Leica D-Lux 3 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 Photo Gallery by Koo22 at pbase.com

Leica D-Lux 3 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

"Not so scientific" comparison shots of the two cameras. I have just added some quick shots both indoors and out, straight out of camera. NOTE: BOTH CAMERAS ALL STANDARD, AUTO SETTINGS EXCEPT FOR NOISE REDUCTION.....BOTH SET ON LOW.

front_resize.jpg	back_resize.jpg	top_resize.jpg	Panny macro ISO 100
Leica macro ISO 100	Panny ISO 100	Leica ISO 100	Panny ISO 800
Leica ISO 800	Panny ISO 400	Leica ISO 400	Panny ISO 100
Leica ISO 100	Panny ISO 100	Leica ISO 100	Panny ISO 800
Leica ISO 800	Panny ISO 1600	Leica ISO 1600	Panny ISO 800 1/10sec.
Leica ISO 800 1/10sec.	Panny after PP: auto levels, Noise Ninja, USM & resize	Leica after PP: auto levels, Noise Ninja, USM & resize	Panny-converted from RAW in PS-ISO200
Leica-converted from RAW in PS-ISO200	Panny-converted from RAW in PS-ISO 100	Leica-converted from RAW in PS-ISO 100	Panny ISO 100
Panny ISO 800	Leica ISO 100	Leica ISO 800	Panny on "cool" setting
Leica w/no adjustment to colors	Leica DLUX-2	Leica DLUX-3	Converted from RAW in Bibble
Shot as JPEG	Original JPEG no PP	B/W conversion	L1000069-2.jpg
L1000069-2 copy.jpg	L1000173 copy_resize.jpg	L1000175 copy_resize.jpg	L1000168 copy_resize.jpg
L1000181 copy_resize.jpg

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Guest		13-Dec-2007 06:14
I know this isn't so scientific comparison, but at least you should start with the same basis. Evidently the pictures between LX2 and D-Lux 3 were not shot on the same plane, or even focusing point. They were definitely NOT on the tripod as evident by blurry image from most of the Panny shots. So this comparison doesn't really indicate anything except the tester did not give it a full effort in comparing the two excellent cameras.

Hen		14-Aug-2007 16:08
Will the Pan lx 2 fit in the leather leica case withthat extra finger knobble? Great work here, neither delivers the better photo under each condition. Colour on the Leica look more true outdoors. Panas better indoors in some instances. Not much in it is there.

Guest		13-Aug-2007 21:10
From what I have heard, the main difference in the firmware of these two cameras is in the noise reduction. Noise is supposedly a problem with this sensor, and so Panasonic has been pretty aggressive in the jpeg processing to add its own noise reduction. Neither camera lets you turn NR off completely however, apparently the lowest setting for the Leica is lower then the lowest setting for the Panasonic. Even when shooting RAW, though, apparently some reviews have noticed distortion similar to NR distortians, even though these shouldn't exist, so there may be issues with the sensor that have nothing to do with NR per se. Oh, and you can set the ISO on the Leica to 80, whereas on the Panasonic it goes to only 100. This is nice to have, but I would love to see, as someone else mentioned, images that were closer, and it does seem that some of the Panny shots are too blurry, which could be a number of things - camera shake, focusing issues, etc. Based on the complaints of the sensor, probably what might be most useful would be a few shots of different scenes ranging from 100 to 1600 ISO at the lowest NR level for each camera. Still, the effort just to get these shots is laudable, so thank you for taking the time! Levi

steven		20-Jul-2007 13:46
No one has mentioned the premium that you will get with the Leica badge when it comes to sell it Ayyyyyy! Its so much sexier

Guest		16-Jun-2007 09:13
So what is the verdict? And why do you have both? haha. If I had to choose between the two w/o considering price Id go for the Leica, but of course in the real world, I am not as lucky. Is the LEICA brag factor worth the $200?

cyrille		28-May-2007 17:55
Great job. There is very little differences between these two superb cameras with a short advantage for the Leica, this advantage concerns the noise! After doing more than thousand pictures with my Panny LX2 I think you can obtain the same results on noise as do the Leica with these settings: contrast std, sharpness low (here is the most important difference regarding the noise), saturation nl, noise reduction high (or std). I prefer the colors of the panny so I do not change the saturation. With these settings you can work on 200 iso (400 iso is the max) without noise! Good pictures for everyone, Cyrille

markay		13-May-2007 17:23
HI... I did a comparison with a colleague comparing the Panasonic 1 vs DLUX2 and came away with similar results. IN RAW, the images were identical but in jpg mode the Panasonic images were warmer and slightly more saturated. Not that one was better or worse --but depended on taste. I am believer that these two cameras are not for the Point and Shoot crowd but for those who are willing to process to get the most from a compact camera. Mark Kay

