JPG Magazine: Stories: My Precious: The Portable and Capable Leica D-Lux 3.

The Portable and Capable Leica D-Lux 3.

It's a safe bet that you've said those words. I have said them so many times that recently I decided to never have to say them again. I made a promise to myself to take my camera every place I went. I promised that I would make photographs every single day. I promised that I would document all the little things I'd always intended to document.

The only problem was, this camera I had just vowed to take with me wherever I went was a digital SLR, and sometimes with more than one lens. It was bulky, sometimes cumbersome; often cursed at. Still, I faithfully brought it everywhere. A walk to the coffee shop? Sure, let me grab my camera. Biking to grocery store? Not without a camera bag on my back. I am grateful that I made that pledge. I lugged that camera to nearly every corner of the country. I made some great images, but there was a point where I realized that if I was going to keep this promise, something had to give; I had to downsize.

Let's face it: digital SLR's are great for many things. However, they are pretty lousy "take everywhere" cameras. I like to travel light, so I needed a camera that I could keep in my pocket. The only problem was, I had become very accustomed to the level of control that the DSLR provided, and if I was going to downsize I couldn't replace it with a point and shoot with automatic scene modes.

Enter the Leica D-Lux 3.

From the first time I saw it in person, I couldn't stop thinking about making it mine. I fell asleep at night with thoughts of us traveling the world together. This camera is small and sleek, shoots RAW, has aperture and shutter priority, as well as full manual controls. It has a nice wide Zeiss lens, and an interesting 16:9 aspect that I hadn't seen before. On top of that, it allows for manual focus and shutter speeds up to 60 seconds, all in a beautiful, clean design. I was sold in my head, I just had to convince my wallet that a 600 dollar point and shoot was the way to go.

I hemmed, I hawed. I convinced and un-convinced myself. Then I came up with the following realization, which can be used to justify almost any purchase: I told myself that if I truly did take this camera everywhere and used it every day for 2 years, it came out to way less than a dollar a day. I would certainly pay a dollar a day to use this camera. Sold.

So now it lives in my shirt pocket and I really do take it everywhere I go. It is one of the items I never leave home without, along with my keys and cell phone. It's amazing to have such a capable camera with you at all times. Most point and shoots are designed for taking snapshots, but this camera allows you make art with as much control over the final image as you'd expect from a DSLR.

As much of a proponent as I am of this camera, I'd be remiss if I didn't give you my criticisms. It can get noisy at the mid to high ISO's; if you shoot at 400 or above there is noticeable noise. I shoot everything RAW and post-process to minimize the noise, and it works well. When you cram 10 megapixels onto a small sensor, noise happens. If you want to shoot tack sharp images at high ISO's, this isn't your camera. There is also a very minor shutter release lag. If you are used to the absolute instantaneousness of a DSLR, it may take a few tries to get the timing down.

The above criticisms aside, I am still madly in love with this little camera. No matter where I am, I know that I have a camera with me that can render what my eye sees.

I will never again utter the words,"I wish I had my camera with me!"

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