Poor Man's Digital Leica

jlipkin · #1 10-02-2006, 11:56 AM

OK, so the M8 is way out of my price range, and I'm looking for a Leica-like digital camera - small, light, unobtrusive, don't have to turn on and wait two seconds for the lens to open. I also dislike using a screen to compose - it's not natural for me, and would kill the battery, especially if I want to keep the camera turned on all day.

The Lumix DMC-L1 looks interesting, but the lens is too big for my taste. I'm seriously considering buying something like the Lumix LX-2 or that new Sigma with the Foevon sensor and epoxying a voigtlander or leica viewfinder to the top. When the next digital camera comes along, I'd just pry it off and re-use, or simply buy another one and still be a couple grand ahead of the game. I know this sounds like a bad idea, but is it really? If I could match the field of view to the lens, it just might work.

dankapsner · #2 10-02-2006, 12:13 PM

I think you have posed the right question--one that many of us would like answered. The Epson RD-1 intrigues me still, but even if it has come down in price it's still rather a lot. I was hoping Leica would come up with a better version of the Digilux 2 (still small, optical viewfinder, better RAW performance at higher ISO) but the 3 doesn't excite me. All the fuss about the M8 did awaken my interest in rangefinders, and I ended up getting a IIIa and a 50mm Summar, though that's hardly a digital solution.

DouglasUrner · #3 11-29-2006, 04:31 PM

The IIIa isn't digital, but you get that magical film experience . . .

Then you scan and it's digital :-)

I'd go for an M4 myself, or maybe a Voigtlander.

Doug

David_Buzzard · #4 11-29-2006, 10:48 PM

I've got an Olympus 7070 that I use as a range finder camera. Small, light, fast, cheap, and better images than the real digital Leica. What more could you ask for?

David Buzzard's Technical Blog

Tony_Gamble · #5 11-30-2006, 04:55 AM

David,

Thanks for reminding me about the Olympus. Too easy to forget anything that is not Canon, Nikon or Leica.

There was an interesting feature back in the RG days about a war photographer who swore by Olympus. I seem to remember there was quite an emphasis on how he negated shutter lag. Do you get shutter lag that is noticeable on the 7070?

Tony

David_Buzzard · #6 11-30-2006, 02:47 PM

If you turn off the auto focus, and just have it set to about 6 feet, it's pretty fast. If you have good light, the auto focus is alright, but at night it's really slow. I've used it for a few jobs where I wanted to be discreet, and its worked awesome.

David Buzzard's Technical Blog

AndrewCassino · #7 11-30-2006, 04:54 PM

I currently use a Sony DSC-W1 and find I get very usable shots from it.

Steves Digicams - Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W1 - User Review

Only 5MP but the f/2.8 Zeiss lens is a fine performer. It looks a lot like a range finder and has a metal body, but don't be fooled, this is nothing but a digicam in sheep's clothing. The optical finder is crude, so I use the LCD most of the time. Still - this little cam has survived thousands of miles of bicycling, and being dropped in the red dust near Moab, Utah. And shutter latency is low!

All the same, I would like to upgrade however to something with image-stabilization, since I do lots of available light work. Looking around I see Olympus has a couple of new image stabilized cameras out, plus they are weather-proof, which is additional icing on the cake:

Steves Digicams - Olympus Stylus Digital 810 - User Review

Steves Digicams - Olympus Stylus Digital 750 - User Review

Andrew