhere, hand to someone else etc etc. Plus it really feels Leica like at a Q level but not M or SL build.
I've had one on pre-order for a few weeks now. I also purchased a GRIIIx and was hoping to compare the two for a hike I'm taking with my adult son in October. I want something that won't weigh me down but will give great results in documenting what should be a special father-son trip. The GRIIIx arrived earlier this week and is a nice camera. My only gripe so far is the lack of a viewfinder (which I obviously knew going in) and getting warmer than I'd expect in the battery area.
I believe the zoom and viewfinder on the Leica would be a huge advantage. A few years ago, I owned the LX100 and later the LX100II (for about a week). The LX100II would have been a great little camera but met an untimely demise the first day I used it (completely my fault as I dropped it). I won't make that mistake with the Leica... wrist strap ALWAYS. As a backup plan, I have a D-Lux 8 reserved with Lens Rentals in case the pre-order doesn't come through, but I'd sure like to have my own for a longer term test period.