Guest		01-Apr-2007 17:23
Koo22 is the coolest. Anyone yapping about these cameras elsewhere is just yapping until they have seen these images. I've yet to analyze all of them, but I do see a difference in "image sharpness" and saturation and color in the following images. Both are shot at 1/10th of a second so I am wondering what caused the very significant difference in "sharpness". I put that word in quotes because the character of the difference looks like motion blur/camera jiggle? Could the image stabilization feature have been set differently? The effect occurs in two of the sets of comparison as follows. If this "sharpness" is not due to some actual motion but some difference of the cameras...I know which I would choose. Saturation and color I don't mind processing, sharpness or blur enhancement against noise and tone details is not my favorite tradeoff. I see the panny images as being warmer (especially at higher ISO) in the two comparisions cited below and in some of the other comparisons. In the two comparisons below and in many of the other sets, I see the panny as being more saturated and perhaps even cast with hue but something about the extra saturation looks unnatural. Overall, I am leaning toward thinking the Leica is being more neutral about its internal image processing than is the Panny. If I am going to compromise with a JPEG vs. Raw decision anyway towards the convienence of JPEG, I would rather have a more neutral image to start with for if I like the image, I can jump into Elements and have a less processed image to start with. If no external processing was available I might choose the Panny if I wanted to show the images to my mother. ** sharpness ** Pannny Leica < means: less "sharp" than 68295412 < 68295413 1/10s f/4.9 at 25.2mm iso200 scene with flowers on table indoors 68278993 < 68278995 1/10s f/2.8 at 6.3mm iso800 scene with teddy bear on couch

Guest		15-Feb-2007 16:20
Hello, thanksk for doing this. However, I see composition differences between each A/B comparison photo, including focus point, magnification and white balance. Would you be able to reshoot some comparisons using a sturdy tripod and self-timer release? Perhaps the best way to be consistent and tell-tale is to shoot complete wide angle (and maybe a few full telephoto) so the focal length is the same. Also, I would fully expect to see variations between two copies of the same exact camera, especially for these low-end zoom camera lenses.

Fabien		24-Jan-2007 22:36
Excellent job, thanks so much! Now I have a very clear idea about which one to choose. Honestly I do not see any difference in term of noise between the two sets of pictures at high ISO level, Leica just makes as much noise as the Panasonic. The only difference I can see is that PS pictures are more saturated.

Skyrivers		05-Jan-2007 07:04
There is a big difference in noise. Just look at the full size image with the white bear on the couch. Also look at the full size image of the desk and the image with the pumpkin. Interesting to note that the images converted from raw in PS with ISO200 do not show a big difference in noise. I wonder if a raw conversion in PS with a higher ISO would show more of a difference? There is also an improvement in the Leica lens over the Panasonic. To see the difference in the lenses look at the door henge in the conversion from raw in PS ISO100. The Leica has very little distortion, but the Panasonic is blurring. The difference in the dlux-2 and the dlux-3 is noise and should be easy to see when you look at the full size image. Great comparison!

Skyrivers		05-Jan-2007 07:04
There is a big difference in noise. Just look at the full size image with the white bear on the couch. Also look at the full size image of the desk and the image with the pumpkin. Interesting to note that the images converted from raw in PS with ISO200 do not show a big difference in noise. I wonder if a raw conversion in PS with a higher ISO would show more of a difference? There is also an improvement in the Leica lens over the Panasonic. To see the difference in the lenses look at the door henge in the conversion from raw in PS ISO100. The Leica has very little distortion, but the Panasonic is blurring. The difference in the dlux-2 and the dlux-3 is noise and should be easy to see when you look at the full size image. Great comparison!

Pavin C		03-Jan-2007 06:19
Amazing their prices are diffrent but the qulity of the picture has not a big differnt

Alex		25-Dec-2006 04:01
Thanks a lot, But I can hardly find the differents.

Cathrine Hagen		22-Dec-2006 02:32
Thank you so much for this comparison, exactly what I was loooking for!

kamila		30-Nov-2006 13:22
I really don't understand why they make two different versions of same spec!!!

James		29-Nov-2006 15:25
What is the official word on firmware differences between these two cameras? Does Leica acknowledge a difference? Is there really a functional difference between the DLux 3 and the DMC LX2? Your photos seem to indicate that perhaps there is. I am waiting for a Leica DLux 3, but my patience is wearing thin as I desperately need a point and shoot to caryy on my person.

MT		11-Nov-2006 06:25
Great comparison. Thanks!!!!!

Masahiko		28-Oct-2006 19:46
This comparison is very useful for me! Thanks a lot!

Guest		28-Oct-2006 10:15
Thanks for taking the time to post these. This will be very helpful for many people. Cheers! -steve

guest2		18-Oct-2006 04:25
Really precious comparisons. Nice work! For the D-Lux 2/3 comparison shots, Neat Image will clean up the noise from the DLux2 shot to the level of DLux3 with more details. It's a supprise. But the color tone of DLux3 is more pleasant.

Guest		10-Oct-2006 11:43
Thanks a lot for posting these images Regards, allmeta4

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