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Good morning, This is my first post here and like all newbies I'm looking for advice! I live in Bolton, near Manchester in the UK and currently shooting with a Fuji x100 and Fuji XE1. Before I start I have to say I'm very happy with both of these cameras. I am an amateur and not planning on doing any paid work (though I've got a friend who wants some pictures for his webpage and CD covers etc). I shoot a bit of everything, street, portraits (usually family/friends), landscapes, architecture etc. I popped into the Leica store Manchester, what a fantastic experience! The service was great and I got to get my hands on lots of toys! I got to have a go at the Q and I was very impressed. I've always wanted to own a Leica, my Grandpa was a photog and always used a Leica (M3 maybe) unfortunately someone put their finger through the shutter and my Dad sold it as the cost of repair was too high. I was very impressed by the handling, easy intuitive system and image quality of the the Q; as well as the good looks of course! They have offered to take me on a test drive with the Q which is my next job to do. My question, I suppose, is is it worth the investment? Will Leica stop supporting the Q a few years down the line and any problems will be unfixable? Will the technology be so outdated that I'll be pining for the Leica Q2 in a few years? Is it that much better than the Fuji x100/s/t that it is worth the extra £2000. Is there something better I could get? I wouldn't say that money isn't a problem, it always is, but I promised myself a Leica for my 30th birthday and £3000 was about the budget I set myself. My original plan was to get a film Leica and some glass but I'm not sure that I'll ever get around to developing/printing/scanning the film. I look forward to hearing your opinions Rob https://www.flickr.com/photos/rmpoole/

Hi Guys, I'm new to this forum and although I spent few hours searching around relevant topics I couldn't make up my mind yet... so please convince me NOT to buy an M8. Here is the thing, I've used SLR / DSLR all my life, I mainly do street photography (not pro, just for fun) and recently I've decided to sell all my gear and get an X100. Best choice I've ever made (photography wise)... I love the X100 under every aspect and quirk... but it's slowly becoming "small" especially the crappy MF and no lenses. So I am thinking... let's get a M8, Leica has always been my dream but I cannot justify (from a money / usage perspective) a M9 and here comes my problem: 1) M8 is quite an old camera. 2) The image quality / iso performance are substantially crappier than my X100. Will I end up buying a used camera, spend 1.5gbp + a lens (was thinking of a 28 Ultron F2 or a 50mm Nokton 1.1) that will most likely perform worse than my X100. I love the Leica (idea) <- but I'm deeply worried i will regret it... So... please stop me now!!! Thank you all!

Well, a lot is written on this X100 Fuji camera and I can present the instruction manual too.(3Mb so to big for an upload here). But after upgrading my Oly PEN E-P1 to firmware 1.4 and upgrading the lenses software too (17mm Pancake, 14-42mm) to firmware 1.1 A.F. is also running more fast and acurate. It's not like my SLR Canon 5D but hey it's a compact camera, not a professional SLR system. I am sure when the latest firmware of the X1 is available it will be much better too. What i like of the Olympus are the options, widely available (e.g. shut off the display when using the optical V.F. ) and the very compact design for a changeble lens system. An yes, I am also using my M lenses on it! (Novoflex Leica M - micro 4/3). But time is going on and more compact cameras of a very good preformance level are available now. Let's try to find out some pro and contras for these cameras.