[Leica] Re: Digilux 2 - wait for 8mp???

[DBaker9128 at aol.com (DBaker9128@aol.com)]

Hi Derek

I've had 11x14 inch prints made at the local Costco digital kiosk with my 
D2. 
I imagine the DPI is below 200 at this magnification but the sharpness and 
detail (ISO 100 setting) is absolutely stunning. Compared to my R8 (35-70 
F/4 
handheld) with a quality 100 ISO print film (I use Fuji Reala) the D2 prints 
have slightly less grain and comparable sharpness. The print image appears a 
bit 
more brittle (like slide film) and not able to hold details as far into the 
highlights and shadows as with 100 ISO print film. The D2 bokeh, what there 
is 
of it, is smooth and creamy but I can tell it is a digital image, not film. 
I 
haven't quite put my finger on what this difference is but it is similar to 
how 
medium format prints seem to have a smoother tonality compared to 35mm 
prints, only more of this.

I use the highest quality JPEG setting, keep the contrast and unsharp mask 
at 
the regular midpoint settings and stay at 100 ISO if at all possible. FWIW, 
a 
staffer at the local Costco rates my D2 11x14 inch prints as in the top tier 
of technical quality and says the Leica JPEG file settings work very well 
with 
his Noritsu machine.

Should you wait for a 8mp version of the D2? Well, if this happens I doubt I 
would upgrade, given what the D2 11x14 prints are showing me. Since the chip 
size would need to stay the same to keep the camera dimensions similar, 8 
million pixels crammed in where 5 million pixels now rest means smaller 
pixels. 
Unless tamed by future technology improvements, this could create the 
infamous 
5mp to 8mp trade off of chromatic aberration problems (like exhibited in the 
8mp 
Sony 828) and more noise (digital grain) at all print sizes in exchange for 
a 
slight bump in resolution, which I would rarely use or see. The one D3 
improvement that would prompt me to consider upgrading would be if the EVF 
was 
substantially higher in pixels or went direct optical somehow. The EVF is 
the only 
aspect of the D2 that doesn't wow me. 

Regards
Doug from Tumwater