Sean Reid's X1 Part 2 Review is up

[maddav]

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With respect to focussing with an M I think it depends on many things: the user's sight and ability, the lighting conditions, etc.

 

My own experience is that sometimes I can focus extraordinarily rapidly, even in low light when I can find something easy to focus on, and sometimes it can be a pain. The worst is when you have a repetition of similar patterns: then the whole idea of making the two images superimpose collapses completely, because it's not clear at all whether you are making the two images of the same object coincide or images of two similarly shaped but different objects!

Of course this is an extreme case but with lateral light there was also an issue with the rangefinder patch sometimes becoming 'white'.

 

On the other hand if the light is low, my experience with AF (more entry-level than state of the art) is that the AF can struggle and ultimately fail...

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[Guest stnami]

I'm not sure but focus has never been a problem for me with RF cameras and I've been using them for a very long time

But you used the lens to focus not the same case here ........come and visit our harsh light and focus on the screen.

[sean_reid]

But you used the lens to focus not the same case here ........come and visit our harsh light and focus on the screen.

 

Hi Imants,

 

I'm not clear on the second part of that. Are you talking about manual focus using an LCD screen?

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Guest stnami]

I meant view the screen as it will be a total white out and I am sure you understood the relationship between the screen and focusing

[barjohn]

I understand completely having tried with the E-P1. With either the light in your eyes making the relatively dim screen un-viewable because your pupils are such pinpoints you can't see the screen or the sun behind you washing out the screen you cannot manual focus because you can't see the screen to view the image or see a scale to focus with. This is when an EVF becomes essential or in the case of an RF a real optical focusing means. Conversely in very low light the image noise level can be so high on the LCD that all of the resolution is destroyed and you can't achieve critical focus. In this case you need AF with a focus assist light that works well in low light or an EVF/LCD that is relatively noise free. I haven't seen any such tests by Sean yet under these harsh conditions that seem to come up more often than I would have imagined before I purchased and E-P1. I thought it would be such a rare occurrence that I could live with its slower AF and lower resolution LCD. Then I discovered that I was wrong. It happened far more often than I expected. The slow AF was irritating as I would miss shots that I felt I should have gotten as I waited for the beep that seemed to take forever. MF was equally frustrating as I could not see the image on the screen well enough to focus it under far more circumstances than I ever expected. I hope Sean will test for these conditions and report on them.

[Guest stnami]

It will be pretty simple if one cannot see the screen manual focus using the wheel is a shot bird........ auo focus well it will be a pain in the arse nothing but a change in hardware will alter that ...thus a PS&H point shoot and hope. A pity

[sean_reid]

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I meant view the screen as it will be a total white out and I am sure you understood the relationship between the screen and focusing

 

I find that, in bright contrasty subject, it can be difficult to use an LCD screen for viewing or focusing. That's been my experience with every camera I've ever tried that used live view.

 

I know that other people's feelings on this may differ from my own but I personally find LCD screens and EVFs to be the last types of finders I would ever want to use for my own work. But, again, I know some people like them and find them useful. Mitch Alland, for example, likes the LCD screen (in addition to viewing the subject directly).

 

In bright sunlight, the difference between manually focusing using the LCD (on any camera) vs. using the rangefinder in an M cameras is enormous. I far prefer the latter. In lower contrast (less intense) light I can manually focus using an LCD screen but I still much prefer an RF.

 

Would I be happy to see a future Leica "X" camera with an actual rangefinder?.... absolutely... but I don't see that happening any time soon.

 

Others mileage may vary.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[sean_reid]

I hope Sean will test for these conditions and report on them.

 

Hi John,

 

If the sun is washing out the screen then it is hard to focus any camera via the LCD.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[sean_reid]

It will be pretty simple if one cannot see the screen manual focus using the wheel is a shot bird...

 

That's true and I think any of us who have tried to focus any live view camera via the LCD, in these conditions, know that it can be difficult to impossible.

 

Personally, when I'm in bright sun with these compact cameras, I'm usually zone focused for fast work. If I'm working more slowly (semi-static or static subjects) then I might use AF and then I can wait a second for the camera to lock. That's true, for me, whether the camera is an X1 or a Ricoh GR III.

 

For example, the X1 review includes a lot of pictures made in bright sunlight. The ones filled with moving people were all made with zone focus and framed with an external finder. The ones with still subjects were made using AF and mostly framed with an external finder.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Guest stnami]

The ones filled with moving people were all made with zone focus and framed with an external finder.

Unfotunately many of the buyers do not have many of these skills in image taking , they just shoot every now and then......... they are the ones that will be disappointed. But no matter that's not Leica's problem.

