JorgenD Posted April 9, 2014 Share #1 Posted April 9, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all - this is my first ever post on this forum. Looks like a nice place to be, with lots of love for the X-cameras - I like! So, it looks like I'm getting the X1 tomorrow, used, from 2010, with only about 500 actuations (apparently), with the viewfinder, bag, strap, etc - for around 950 USD. Is that an ok deal you think? I'll take a look at it with the seller tomorrow, and decide then, but I've always dreamt about getting a Leica, and at this price point, with the quality the camera delivers, I think I'm ready to take the plunge... :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 9, 2014 Posted April 9, 2014 Hi JorgenD, Take a look here Hunting down a X1.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stevesurf Posted April 10, 2014 Share #2 Posted April 10, 2014 The Leica viewfinder for the X1 itself retails for around $290 USD, so if camera and VF all are in mint condition and operating well, it seems to be an excellent deal. If the camera shows signs of wear on the optics and cosmetically, then I would reconsider. Best of luck with it; I still enjoy mine and it is a wonderful camera, so happy I purchased it during a trip to Paris and thoroughly like the ergonomics. I added a grip and didn't buy a case. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted April 10, 2014 Share #3 Posted April 10, 2014 JorgenD, welcome to the forum! The X1 has an excellent record of reliability, notwithstanding some little quirks which I, for one, am happy to live with rather than be parted from it. Potentially you have a good deal if the kit is as described. I bought one of the first made and still use it almost daily. On non-photography specific days out, it is often the only camera I take out with me. At other times it is part of a small two-camera kit. Let us know how the deal goes. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted April 10, 2014 Share #4 Posted April 10, 2014 Jorgen - Welcome to the Forum and good luck with your purchase. Please let us know how the transaction goes, and if you do get the camera, be certain to post some photos in the different photo sections of the Forum. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgenD Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share #5 Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) Hi guys ... Here's an update. So I met the seller today to take a look at the camera. Let me just say - I believed him when he said he had only taken about 500 pictures with it. It's was a real beauty. No scrathes, no dinks, no marks, it looked like it came from the factory a couple days ago. The only thing that was not 100 % perfect was the side door, which makes a bit of a clicky sound when touched.. But that's nothing. The leather neck strap had never been rolled out, the viewfinder was in the original box tucked in the cloth thingy it comes with. I got all of the books, the original receipt, the retail box (just the small inner one though.. unfortunately), and apparently the seller hadn't used/downloaded his copy of Lightroom, so I guess I'm getting that one too - as all the included paperwork was included! And of course he had bought the leather carrying case which also looked great, which is now mine. Oh and I almost forgot, he threw in a 4 GB Sandisk Class 10 card too. All for 950 USD. In addition the seller was a great guy, showing me the camera, how to operate it (even though I knew that from before by looking at youtube clips), etc... So all in all - a great deal I'd say!!! :-) I've taken a few snaps already, though mostly at home as it's raining outside. I'll see if I can get them onto my PC so I can share a couple with you later. :-) Woop - I'm a VERY proud owner of a Leica camera... Man. It feels so good in the hand, real quality hardware, and the viewfinder is just so nice to use - even though there's no sun shining at the LCD... :-) Edited April 10, 2014 by JorgenD 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgenD Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) JorgenD, welcome to the forum! The X1 has an excellent record of reliability, notwithstanding some little quirks which I, for one, am happy to live with rather than be parted from it. Potentially you have a good deal if the kit is as described. I bought one of the first made and still use it almost daily. On non-photography specific days out, it is often the only camera I take out with me. At other times it is part of a small two-camera kit. Let us know how the deal goes. Cheers man! I was actually checking out your article on the X1 on your website before I took the plunge. Great read, and thats probably what pushed me over the edge... ;-) And also thanks to the rest of you for such a warm welcome! Much appreciated. This looks like a great community. :-) Edited April 10, 2014 by JorgenD 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevesurf Posted April 10, 2014 Share #7 Posted April 10, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi guys ... Here's an update. So I met the seller today to take a look at the camera. Let me just say - I believed him when he said he had only taken about 500 pictures with it. It's was a real beauty. ... All for 950 USD. Congrats! Look like you got yourself an excellent deal. FYI, if you want to get a screen protector, which I use on it, here's the link and it is on sale as well: Giottos SP8270 LEICA X1 Pro Optic Glass Screen Protector NEW! I also added the X1 grip to mine and find it really helps. The Thumbie, if available could be another grip alternative, but I'm not sure if it is available. I use mine in DNG+S fine mode - I find it's pretty flexible that way. Here are a few more resource links: leica x1 review on the leica blog - Otto Schulze Photographers The Leica X1 - Hands on Review, Image Samples, and Comparisons | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS Enjoy! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbealnz Posted April 10, 2014 Share #8 Posted April 10, 2014 I'm another X1 convert, buying one as we went to Europe last year. And despite having a very nice film M6 and a couple of lenses, I used the humble X1 for virtually all the images. I love mine, and am sure you will as well. Like has been said, make sure you post some shots. Gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB W Posted April 10, 2014 Share #9 Posted April 10, 2014 Congratulations on what sounds like a great deal on this little jewel of a camera! