X1 skin ailment

[phancj]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

barjohn has been criticizing the X1 even before it became available. I took no notice of his comments and purchased one, its a superb compact camera. I tend to take no notice of anyones rantings unless they have owned the camera themselves for a few days.

 

So much for the "experts" on the net. Nevertheless, it would be sad if some may heed the words of these detractors and lose the opportunity to own and use something this nice.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[barjohn]

Hey John,

 

User experience and camera preferences are extremely subjective. Battery doors and leatherette issues for some aside, the X1 is magnificent in build and everyone who has handled mine have been impressed at its build quality. As for user experience, I have personally tested the Nex5 as I wanted to buy it for my wife who is a beginner and it didnt work for me. The AF, though faster, missed many occasions, at least 3-5 shots out of the 25-30 shots I saved in my own memory card were out of focus, some way off. The X1 , on the the other hand, has 99.9% of shots sharply focused, slow or not. The kit lenses were atrocious, yes, even the pancake lens. My friend who is a sony sales rep nodded and said there is no comparison. Then there is that "heavy" shutter in the nex5 that was annoying and definitely, the X1 has the most silent and you can't even feel any vibration. Lastly, ALL the images I took under the same conditions with the Nex5 and the 16mm lens could not hold a candle to what the X1 produced. So yes, it is half the price of the X1, but no, I would definitely not buy it for my wife. Which is quite sad really, coz I read that sony supplied the X1 sensor, and the form factor was actually surprisingly excellent (the pancake at least), I felt the balance and grip and all to be comfortable, despite many complaints on the lens being too large (I tried the zoom too). I would wait until the good Zeiss prime E-mount lenses before looking at it again, but the shutter I hope sony will improve on its next rendition.

 

My experience with the NEX 5 does not match your quick in store test. The lens, though of very nice build quality is not as distortion free as it should be and Sony has chosen not to do in camera corrections like others so you see the distortions in some shots. However, look at the images posted by Terry here Fun with the NEX cameras.... - The GetDPI Photography Forums and check the sharpness, dynamic range and IQ when in the hands of a very good photographer just using the JPGs as the only RAW converters currently available are Sony's or Silkypix's.

 

A focal plane shutter is always going to be louder than a leaf shutter, especially when it has to close, open, close, open for each shot. The GXR is barely audible. But thee are trade-offs and one of those is max shutter speed as the lens is opened (And these lenses are max f2.5, f2.8) what would it be at f2 , f1.2 or f1.4?

 

And here is a quick example I shot out my front door that was easy to do. However, not easy to set up for uploading.

Panny 3.pdf

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!

[eelekim]

barjohn, NEX-5 is good for you. Congratulations! It's really important to find a camera to fit oneself.

 

I think no cameras are good for all photographers. Many users here like X1. Others don't and even hate it so much that they don't feel happy without bashing it. To me X1 is the best camera I've ever used. I feel so good taking pictures with it and the result is really that good.

 

I know all the shortcomings of X1 very well. Whenever I read or hear them again and again from the same or different people (cry babies), I feel bored. I can cope with them. And I believe most X1 users do as well. Isn't it more positive to share how we can minimize their negative effects?

 

As the bashing, the same praises on X1 have been repeated again and again by the same or different users (happy babies with a new toy). I feel bored too. I hope to read more about how to get the most out of the camera.

 

mike

Still The Moment

[Douglasco]

Well put eelekim, in fact a few critics of the X1 could do with having a look at your photos they might just learn something about the kind of photos achievable with the X1

[phancj]

My experience with the NEX 5 does not match your quick in store test. The lens, though of very nice build quality is not as distortion free as it should be and Sony has chosen not to do in camera corrections like others so you see the distortions in some shots. However, look at the images posted by Terry here Fun with the NEX cameras.... - The GetDPI Photography Forums and check the sharpness, dynamic range and IQ when in the hands of a very good photographer just using the JPGs as the only RAW converters currently available are Sony's or Silkypix's.

