Leica D-Lux 3 vs.Canon G7

[Mark Schafer]

Has anybody compared the two?
I'm very courious, i just got the Leica, Noise is somewhat horrible, at high ISO even unbearable.
The Flash even as a fill with people is unusable. It looks good on stills though.
And you have to work the camera with 2 hands all the time.
After day 2 i still have to shoot a frame thats actually perfectly in focus (granted,i keep playing with it while on the run, but managed city scapes shot at 1/320sec 3.2, wideangle).
I should mention that i'm used to Canon 1DS M2 and the files from the D-Lux that i'm seeing on my Eizo 21" are somewhat of a desaster (prints are good up to 8x10, start feeling plasticy above).
I'm not trying to flame Leica, but i'm used to the quality of M6/7, and being German i wish they would do best in breed...Should i go and get a Canon instead??
cheers
M

[Asher Kelman]

The Leica will give you RAW and it's own look but the special thing about the G7 is that you can use any number of Canon speedlights and control several arrays all automatically, just like any Canon Eos camera and have far less noise.

So essentially, this is an easy backup for a lot of casual and even in emergency, formal photography. One can hand two of them to guests at a wedding and get even more coverage during a reception in low light. Not RAW, of course, but a Pro lab will correct for you ot you can do it yourself!

Asher

[Ken Tanaka]

Leica D-Lux / Lumix LX -vs- G7 threads seem to be moving through photo forums like the flu. Here's one at Pro Photo (http://www.prophotohome.com/forum/compact-cameras-used-pros/71956-between-lumix-lx2-canon-g7.html).

FWIW, I chose the Canon G7. With the exception of the M8 (which I have and love) the Leica (aka Panasonic) digital models are noisier than day care centers at ISOs above 200. I gladly traded RAW on the G7 for a very usable ISO 400 (and usable 800), plus the G7's very good manual controls, it's substantial build, and its extremely sharp lens. The lack of RAW is less of an issue (to me) on this camera, given the advent of Lightroom which enables JPGs to be adjusted as easily as RAW (albeit with slightly narrower tolerance).

I've had the G7 since last November and, all factors considered, it's been a superb p&s camera that's easy to carry anywhere. Here's a small collection of Canon G7 samples I gathered mostly last fall. (http://www.pbase.com/tanakak/canon_g7_test)

Have fun shopping.