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgenD Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share #10 Posted April 12, 2014 (edited) Hey guys. So I've taken my first few snaps with the camera now, unfortunately it's been more or less raining constantly since I got it, so I've mostly been at home with it. Adding a link to a pic beneath. https://www.dropbox.com/s/92q48jwyc7y5cbw/L1000924.jpg I've installed Lightroom 5 (for the first time), and I've taken the picture through it, tried to get it classy and sharp. What do you think? Do you got any pointers on how to process DNG pics with Lightroom, to make them really pop? I've tried a few presets, tweaking some parameters, but I'm in no way a pro on this... :-) Cheers! Edited April 12, 2014 by JorgenD Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgm Posted April 12, 2014 Share #11 Posted April 12, 2014 Don't forget, you can get some great pictures in 'bad' weather……..rain included! Welcome to the forum. Geoff 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted April 12, 2014 Share #12 Posted April 12, 2014 Jorgen, shooting indoors is a good way to get to know a camera. You have made a good start. Learning LR does take time. For black and white you can use one of the presets and fine tune to suit your vision. A useful aid to learning is to work through the tutorials on the Adobe website. If you want to go deeper, consider a good book of which there are many. Search Amazon and read a few critiques by buyers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgenD Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share #13 Posted April 12, 2014 Don't forget, you can get some great pictures in 'bad' weather……..rain included! Welcome to the forum. Geoff I'm afraid of damaging the X1 though.. Can it be used in the rain? Does it have any type of weather sealing? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgenD Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted April 12, 2014 Jorgen, shooting indoors is a good way to get to know a camera. You have made a good start. Learning LR does take time. For black and white you can use one of the presets and fine tune to suit your vision. A useful aid to learning is to work through the tutorials on the Adobe website. If you want to go deeper, consider a good book of which there are many. Search Amazon and read a few critiques by buyers. Cheers David! LR; yes that's what I did - picked a BW preset and fine tuned it a bit. Thanks about the tutorials tip, I'll check them out. Here's another one pic from yesterday: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e0vpw84achx8sd0/L1000863.jpg Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-s Posted April 12, 2014 Share #15 Posted April 12, 2014 I would be interested to know how the dealer knew the number of actuations. Did he happen to say how to check this? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted April 12, 2014 Share #16 Posted April 12, 2014 Cheers David! LR; yes that's what I did - picked a BW preset and fine tuned it a bit. Thanks about the tutorials tip, I'll check them out. Here's another one pic from yesterday: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e0vpw84achx8sd0/L1000863.jpg Jorgen, post-processing is a very personal procedure. Only you know how your captured image should look. I have taken the liberty of passing a copy through LR5 and made a few quick tonal adjustments so show an alternative interpretation. It took me five minutes. If I knew how the original scene looked I might have spent more if I thought further improvements could be made. It is a balancing act. See what you think. Bearing in mind it looks like a very dull day, it is amazing how much information you have captured and presented. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/224960-hunting-down-a-x1/?do=findComment&comment=2567171'>More sharing options...
JorgenD Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share #17 Posted April 13, 2014 I would be interested to know how the dealer knew the number of actuations. Did he happen to say how to check this? He didnt know for certain, it was a guesstimation. Based on the file names he had taken around 750 photos - so a bit more than what he thought he had taken. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgenD Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share #18 Posted April 14, 2014 Jorgen, post-processing is a very personal procedure. Only you know how your captured image should look. I have taken the liberty of passing a copy through LR5 and made a few quick tonal adjustments so show an alternative interpretation. It took me five minutes. If I knew how the original scene looked I might have spent more if I thought further improvements could be made. It is a balancing act. See what you think. Bearing in mind it looks like a very dull day, it is amazing how much information you have captured and presented. Cheers David, it sure is a different interpretation - seems like you've gotten (or shown) even more detail in your version. I like it! :-) And yeah, I agree that its a very personal procedure. But, in general, what is lacking in RAW pictures vs out-of-camera-JPGs? I guess it's a matter of sharpening, in addition to some needed (?) extra kick in the color & contrast department? We've been on a couple photo trips the last couple days - I've more or less only taken BW photos. Looking forward to browsing through them later... :-) Gotta say though, I don't really get the complaining about the X1's slow focusing. Ok, it can be a bit slow indoors, but outdoors it's not really a problem. I more or less only use the viewfinder now, and I've quickly learned how to listen to the quick, assured sound the focusing mechanism makes when locking onto the target - that focus light doesn't help much when being outdoors on a bright day... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorgenD Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share #19 Posted April 15, 2014 Here's a pic from our trip today... https://www.dropbox.com/s/j2k3y6xzssx0r4g/L1001392.jpg 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iduna Posted April 15, 2014 Share #20 Posted April 15, 2014 Jorgen, welcome to the forum and congratulations to your purchase. I use my X1 for a few years now and knowing its potential well, I use it very often even if it has to compete with a Canon 5DMKII and an Olympus OMD EM5. It is still a fantastic camera with its own character and very versatile. Fors ome purposes like street, concert, and landscape it is unbeatable compared to others. You can also mount achromats and it will give you very pleasant results. It is demanding in skill but you will find out and learn to love it. I wish you a great adventure exploring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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