[Leica] The Elusive Digilux 3 compared to the Lumix L1 and the Olympus 330E

[cummer at netvigator.com (Howard Cummer)]

> Message: 6
> Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 08:01:48 -0800
> From: David Young <telyt@telus.net>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: The Elusive Digilux 3 (NOT DLlux3)
> To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
> Message-ID: <20070219160149.BALTFSQ5SJ@priv-edtnaa05.telusplanet.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> Were I to go that route, I'd buy the PanaLeica or even the Oly,
> first. (Howard and Gary are very happy with their Olys!)  Even if the
> firmware in the Digilux 3 IS better, I can't see it being $800  
> worth of better!
>
> Cheers!
> ---

Dear Luggers,
As David says above - I am happy with my Oly 330E. From my  
experience, The Lumix L 1 (I have one - bought for the Leica 14 - 50  
zoom lens) and the Digilux 3, which is mechanically a rebadged L1 -  
are inferior to the Oly in two ways 1) the Oly has a moveable LCD  
screen and 2) it can do live view with autofocus through the view  
finder with the viewing mirror down as well as through the LCD with  
the mirror up. In favor of the L1/D3, the view finder of the L1 and  
the D3 should theoretically be brighter than the view finder of the  
Oly 330 - because of the beam splitting required to feed light to the  
dedicated CCD in the Porro finder of  the Oly. The L1 and the D3 have  
the same Porro finder but without the CCD - but when I compare the L1  
with the Oly 330 I can't see any difference in light transmission. Go  
figure!  So, in sum if anybody is considering going to the 4/3rd  
system I would recommend the Oly 330E over either the L1 or the D3.  
The L1 does have a very nice visual presentation for its menus on the  
LCD and  JPEG colours without any manipulation are very pleasant -  
smoother and with more contrast than those coming from the Oly but,  
if you shoot in RAW, that difference really doesn't matter as the  
images are developed from RAW in your computer. Now that the DNR back  
is dead and while we are waiting for the R10 - if you want to go  
digital and use your R lenses you have two choices - the 4/3rd system  
or Canon Dslrs. I have found it easier to focus Leica R lenses -  
especially the wide angle ones - on the 4/3rd system ( 10X  
magnification in mirror up live view makes it a snap) than with the  
Canons. I have, as a result, sold off my Canon system.
Cheers,
Howard (in Hong Kong)
PS: Of course, with my M8 now being worked in -  the Oly 330E is  
getting a bit if a rest. :-)