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Leica X-U: Outdoor And Underwater Camera


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Talked to a friend who work for a boat charter company as a captain of a 27 meter expedition type of a boat. They are preparing the budget for the French Polynesia leg. The owners directed the captain to buy two Leica X-Us with the following reasoning.

 

They have two certified divers on the boat, one is an instructor and another is a videographer. The video girl is documenting the customer dives underwater and the video materials are a big hit with the charter guests. They lack the part of documenting the beginning of the dive, getting on the RHIB and snorkeling activity. If they employ another diver to work with that content, they will have to pay about £25,000 only in salary p.a. and they will have to rearrange the crew accommodation and fit in a berth. Another options is to use the existing tender crew to document the kayaking, snorkeling and the beginning/end of the dives either from a tender or from the water surface . The owners decided that a couple of the U113s will make their life easier and the customers happy. Every night the crew prepare some low res footage and JPEGs for clients social media and at the end of the trip the guests receive the hi res video and stills on a disc.

In the professional world the price of the camera is relatively low.

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Talked to a friend who work for a boat charter company as a captain of a 27 meter expedition type of a boat. They are preparing the budget for the French Polynesia leg. The owners directed the captain to buy two Leica X-Us with the following reasoning.

 

They have two certified divers on the boat, one is an instructor and another is a videographer. The video girl is documenting the customer dives underwater and the video materials are a big hit with the charter guests. They lack the part of documenting the beginning of the dive, getting on the RHIB and snorkeling activity. If they employ another diver to work with that content, they will have to pay about £25,000 only in salary p.a. and they will have to rearrange the crew accommodation and fit in a berth. Another options is to use the existing tender crew to document the kayaking, snorkeling and the beginning/end of the dives either from a tender or from the water surface . The owners decided that a couple of the U113s will make their life easier and the customers happy. Every night the crew prepare some low res footage and JPEGs for clients social media and at the end of the trip the guests receive the hi res video and stills on a disc.

In the professional world the price of the camera is relatively low.

 

If the AF is fast enough and the prime lens flexible enough for the Task, why not.

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I got this camera, perhaps following my heart rather than my brain.  Hopefully, it will supplement the AW1 (IQ and creative limitations) and the A5100 in Meikon housing (bulky) in the SUP-based photography project I hope to shoot in the next year or so, as well as being a good companion for the pool, the beach, the trail, the rock pool, snorkelling and kayaking.  I have a few initial thoughts but I am not comfortable discussing those until I have more time with the camera.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Leica Store LA's having an Instagram travel photo guy speak about the X-U on Saturday.  I will check it out.

 

$3 grand for a water-resistant APS-C point and shoot seems a little steep.  That's the polite way of putting it.

Edited by Joshua Lowe
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Niche product, but right now in my life this is my niche!  Tuned 50 and happen to be very fortunate to be active and able to travel.  Leica X-1 entered me into the Leica world ... the M9-P amazes me every time I use it ... and now the X-U sets me free.  I took it on a 17K run on the Thames and did not worry about the camera in my pack - it will take a great picture, and I don't have to worry about rain, dust or anything else that can happen on a hike, bike or run!  I have tried some other rugged cameras, and the pictures are awful.  The price?  Too high!  But in this time and place, it is what I need for a piece of mind.  Excellent photos with no stress.  

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Niche product, but right now in my life this is my niche!  Tuned 50 and happen to be very fortunate to be active and able to travel.  Leica X-1 entered me into the Leica world ... the M9-P amazes me every time I use it ... and now the X-U sets me free.  I took it on a 17K run on the Thames and did not worry about the camera in my pack - it will take a great picture, and I don't have to worry about rain, dust or anything else that can happen on a hike, bike or run!  I have tried some other rugged cameras, and the pictures are awful.  The price?  Too high!  But in this time and place, it is what I need for a piece of mind.  Excellent photos with no stress.  

 

This is exactly why I am interested in this cam. A tool that does not need babying when biking, trekking, traveling and which delivers when required. 

Edited by Ecaton
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This is exactly why I am interested in this cam. A tool that does not need babying when biking, trekking, traveling and which delivers when required. 

 

Loving it so far ... Came with me on a "Dune Bashing" excursion in Sea Line. Taken on a 10k run home and had it in my hand while running my last 1k.  Taken on a run to the Corniche in a hot, sweaty backpack.  But more importantly had it on me while I was on a dunk tank at school ... video and stills!  I have had a few "keepers" and a couple of "wows" but just getting used to it.  

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  • 3 months later...

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!

New kid in town #LeicaXU #ThatBeautyIsABeast

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I downloaded the manual and cannot understand the following:

It is not possible to use an external flash, or only with a remote flash unit that allow wireless triggering.

We recommend using the integrated flash unit underwater only for depths up to 5m/16ft due to the limited flash range. In greater depths, the use of an external, underwater-capable flash unit with a wireless connection to the camera is recommended that can be triggered by the in-built camera flash (available from other manufacturers at specialist retailers).

 

I can't find any pictures of the hot shoe to better understand how the U113 works with the external flash. How the internal flash triggers the external one in the water?

 

Does anyone knows any information to clarify that?

 

Probably optical triggering.

 

Toshi

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I actually like it. It`s not for scuba divers, but for more rugged outdoors activities. As such it plays nicely into a niche. A camera with good IQ which can take some beating and abuse in the outdoors for activities like parachuting/-gliding, sailing, horseback riding, canoeing, rock climbing.... Is there any alternative?

That's exactly what I would have marketed this camera for. The ability to use it underwater at limited depths would be secondary as far as I'm concerned.

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That's exactly what I would have marketed this camera for. The ability to use it underwater at limited depths would be secondary as far as I'm concerned.

 

 

That's what I thought when deciding to get the X-U. My first impression on seeing it online was how strangely built it was. Then, all I could think about over the next few days were all the photo opportunities I had missed over the years from not having a camera to take into demanding situations. I didn't use my DLSR while rafting. It required a big clean out after getting covered in volcanic ash. Now the X-U gets used on the beach, in sandy landscapes, in front of baby elephants splashing mud around. It gets bumped while climbing on rocks and it's all good. Leica made clever design choices. It works. 

 

Anyway, here is a shallow-water photo. It's fun taking it out while swimming. 

 

Shane

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!

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