 

A focal plane shutter is always going to be louder than a leaf shutter, especially when it has to close, open, close, open for each shot. The GXR is barely audible. But thee are trade-offs and one of those is max shutter speed as the lens is opened (And these lenses are max f2.5, f2.8) what would it be at f2 , f1.2 or f1.4?

 

And here is a quick example I shot out my front door that was easy to do. However, not easy to set up for uploading.

 

The issue is not the noisy shutter, John, it is the fact that the shutter is heavy and generates substantial vibration. The noise I can barely tolerate, the vibration no thanks. It is almost, like I said many times, something fell inside the camera.

 

Anyway if you have found your camera in the Nex5, I am most happy for you. But my less than positive experience with it is posted on the net so potential buyers can reference it to make an informed buying decision. As to photographs by great photographers, I think really great photographers can make magic out of any low end cameras. If you want to look that way, I suggest you go to flickr and check out photos by Peter Lueck, he takes the most astonishing shots with the X1. The first couple of shots taken with my X1 had me dumbfounded as to how good the images are, hence my belief in the Leica brand ever since then (feb this year). Anyway to each his own, but my own experience with both the X1 and the Nex5 is very clear to me, the first photos taken with both cameras showed a world of difference, and mind you, I had the Sony reps beside me (2 of them in fact) helping me with the test and they both readily admitted there is no comparison... so there you have it. Try the X1, instead of reading from the net or seeing sample images, for a change and you may be surprised.

[RichardM8]

Really...I presume you have tested these cameras to know what you are talking about. I have the GXR A-12 and the Sony NEX 5 and have owned the GF-1 among others. I have yet to see any images posted on the X1 that are any better than those produced by the GXR or the NEX 5.

 

Apart from the NEX5 which I don't know, your presumption is right.

 

I take it you own the A-12. That kinda explains your view. For the rest of world, the A12 turns out iffy, strange behaving RAW files that fall apart quickly while it doesn't match the X1 IQ at all.

[Guest badbob]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

The issue is not the noisy shutter, John, it is the fact that the shutter is heavy and generates substantial vibration. The noise I can barely tolerate, the vibration no thanks. It is almost, like I said many times, something fell inside the camera.

 

I second this. Same problem with the Panasonic G1 - heavy clunk and vibration.

[Guest Chris M]

So anybody experiencing peeling skin on a recently purchased X1:eek:

That is the topic of this thread, not shutter clunk discussions.

 

 

cm

[msbel]

So anybody experiencing peeling skin on a recently purchased X1:eek:

That is the topic of this thread, not shutter clunk discussions.

 

 

cm

 

Just received a replacement from Leica NJ for the one I sent in with the battery door bulge. Perfect condition, late serial number. However, time will tell on the peeling. Right now, it seems the material is cleanly flush with metal contact areas.

 

MB

[2045]

any update from everyone?

[RichardM8]

any update from everyone?

 

Skin is still fine...

[leicaddict]

Mine still looks like just out of the box, after one month a half, I'm using it quite everyday and take it everywhere with me. Nothing peels off. But you should keep in mind that this camera is not assembled millimetre near by robots in a sterile factory in Japan, but handmade in a watchmaker-style workshop in Germany.

[Danielsan]

All of these new mirror-less APS-C sensor based cameras produce image IQ that is very comparable; however, the NEX 5 has been shown to be just a little better on high ISO.

this is not true, only X1 and NEX5 have the big sensor and the Sony NEX5 IQ is not so good, probabaly cause of the KIT lens but Sony dont offer good lenses for the NEX5, so its like a Ferrari with no Wheels for me, pointless! If u get an adapter for the big DSLR Lenses u loose AF and more important the camera looses its compact size which is for some ppl the number one reason to buy X1!

