Panasonic Lumix Cameras Leica Lenses Without the Leica Prices. New to me DMC-TZ3.

October 10, 2018

#280

Gentle reader,

I have many hobbies. But, being retired, I have limited income. I was later getting into the Digital camera game than most people. In fact, my incredible wife bought me my first, and come to think of it, second digital cameras. Both Fujifilm Finepix models. The first was a whopping 1.3 megapixels. She bought it for me to help with eBay listings. She later bought me a 6.3 megapixel model which had insane macro capability, focusing down to 1/2 an inch! But they are not what this is about.

This is mainly about the new-to-me camera hidden in this box. We visited a flea market at the local VFW and I spied this box. It was marked $35. I took a look at it, battery was dead, but the seller assured me that it would work. So, for $20., it came home with us.

I have been carrying this DMC-ZS7 camera in my pant's cargo pocket for years. It's a 12.1 megapixel sensor, has a Leica Vario-Elmar 25-300mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens, Mega-Optical-Image-Stabilization, etc., etc.

As you can see, it has some wear to it. I've never had a problem with it, except sometimes the selector switch on the top has gotten turned away from the automatic setting. This throws me for a second until I see what is wrong.

Caveat #1: I deliberately do NOT have a "smart" phone. I see too many people, head down absorbed in whatever digital world they are seeing and having NOTHING to do with the real world around them. No situational awareness whatsoever. I do not want to be a phone zombie.  

Caveat #2: I have never made a video. When I tried with my FZ40 at a vintage sports car race, the video came out way overexposed. 

With that said, let me introduce you to my latest Leica lens equipped Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 camera:

As far as I can tell, everything that came in the box was still there. The only other one I have that came in the box is my DMC-LX3.

Similar lens to the DMC-ZS7, but it is 28-280mm. Not quite as wide or as long a reach. Lens is stabilized as well.

One thing about these cameras that completely hide the lens is unless you look at the lens when it's on, you are not going to notice if it's dirty. I cleaned it after seeing this picture.

The body and the lens assembly are thicker than the red camera. But, it slides into my magazine pouch inside my 5.11 Tactical cargo pockets just fine.

Both terminal receptacles are different from the red one, but I never use these anyway, preferring to remove the memory to transfer the images. Speaking of memory, it had "only" a One gigabyte card. So, I put in a much larger one. "Only". I remember when one gigabyte hard drives came out. A computer store many miles from here was selling a One gigabyte hard drive for $99.! My wife volunteered to drive up there and get one for us. Granted our first computer, hers actually, had a 40 Megabyte hard drive. Yes, Mega, not Giga, and certainly not Tera.

These are the total controls on the back. 

Top and bottom, scratch-free. I like.

Now, I will show you a view of the more filled red camera's top plate:

GPS? Why? As I stated, I do not do videos, so the microphones are useless to me as well.

Now I will show you a side-by-side comparison of the Red verses the Black models:

The same, but different. The black one "only" has 7.2 megapixel sensor. Since I can only print 8 1/2" by 14" photos, and only have 8 1/2" by 11" photo paper, anything over 6 megapixels is wasted. Note, no mention of video on the black one.

More switches on the red one, mostly devoted to making videos. Same size LCD screen. Ugh! Dusty! Digital photos, especially seen on a large, wide screen, such as my 23 inch model, show everything not seen, even with reading glasses. 

Before I tell you my conclusions, let me show you the other Lumix cameras I have owned and enjoyed. 

This was a thrift store find. The largest pixel count and thinnest body. Still, it has a Leica lens. The DMC-FH25. 

The access door would not stay closed, which is maybe why it was donated. An easy fix. A little too feminine a color for me, so onto eBay it went.

My first "bridge" camera was my second Fuji model. I made so many images with it, the counter had to start over again. My first bridge Lumix was this one:

Lumix DMC-FZ8. 7.2 megapixels. 

Widest end is only 36mm (35mm equivalent).

Nice hand grip to hold on to.

LCD screen way bigger than the Fuji had.

And, of course, a Leica lens. This one a Vario-Elmarit. Fairly quick too at f2.8-3.3. Plus an aspherical element or two.

My favorite by far of the compact models, and my first Lumix camera is the DMC-LX3. To my limited knowledge, this camera with it's Vario-Summarit, has the finest Leica lenses in the Lumix line. Virtually identical to the Leica D-Lux 4. As you can see by these photos pulled from two closed eBay auctions:

Here's the thing. To buy that camera, with that red plastic dot, one would have had to pay nearly TWICE what the Panasonic camera cost! Just to be able to say, "Check out my new Leica."

Every surface, except for the hand grip the Lumix has and the D-Lux does not, every control, even the lens, is EXACTLY the same as the much more expensive Leica. Why pay more?

