Leica D-LUX 3 Digital Camera

A great camera to bring along all the time

By ernestodequesada  Mar 18, 2007 | 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Pros: Image quality, big LCD, Manual expossure, 3 formats, RAW, movies, great design

Cons: No viewfinder, price, availability

I got the Leica D-Lux 3 after I decided to upgrade from my Canon Powershot SD300, and that was no small feat. The Canon is tiny, it doesn't need a lens-cap and it has a separate viewfinder. These are all things that the D-Lux 3 does not include. ...On the other hand, I was looking for a few more pixels and I was attracted to the 16:9 aspect ratio for movies, and many features like ability to shoot RAW, shoot in black-and-white, and a way to easily switch to fully manual exposure. Not to say anything that this was a Leica (even if only by lens design). The D-Lux 3 is about 1/5 wider than the Canon and easily twice as deep (the lens doesn't retract fully into the camera.) Even at this larger size the Leica is still what I would call a pocketable camera, something important to me, as I like to have a camera with me at all times. The D-Lux 3 has already been with me to Spain and twice to Mexico. I have used it in Summer and Winter with no problem. The camera is very easy to use. You can just turn it on, set the shooting-mode wheel at the top of the camera to "P" and fire away. As soon as you turn the camera on you get a nice bright image on the very large (2.8") LCD display on the back. However, if you want to play around, this camera offers a lot of versatility. Right on the lens-ring you have a lever to choose the format (4:3, 3:2, or the panoramic 16:9). On the side of the lens-ring is another lever to choose macro, auto-focus, or manual-focus. The top of the camera includes the on-off switch, a button to control the image stabilizer (O.I.S.), the zoom lever, a switch to release the pop-up flash, and a wheel to select shooting or playing modes. This includes the usual "P" for program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, movie mode, and scene mode, but it also includes a full manual mode --yes, you can select shutter speed and aperture- via a four-position knob on the back of the camera. The Vario-Elmarit f2.8-4.9 6.3mm -25.2mm (equivalent to a 28mm to 112mm on a 35mm camera) is superb. I am always amazed by the quality of the pictures it takes. In addition, you can shoot RAW with this camera, as well as black-and-white. The camera uses an SD card for storage (This was important for me as it is the same card I use on my other Leicas). I guess that my biggest complaint is the lack of a viewfinder. I have had to devise a way to block the large bright LCD when I am taking pictures in a theater or other darker venue where the bright LCD screen would be an annoyance to other people. However, having said that, I would totally recommend this camera. The camera by the way is available in black or chrome. Read more Less