The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

D Lux-3 Vs GX100

sagar

Member
Though this is my first post here, I have litrarly gone through all 10 pages of the “Small Sensor Forum” before registering :)

Now back to my question and some background. I am a purely hobbyist photographer trying to learn few things from here and there. I have earlier used D70 and 400D DSLRs, but stop using them due to inconvenience of carrying them around. To close my love affair with DSLRs just yesterday I sold my 400D and stuff on Fred Miranda forum and now searching for best compact that would give me full control over any of camera settings.

From my experience, the best compact I have used is Canon S50 with RAW support but sadly canon stopped that series :(. So after reading here and there and especially on this forum I have come to the conclusion that Lux-3 and GX100 are among the best photographic tools available today. While I am keenly inclined towards GX100 just to try something different, only thing stopping me from purchasing it is some dust issues I read on dpreview and some other forums. Interestingly I did not see a single thread about this problem on this forum. I know or presume that with Lux 3 I will have piece of mind about quality and support but not so sure about GX100.

So I am torn between the two and looking forward for some insight on these aspects of these two little wonders.

cheers...sagar
 
C

Chuck A

Guest
I went through the same decision making process and decided to get the D-lux 3/LX2 for now and wait for the next generation of the GX100. (if it comes.) They are each wonderful cameras and you would not go wrong with either.

Have you tried them in your hand? The handling characteristics of a camera can make or break it for me. I have the LX2 but have never handled the GX100. From what I see the grip on the GX100 would make it handle better. The LX2 can be a bit slippery.
 
V

VladimirV

Guest
I know or presume that with Lux 3 I will have piece of mind about quality and support but not so sure about GX100.
Since you probably read everything I could say and a lot more about the GX-100 I will ony go into detail about the quality and support.
I have indeed read a lot of posts regarding dust on the sensor with the GX-100 and it seems a bit more prone to this than other cameras. I never had problems with my GRD regarding dust though and do not take much care with it. The build quality is very good and probably better than the Panasonic/Leica but the lens assembly seems a bit fiddly.

Regarding support this is where Ricoh is very good and they do fix issues very fast. A friends dropped his R5 and Ricoh replaced the lens assembly free of charge within a week. I had a dead pixel on the CCD and they fixed it again within a week so overall the service is very good (at least here in Europe). I do not think the Leica support is much better as this is the best support I got for any product. Also Ricoh releases more firmware updates to add improvements and new features and so far no other manufacturer did the same.

Not sure where you live but here in the UK the Leica (£420) is almost double the price of the GX-100 (£260) or the same camera from Panasonic the LX-2 (£240). You could buy both for just a little bit more. So I think no matter the support or extras but the Leica is way overpriced as for 80 more you can have both cameras.

A quick note regarding the cameras is that I prefer the Ricoh colors and the out-of camera b&w images to the Panasonic.
 

sagar

Member
Thanks Chuck and Vladimir for the comments, I am really not able to take a call. My heart says I should try Ricoh while brain says try a safe bet with “known” Pan or Leica version.

In US the price differences are substantial like Panasonic is around $360+ while GX100 is for $500 and Leica is for $600. If the prices would have been same, I would have ordered GX immediately as I really want to try it out. Photography being a hobby, I really want to spend wise so the confusion. I wish there was some used GX available..
 

Maggie O

Active member
If you like the 16x9 aspect ratio, the the D-Lux 3 is the way to go. If you like 3x4, then the Caplio is your beastie. If you like 3x2, either one will get you there.

The Caplio has a more ergonomic layout, the Leica/Panny the better lens.

Either camera will be a great choice, so you really can't lose.
 

Brian Mosley

New member
I wouldn't pay the extra for the Leica, the Panasonic LX2 is pretty much identical - shoot RAW for best results.

Kind Regards

Brian
 
A

Arch

Guest
The crucial difference between the two is the zoom range, and the Ricoh's 24mm equiv. made me choose it, as there was no other option available.
Keep in mind that the Leicasonic's 28 mm equiv. is only true at the 16:9 ratio. Especially with vertical shots you don't really get what you'd expect to get with a 28 mm lens. So far I've been really happy with the GX100, especially with lower ISO. It also renders lovely jpegs, nothing like the watercolors I've seen from Panasonics.
Once I noticed a dust spot just like the one discussed at several forums. it turned out to be a loose 1mm dust particle on the inner surface of the wide extension lens.
 

sagar

Member
24mm is the exact reason I am considering Ricoh. The feeling I am getting from the feedback is GX100 is indeed prone to dust and if I buy it I may have to live with it. Now that’s becoming a difficult call.
 
A

Arch

Guest
Just in order to clarify... the dust particle I mentioned was not a real problem. It was not the kind of dust they've been talking about... It fell out from the extension lens as I unscrewed it. Nothing to worry about.
 
Top