I have my LX3 right in front of me, as I study each photo, I examine my camera. Exactly the same.

It has been said about many luxury things, and even tools. "You pay for the name." A wrench or socket from SEARS, makers of CRAFTSMEN  tools, will turn that bolt exactly the same way as a Snap-on tool will. You will just pay a LOT more for the Snap-on name. Same with these cameras.

You may not know the rest of the Leica/Panasonic story. Every person who knows cameras, knows that Leica is one of those halo names. It is legendary in fact. So, why are they selling Panasonic cameras with their name (and red dot) on it?

The way I understand it is this, Leica wanted into this new digital camera game, but only really knew how to make expensive cameras. Earlier than this, they had been doing what the American car companies have been doing for decades. Can't make a decent small car? Make a deal with foreign car companies to sell some of THEIR cars with your company's name on it. It's nick-named: Badge Engineering.

I had a "Leica" camera called the ZX2. The only thing is, it was a Panasonic camera. Here is the box and papers that came with it and photos of the camera:

All that official looking papers which appear to have come directly from Germany. Except, no part of this camera was made in Germany. OK, maybe the red plastic dot.

It was a nice camera, made nice photos. But it and earlier point-and-shoot cameras with the Leica name on them were not made by Leica either.

Ever heard of the Leica CL? Or a Minolta camera sold as the Minolta CLE? One can mount Leica M lenses on both. In fact, the 40mm lens that came with both of them are real Leica lenses. The bodies are smaller than traditional Leica bodies are.

Panasonic had the experience making good small cameras and had been in the digital camera field for a while. A deal was struck, Leica would provide the lenses for the cameras and Panasonic would provide the bodies, sensors, etcetera. Badge engineering with a twist: Hybrid cameras, if you will. I'll take the Lumix every day of the week.

Back to Panasonic Lumix cameras. I wanted more "reach" than the FZ8 bridge camera offered. So I looked at eBay and read specifications and reviews of the various Lumix bridge cameras. I decided that the Lumix DMC-FZ40 would fit the bill just fine.

14 megapixels, a 24X zoom with 35mm equivalent of 25-600mm! The aperture is variable from f2.8-5.2. Can you imagine how big, heavy and expensive a 35mm or even APS-C sized lens would be with those specifications? 

And here it is, fully at attention. I was going to say erect, but you know, wouldn't want to offend someone.

Nice big screen, too. The one thing I wish my LX3 had was an eye-level viewfinder, like this one has. Later models offered an extra cost electronic viewfinder than slipped on the flash shoe and plugged into the back right below the shoe. The later D-Lux Leicas were that way too! "Oh, my, God!"

I had bought an M39 (Leica-screw or thread) to Nikon F adapter knowing full well that the lenses would not focus anywhere near infinity. Someone said, "Why don't you buy a micro four thirds camera?" At first I thought, I can't afford that. Then I started looking on eBay and found to my delight that I could and DID afford one!

Here it is sporting the Soviet Jupiter 3 50mm f1.5 lens which is a copy of the Zeiss Sonnar Opton lens. I won't go into that historical story. 

When I first got interested in digital cameras, I was looking at Lumix models similar to the TZ3. I don't remember the exact model. Why? Leica lenses. And I could get it in blue.

To my knowledge, the G1 is THE very first M4/3 camera made. I chose a G1 because of price, and I wanted a blue one.  

Here is my Canon 100mm f4.0 lens.

Here the Jupiter 11 135mm f4.0 lens. I also have the 85mm f2.0 Jupiter 9 lens.

So, I outfitted the blue body with a used 14-42mm G.Vario lens. I was able to buy a brand new Lumix 45-150mm lens. I chose Panasonic lenses because of the built-in image stabilization. There are plenty of Olympus M4/3 lenses, but they do not offer that st-ability.

Here is the camera with a number of other lenses that fit it via adapters. The aforementioned 85mm lens is mounted on the body. I have adapters for: Leica M39, M42, T-mount, Pentax 110 and Nikon F lenses. And there are untold other adapters that fit these superb cameras.

OK, I've captured your attention for long enough. Many of the images of Lumix cameras came from previous articles that I had written about them. Here are links to two previous ones that are Lumix specific:
Using Vintage Film Camera Lenses on Digital Camera Bodies PART THREE.
Using Vintage Film Camera Lenses on Digital Camera Bodies PART TWO. 
I KNOW there is a PART ONE, but I am not able to pin it down, I've written a lot. Then and today. It's late and I'm tired.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read my humble blog, when I get interested in something, I do a lot of research and learn as much as I can about it. Since I began blogging, I have written about many of my interests and hobbies, too.

Anyway, thanks again. I enjoy the writing, but it is a lot of work and your kind comments make it all worthwhile.  

Scott
October 10, 2018
#280