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Rick Rizner
The Digilux 2 is a big Bradley Fighting Vehicle of a digital camera that costs $1850, more than twice as much as its predecessor, last year's Digilux 1. Made to last from premium materials, according to the company, it looks like one of the Leica M-Series models that make film-camera purists go all weak in the knees.
$1850 is still cheap for a Leica, but it's an outrageous price for a fixed-lens digital camera, and while the camera carries a big "Leica Camera Germany" label on the back, it's made in Japan with some help from Panasonic. (The almost-identical Panasonic Lumix DMC- LC1 sells for $250 less.) For this money, you can get a true digital SLR like Canon's 10D and have cash left over for at least one lens. So why would you spend $1850 on a point-and-shoot with a fancy name on it?
Perhaps because the Digilux 2 has several features you won't find on any other point-and-shoot model. The big, fast (f2), gorgeous lens has rings for zoom, focus, and aperture adjustment, just like an old-fashioned SLR. They move smoothly, and you can make adjustments much more...