Thanks I am out of this thread.......

[hexar]

Maybe someone can tell me how the half way push of the shutter affects EXPOSURE in LEICA X1

 

In case I want to shoot in AF and I focus on to some subject in 4 metres distance and I push the shutter button half on order to have no shutter lag and focussing time to deal with when I want to "CLICK" , Does this half pressing also lock the light exposure ? Or can I move around with the cameralens in this 4 metres area and does the camera adept its exposure all the time according to what I am aiming at with shutter half pressed ?

 

Thanks in advance

[barjohn]

I am surprised that these cameras that use an LCD for framing haven't followed Samsung's lead to an OLED screen with its much higher contrast ratio and brightness that makes it visible in much harsher conditions.

 

Sean you didn't address the low light situation I described above. Assuming with the new firmware the lens stays wide open or you manually set it to wide open how noisy is the LCD image in low light? Can you manually focus using it in low light? If not, how well does the auto focus work in low light? By low light I mean at ISO 3200 and f2.8 you would have a shutter speed of less than 1/30th, perhaps as low as 1/8th.

[sean_reid]

[quote=barjohn;1126331

Sean you didn't address the low light situation I described above. Assuming with the new firmware the lens stays wide open or you manually set it to wide open how noisy is the LCD image in low light?

 

I didn't address it because there is no such firmware (yet) that fixes the aperture problem. We need that to be in place before we can look at B.

[sean_reid]

Maybe someone can tell me how the half way push of the shutter affects EXPOSURE in LEICA X1

 

In case I want to shoot in AF and I focus on to some subject in 4 metres distance and I push the shutter button half on order to have no shutter lag and focussing time to deal with when I want to "CLICK" , Does this half pressing also lock the light exposure ? Or can I move around with the cameralens in this 4 metres area and does the camera adept its exposure all the time according to what I am aiming at with shutter half pressed ?

 

Thanks in advance

 

The half-press locks exposure. If one needs to over-ride that the fastest way to do it is to simply move the aperture or shutter speed dial to set manual exposure.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[wda]

With respect to focussing with an M I think it depends on many things: the user's sight and ability, the lighting conditions, etc.

 

...The worst is when you have a repetition of similar patterns: then the whole idea of making the two images superimpose collapses completely, because it's not clear at all whether you are making the two images of the same object coincide or images of two similarly shaped but different objects! ..

 

Maddav, try rotating the camera slightly in the described situation. I find that helps.

[johnwolf]

...The 50/75 length is more suited to our streets than the 28/35, no longer is it about taking that extra step forward into someone's space but keeping that unwritten distance of personal space.

 

Well, I think this has more to do with your artistic intent. It seems to me that street shooting has evolved with a greater focus on content -- as opposed to form and design. So you're right, longer is probably better for that. But just considering HCB's work, for example, he typically included so much of the setting. Personally, I find that more interesting for its greater form and design options. That he mainly used a 50 must have put him at quite a distance for much of his work. Not in-your-face at all. A 75 would likely not suit that intention.

 

John

[sliversurger]

sean,

 

thanks once again for updating your X1 review with the auto focus information. very informative and something for me to keep an eye on with other cameras. its information like this i enjoy, which actually gives insight into workings of a camera instead of having people say "oh, they can fix that in a future firmware update."

 

knowing that there's a ceiling with the X1, in terms of the auto focus, i now know to look elsewhere for a compact, fast focusing camera. again, can't wait for your GF1 review.

 

john

[sean_reid]

sean,

 

thanks once again for updating your X1 review with the auto focus information. very informative and something for me to keep an eye on with other cameras. its information like this i enjoy, which actually gives insight into workings of a camera instead of having people say "oh, they can fix that in a future firmware update."

 

knowing that there's a ceiling with the X1, in terms of the auto focus, i now know to look elsewhere for a compact, fast focusing camera. again, can't wait for your GF1 review.

 

john

 

Hi John,

 

The first part of that rolling review should be ready soon.

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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[maddav]

Does one know if the 36mm external finder is glasseswearer friendly?

Although I have never used an external finder, I tried some in shops, etc. and often the problem was that I wasn't able to see the whole frame (same problem with wide angle frames in the internal finder of a .72 M for example).

[tedmna]

Does one know if the 36mm external finder is glasseswearer friendly?

Although I have never used an external finder, I tried some in shops, etc. and often the problem was that I wasn't able to see the whole frame (same problem with wide angle frames in the internal finder of a .72 M for example).

 

The CV 35mm VF works fine with glasses.