X1 in-depth review

[kamilsukun]

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Just posted - X1 in-depth review

Friday, 18 December 2009 11:05 GMT

 

@dpreview.com

[pappde]

Now that is a report that will make all the nay sayers (especially barjohn) happy and feel vindicated.

[lct]

Nice IQ but slow camera. No excuse at this price level IMHO.

[peterb]

Now that is a report that will make all the nay sayers (especially barjohn) happy and feel vindicated.

 

I wouldn't count on it. DPreview re-affirmed many of the issues BarJohn had with it: Pricey, Sluggish AF particularly in low light, not good for 'grab (although DPreview did say zone or pre-focusing is doable as a means around that). And I'm sure the noise at high ISO's (considering that the sensor may be identical to the one in the Nikon D300) while good for most of us like myself may still be disappointing to him.

 

The review also confirmed one of my observations that while the GF1 (a most likely competitor) shows the beginnings of noise at ISO 800 with the 1.5 stop advantage its 20mm f1.7 pancake lens has over the X1's Elmarit the noise is the same as you'd get shooting at ISO 3200 on the X1. So it's kind of a a wash.

 

As for me, it re-affirmed what I liked. Excellent minimalist controls. A nice (optional) grip. And a large sensor in a compact camera with a superb lens capable of producing very high quality images, silently. In fact in the image comparisons the engraving lines on the currency really popped indicating a VERY sharp optic and sensor combination that suggesting it could produce tremendous detail in shots.

 

And including Lightroom in the package (which helps in the RAW workflow) really puts the camera at around $1700.

[fotolebrocq]

Well, I say, thanks to Leica for proving that a large sensor can fit into a small body. Now, over to the big boys like Canon & Nikon with more R&D budget to make it work properly. The future looks good

[drstefanlenz]

what shocks me is that shutterlag of 1,4 seconds! that´s a killer for me

[razerx]

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Excuse my ignorance but can firmware upgrades fix problems like shutter lag and slow AF or are they hardware problems?

[lars_bergquist]

The X1 would be perfectly useable with just three changes in firmware:

 

• A decent selection of focus distance marks beyond 2m;

 

• A realistic way to see d.o.f. (moving marks coupled to aperture dial?)

 

• The camera remembers its manual focus setting when going on standby -- or maybe it does not go on standby when on manual! Manual switch-off only.

 

The d.o.f. scale would have to be calculated on a basis of a 0.01mm circle of confusion, or thereabouts.

 

This would make the X1 a digital equivalent to the Rollei 35. Though what I would actually want is a digital equivalent to the Canon Canonet 17QL. Sean Reid was not the only person who loved these cameras.

 

The old man from the Age of Film

[hammam]

what shocks me is that shutterlag of 1,4 seconds! that´s a killer for me

 

1.4 seconds? That's for ever. Of course, it includes AF time, right? But what if you pre-focus? Will the lens keep it there if you release the shutter button? Or go back to some infinite state like the Contax G1-G2 used to do?

 

Also, isn't there a possibility Leica will come up with a firmware update to improve on the jpeg performance?

[contaxgary]

The new firmware better be a killer fix, or this camera will be DOA for most. If they can speed up autofocus and make manual focus possible with full aperture then they have a marketable camera. Very good review.

[JGW]

Surely it's faster -at least- in use than a Digilux 2?

 

JGW

[Craftsman]

$2000.00 for this fixed lens P&S?. Add the grip and viewfinder, maybe a nice Luigi case and you still have a camera that has a Red dot as the biggest thing going for it. They could turn out a shoe box with a F2.8 lens in it and there would be those that would find something to love about it. So what if you can put in in a pocket. Behind the rest and twice as expensive.

[peterb]

what shocks me is that shutterlag of 1,4 seconds! that´s a killer for me

 

Whoa! I thought with the upgraded firmware Sean Reid clocked it at .34s or so. (And both DPreview and Reid were working with firmware 1.0 on that test.)

[alexc]

This reminds me initial discussions about digilux 2. it had a lot of shortcoming and was very expensive. Reviews were very mixed, a lot of controversy.

However I still enjoy it (with a lot of other users) and it is still the best experience so far except M8/9.

Three things make this camera very special to me: manual controls, great image quality (at low ISO) and state of the art lens. Look like X1 will have these strengths as well.

I am not comparing these very different tools, but it looks like Leica's approach is the same.

Looking forward to get it in January.

[jsrockit]

Three things make this camera very special to me: manual controls, great image quality (at low ISO) and state of the art lens. Look like X1 will have these strengths as well.

 

I agree, it is still appealing to me... though I may not buy it.

[markpsf]

After all the gnashing and bashing, all I want is a well reasoned sense of whether the camera will meet my needs with or without the red dot.

 

Purpose -

almost only candid shooting, usually in decent to good lighting conditions.

almost only in RAW

can easily be set for zone focusing

good relatively low noise at medium high ISO

first rate lens and sensor

 

How expensive a camera is and whether overpriced or not is always to me an individual call.

 

I have the GF1 for fast AF and when I don't care about printing out large photos, just posting them on the web. I have the GRD III as a pocket camera to have with me always and, likewise, fine for web posted shots. I want one more, preferably 35mm lens, 50mm acceptable (ergo have considered the new Ricoh).

 

I still lean towards the X1, but the DP Review (I gave the review a "Recommended-Just"!) has me a little nervous. With the recommended firmware changes it would be a no brainer, but we can't count on those.

 

Mark

[khanosu]

what shocks me is that shutterlag of 1,4 seconds! that´s a killer for me

 

Remarks like this can really mislead people. Where in the review does it say that the shutter-lag is 1.4 sec.? I only see AF speed quoted at being 1.4 sec. I have read the whole review and shutter-lag is not even mentioned (sorry if I missed it). The terms shutter-lag and AF speed have very different meanings.

 

Note: Accordign to Sean's review the shutter-lag for a full press of the shutter button is 0.5 sec. The shutter-lag for a half press is 0.2 sec. This is the relevant spec for manual/zone focusing.

 

Furrukh

[marcusperkins]

I guess if all you're after is slightly better quality (at great cost) in a slow lumbering way, then it probably makes sense - perfect for shooting wall charts though.

[khanosu]

 

• The camera remembers its manual focus setting when going on standby -- or maybe it does not go on standby when on manual! Manual switch-off only.

 

 

This is the only change I really want; the rest is workable for zone/hyperfocal-distance focusing.

 

A shutter-lag of 0.5 sec for a full button press (Sean's review) while not being spectacular is good enough for me.

 

Furrukh

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[khanosu]

I guess if all you're after is slightly better quality (at great cost) in a slow lumbering way, then it probably makes sense - perfect for shooting wall charts though.

 

True for AF but not true for zone focusing where the real figure of merit for speed is the shutter-lag.

 

0.5 sec. is not exactly lumbering

 

Furrukh