 

Its just a fact that the fixed Elamrit was designed for this sensor and camera, its not a compromise like the others. The IQ is better then any other and better then my old Canon 450D DSLR with Tamron 17-50 Lens. I dont need a fast AF, im not into sport photographs. I want a small camera, as small as possible but with decent IQ and the X1 is the only camera offering this.

 

 

to the peeling skin, there is a women in solms that glue those leather skins on the camera body all day long, maybe it would better to just "press" the skin in, i dont know the word in engllish. When the peeling problem starts on my preorderd X1, i will drive directly to Solms, its 70 miles from me I heard from a customer that he had his camera back in 5 minutes, just added new glue.

 

In this case a mass produced camera is actually better build then a camera from a very small company that just started to produce a "cheaper" model in geater amounts then the M Series. For example a hand stitched leather dont look as good as from a machine,

[RichardM8]

Is that quote for real Danielsan? :D :D

[JanCderidder]

over 5k shots with my X1 now.... not a single complaint, skins on tight and it still takes magnificent images.

 

as for the sony ... well it's sony should be OK, as for Panasonic which my wife uses quite a lot, comparing between it and the X1 even my grandmother would see the difference (straight out of cam) ... and all that without her glasses

[davidhunternyc]

Hello everyone, I have now been on the X1 forum for a little while now. I knew that I wanted the X1 and I have prepared myself for all of the quirks a foibles that this camera exhibits. I finally got my camera two days ago. I have yet to shoot photos with it yet, however, but I immediately noticed many issues that you all have been bringing up here, such as the loose dials. What I wasn't prepared for was the texture of the vulcanite. So far, it is not peeling but I was very let down by the quality of the vulcanite. Old Leica cameras used real leather vulcanite and yet others used pleather. This new version really is nothing more than very cheap plastic surrounding the camera. When you tap it, I can hear that high pitched dull plastic ping sound. It almost sounds like the whole camera is made from plastic, though I know that is not the case. For $2000, I would've expected more from Leica. Fine, don't use leather if you don't want to, but either offer it as an upgrade and, at the very least, give us a synthetic material that has a nice supple hand to it. Car manufacturers do it all the time.

[leicaddict]

Hello everyone, I have now been on the X1 forum for a little while now. I knew that I wanted the X1 and I have prepared myself for all of the quirks a foibles that this camera exhibits. I finally got my camera two days ago. I have yet to shoot photos with it yet, however, but I immediately noticed many issues that you all have been bringing up here, such as the loose dials. What I wasn't prepared for was the texture of the vulcanite. So far, it is not peeling but I was very let down by the quality of the vulcanite. Old Leica cameras used real leather vulcanite and yet others used pleather. This new version really is nothing more than very cheap plastic surrounding the camera. When you tap it, I can hear that high pitched dull plastic ping sound. It almost sounds like the whole camera is made from plastic, though I know that is not the case. For $2000, I would've expected more from Leica. Fine, don't use leather if you don't want to, but either offer it as an upgrade and, at the very least, give us a synthetic material that has a nice supple hand to it. Car manufacturers do it all the time.

 

Hem, what is "real leather vulcanite" ??? Vulcanite is an oil derivative, it has absolutely nothing to do with leather, here's the whole scientific explanation : Vulcanization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[davidhunternyc]

Hem, what is "real leather vulcanite" ??? Vulcanite is an oil derivative, it has absolutely nothing to do with leather, here's the whole scientific explanation : Vulcanization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Thanks for the clarification. See, you learn something new every day. I just wouldn't know what to call the leather wrap around a camera body other than vulcanite. What would the proper name for this area be called on a camera? I love the all-white limited edition M8 with real leather (vulcanite).

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[leicaddict]

I would rather call it skin, leather skin or vulcanite skin. For sure the white M8 looks great, but its price looks great too.

[Danielsan]

i like the skin on the X1, and it feels worthy to me, Leica cant produce a camera that hit the taste of everybody, always a few who complain about something