I am surprised and somewhat flattered that The Rolling Road blog should produce such a response.I'll hand over to Clarence-
The Digilux-1
breathed new excitement for this tired, old photographer. Actually, many
would say this digital camera from 2002 is tired, old equipment. Well then I am
happy to say we were meant for each other. It was a match made on The Rolling
Road blog. On July 6, 2012 I first visited the April 27, 2012 posting by
John S which was named "Leica Digilux 1 Infra Red". I had my
very own Digilux a month later and I was loving it. It was so easy to
use I had great photos within minutes of receiving it in the mail.
So why was I tired?
Well I cut my teeth on film. I made a living with the stuff. I didn't need a
light meter let alone auto focus. I used Hasselblad C, Arriflex S
16mm, 4X5 Graflex, Leica M3, Kowa Six, Bronica S2A and countless others. All
these did not have light meters built in. I eventually had a Gossen Luna
Six but rarely used it. Then the electronics technology started. I was
there when the first video equipment made the scene. It was awful. The
consumer-aimed 35mm cameras offered built -in exposure meters and
eventually matrix metering and auto exposure. Then auto focus became
all the rage and finally digital cameras.
I held out using
film until 2004. I was scanning photographic prints into the computer. I got an
assignment requiring hundreds of images. The client provided a digital camera
saying "Keep it." I managed to do good work but found it difficult and time
consuming to operate with many controls "hidden" in the menus. Shutter lag time
was stupid to say the least.
For years I struggled with
that 2003 era "gift" digital camera. Static shots worked but not
candid or "street". Many times I reverted back to film. However shooting film
for fun or spec. was getting expensive. After reading many reviews on the newer
version of the "gift" camera I bit the bullet and purchased one. It was so
much more complicated. It was difficult to understand the instruction
manual or the menus and get the feel of it. The electronic viewfinder
had what may as well have been a two-day lag time. I was depressed over the
complicated digital experience, the degrading of film processing services and
diminishing availability of dark-room supplies. I felt that photography had
moved beyond my comprehension and left me behind with a lifetime of now
worthless technical knowledge.
I visited
photography blogs to see what others were doing. What were they using? There is
a lot of information on the web.Then I found The Rolling
Road blog with that amazing infra-red piece. I was intrigued
with this low pixel Leica camera as the photos were just as clear and
presentable as those of bloggers using more modern digital cameras with many
more pixels.
I searched for
reviews and other sites dedicated to the Digilux-1. The more I learned the more
I felt a connection to it. I decided I had to have one. I am very pleased
with it. It is so easy to use. The photos are warm and life like. Infra
red is stunning. My favorite controls are on the outside and not
hidden in menus. For example the self timer and flash buttons are right
next to the shutter release. It has an optical viewfinder! I rarely use
the LCD display when shooting. The macro setting is awesome. Over the years
I have spent a small fortune on bellows, close-up filters and micro / macro
lenses for various film cameras and the Digilux 1 has it built in. Its just
another feature of the high-performance, high-speed LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON
f/2-2.5/7-21 mm ASPH. triple zoom lens. Yes, that was f/2.0 ! It's
magic.You don't need to be Houdini to come out with a good photo.
I am excited about
photography again. Now I am back with tons of enthusiasm. The Digilux-1
incorporates the familiar, manual controls with digital technology. It
facilitates intuitive "on the spot" shooting, offers excellent
results and robust reliability. I just love it. I am grateful to John for
posting his blog. He may live "down-under" but he is "up and over"
in my book.
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