Page 2 - All images in this book were created using the Digilux 2 camera.
Copyright for all text and images used in this work are retained by Scott Geffert ©2004 (unless otherwise marked) All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise wit...
Page 3 - Introduction
Introduction The LEICA DIGILUX 2 represents an important juncture in digital photography. To date, most digital camera manufacturers have attempted to make photography easier by removing traditional photographic controls, and replacing them with simplified fully automatic “point and shoot” controls. ...
Page 6 - Getting to Know Your Leica Digilux 2 Camera; How your camera works
The Digilux 2 is equipped with a 5.0 Mega pixel sensor. 1900X2560 individual CCD sensor elements are ar- ranged in an area array. At its most simplistic level of function, the individual sensor elements may be com- pared to individual analog light meters. Light passing through the lens energizes ind...
Page 8 - Automatic Settings
Capture and playback/review You may switch between capture and playback modes using the selector on the rear of the camera, or you may temporarily jump into a quick preview mode by using the quick selector button. This feature is very useful when you are trying to confirm focus of other camera settin...
Page 9 - Manual Settings; Manual focus
Manual Settings Manual focus Manual focus is one of the joys of using the Digilux 2 camera. Simply turn the focus ring past the automatic lock, and you are free to focus from any distance from two feet to infi nity. To assist with manual focus the Digilux 2 is equipped with a digital focus magnifi er....
Page 11 - Confi guring Your Computer; The Digilux 2 and your MacintoshTM
Confi guring Your Computer This guide has been created specifi cally for use with the Apple® Macintosh™ computer running MAC OS10.3 (Panther). Apple® computer has played an important role in the photographic community as the operating system is tightly integrated with the hardware itself. This integra...
Page 15 - Digital Imaging Basics; Bit Depth
Digital Imaging Basics Before we begin discussing how to use your images on the computer, we feel that it is important to under- stand what is going on under the hood. As we discussed in the beginning of this guide the Digilux camera delivers a processed JPEG or a raw for- mat image file. While we re...
Page 19 - Editing suggestions (Adobe® PhotoshopTM CS)
Editing suggestions (Adobe® Photoshop™ CS) If an image is poorly exposed and does not have a pleasing tonal balance, work methodically from the shadow point up through the mid-tone and highlight areas. Your first corrections should be to the levels adjustment in the shadow area. Using the RGB readout...
Page 20 - Archival printing using the Epson® 2200 printer; Note: The 2200 prints best on matte surface media the
Archival printing using the Epson® 2200 printer Many digital photographers become frustrated when it comes to achieving high quality print output from their computer workstations. To help with this situation we have outlined a step- by-step guide for creating high quality prints using the popular Ep...
Page 25 - Detail Tab Controls; Sharpness; Storing and Applying Settings across multiple Images; Set Camera Default
Detail Tab Controls While JPEG files are sharpened in-camera as they are processed, raw files are unsharpened. Working with unsharpened raw files takes some testing to find the best mix of settings. Under-exposed scenes and night shots will inherently have more digital noise, and will begin to break up ...
Page 26 - Editing images using Lasersoft® SilverfastTM DCSE
Editing images using Lasersoft® Silverfast™ DCSE If you do not have Adobe® Photoshop™ CS and wish to edit your raw image files, Leica has bundled a very powerful tool from Lasersoft Imaging. While the interface is quite different than what you may be used to, Silverfast is an extremely powerful tool,...
Page 27 - Example Silverfast Editing Session; Open an image in Silverfast
When you capture, create, or scan an image into a computer, you are directly involved with tonal deci- sions, and your adjustments may make or break an image with equal ease. When people processed film they adhered to very exacting processing times, and temperatures to achieve high quality. With digi...
Page 28 - Manually editing an image in SilverFastTM DCSE; Shadow adjustments
Manually editing an image in SilverFast™ DCSE After evaluating this image we know that the front of the boat in the lower right is the darkest point, we also know that this boat is pure black. Generally when edit- ing, we would want this area to have only a few values to retain some future editing fl...
Page 31 - Advanced Picture Settings; Saturation
Advanced Picture Settings Brightness (mid-tone) Adjusting the mid-tone brightness is essentially a Gamma adjustment. In other words, moving this slider changes the lightness of the mid-tone in relation to the highlight and shadow points. Using this tool is the equivalent of moving the mid-tone slide...
Page 32 - Sharpening and Scaling in Silverfast; Sharpening
Sharpening and Scaling in Silverfast Once you have edited an image, there are a few optional steps to take before your image file is ready to be processed. Silverfast can apply image sharpen- ing and perform image scaling to optimize the file for specific output devices. Sharpening Image Sharpening set...
Page 34 - Night/Low Light Photography
Night/Low Light Photography Many digital cameras perform poorly in low light situ- ations. The Digilux 2 performs quite well in low light, and opens up a wide range of creative opportunities. Shooting at night presents a number of technical chal- lenges that require you to plan your approach to ensu...
Page 36 - Sports Photography; Basic sports photography
Sports Photography At first glance, the Digilux 2 does not appear to be a camera well suited to sports/action photography. As we set out to create this guide, we quickly discovered that the short shutter delay, fast auto focus, and optical performance all contribute towards the ability to capture ver...
Page 37 - Portraiture Tips; Outdoor Portraits
Portraiture Tips The 28 to 90mm (35mm equivalent) lens of the Digilux 2 is ideal for photographing people, The wide angle view coupled with fast auto focus, accurate auto exposure, and virtually noiseless operation allow you to capture the most fleeting of moments. For more formal portraiture, the lo...
Page 38 - Studio Lighting
Studio Lighting The Leica Digilux 2 may be used in conjunction with electronic studio flash lighting equipment for an even higher level of control for portraiture or still-life appli- cations. When using external lighting, manual exposure mode operation, and the histogram will allow you to quickly es...
Page 43 - Common Photographic Problems
Common Photographic Problems While we have tried to anticipate the types of photog- raphy you may encounter in the creation of this guide, it is almost certain that you will run into situations where what is happening with your captures simply does not make sense. After spending many hours with the ...
Page 45 - Center for Digital Imaging Inc.
About the Author Scott Geffert is the president and co-founder of Center for Digital Imaging Inc. a New York City based technology consulting firm specializing in digital photography and imaging workflow. A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Scott has been involved with Photography since 1...