marknorton Posted April 21, 2010 Share #21 Posted April 21, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I hope you enjoyed the Mercedes and Porsche museums. Germany is a fabulous country to visit and I would have been more than happy to be stranded there... I have no experience of the X1 - never even seen one - but I simply cannot reconcile spending that amount of money on a camera which is so limited in its application. Even though it produces fine image quality, that from a Canon G11 or a Panasonic/Lumix MFT camera will be "good enough" for many people and provide the added benefit of either a variable focus lens or interchangeable lenses. I think Leica have missed a trick with MFT. They may have had their fingers badly burned with the deeply unloved Digilux 3 but so too did Panasonic - a small sensor in a huge clunker of a camera. Panasonic regrouped and came up with something new and different and Leica could have benefitted from doing the same, not least to provide a low-cost platform for M and R lenses. If I were you, I'd move that X1 on while you can. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 21, 2010 Posted April 21, 2010 Hi marknorton, Take a look here Got one, should I keep it?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wda Posted April 22, 2010 Share #22 Posted April 22, 2010 It is quite simple really...the X1 is not up to scratch for PJ type of work, things happen too quickly for the camera to respond For the unskilled PJ operator, maybe. For the action-packed PJ photographer, possibly. For the majority of PJ practioners, certainly not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted April 22, 2010 Share #23 Posted April 22, 2010 It is quite simple really...the X1 is not up to scratch for PJ type of work, things happen too quickly for the camera to respond I agree completely. The best the X1 can offer is try and hope. Sometimes you get the shot, many times you don't. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted April 22, 2010 Share #24 Posted April 22, 2010 For the unskilled PJ operator, maybe. For the action-packed PJ photographer, possibly. For the majority of PJ practioners, certainly not. Time is money and money is scarce in the industry these days, maybes, possibilities don't cut it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted April 22, 2010 Author Share #25 Posted April 22, 2010 Thanks all for considered opinions and useful advice. Despite, or because of, so much debate here on the forum about this camera -- pro and con -- I had to use the real thing to decide! Seems to be often the case. Everyone's opinion varies. The X1 produces very nice images, no doubt, but the common criticisms, especially AF concerns, are very valid. Yes, there are various ways you can overcome or work around the idiosyncracies -- but they are less than ideal, and like stnami says, if you really need to get the shot and miss it, it's too late. Reliability is paramount. Yes, many, myself included, will consider price first, as the M9 is so steep... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted April 22, 2010 Share #26 Posted April 22, 2010 Ah, Imants got an X1. Congratulations! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted April 23, 2010 Share #27 Posted April 23, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Ah Stephen is still a dickhead, Congratulations! No need to buy..... given one for a for a look and see, yes the focus is the Achilles heal, other than that and relation to price never had a bad thing to say about it. handed it back Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted April 23, 2010 Share #28 Posted April 23, 2010 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattnnz Posted April 23, 2010 Share #29 Posted April 23, 2010 I love mine. I'll love it even if all its pleather skin peels off. At least for me I find it easy to adapt my eye to see the way the camera does to pick out shots. From there the auto metering is spot-on for great photo. Mind you I am a beginner stepping up from a crappy 5 MP Sony cybershot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted April 25, 2010 Author Share #30 Posted April 25, 2010 One more observation with the X1 and AF: Sitting in a very packed German pub while waiting for my Hackfleisch and sipping on a Weizen, I thought I would sneak a surreptitious pic of the barman at work. Inconspicuous camera set to ISO 3200, shouldn't be a problem. Yikes! A red beam flashed out and lit up said barman's face. Like a sniper's rifle. He was slightly disconcerted. Most embarrassing. Not quite as inconspicuous as I had hoped. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted April 25, 2010 Share #31 Posted April 25, 2010 Most cameras allow you to turn off the focus assist light. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted April 25, 2010 Share #32 Posted April 25, 2010 ...The best the X1 can offer is try and hope. Sometimes you get the shot, many times you don't. Hardly surprising but you knew it already didn't you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted April 25, 2010 Author Share #33 Posted April 25, 2010 Most cameras allow you to turn off the focus assist light. Thanks Steve, I should have checked that out first. No time to delve deeply into the manual before my trip. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted April 25, 2010 Share #34 Posted April 25, 2010 Hardly surprising but you knew it already didn't you. Yes, I'm just being honest. It doesn't bother me much... not much action in my photos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted April 29, 2010 Author Share #35 Posted April 29, 2010 We think we'll keep it. Too much devaluation otherwise. And it is a damn good performer, especially at higher ISOs. But an M9 is still worth considering, especially if it could earn its keep. Oft-cited issues with the X1 remain. My wife agreed the dials are too loose. "Why didn't Leica test it, why didn't they fix it?" she asked. "I think you guys on that forum are far too easygoing! You need to be more critical!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted April 29, 2010 Share #36 Posted April 29, 2010 We think we'll keep it. Too much devaluation otherwise. With the lack of availability, I would think you wouldn't lose much if any cash. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecaton Posted April 29, 2010 Share #37 Posted April 29, 2010 We think we'll keep it. Too much devaluation otherwise. And it is a damn good performer, especially at higher ISOs. But an M9 is still worth considering, especially if it could earn its keep. Oft-cited issues with the X1 remain. My wife agreed the dials are too loose. "Why didn't Leica test it, why didn't they fix it?" she asked. "I think you guys on that forum are far too easygoing! You need to be more critical!" Am in the same boat. Still undecided whether to keep the GXR A12 or X1. Both have their shortcomings. The frustrating thing is that Leica and Ricoh came pretty close to produce darn good cameras, yet just fell short of it. Maybe the next generations? But in the interim, what are the alternatives, if max IQ (DR, high ISO, WB acc., lens quality) in as small and lightweight as possible packages are key criteria? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted April 29, 2010 Share #38 Posted April 29, 2010 But in the interim, what are the alternatives, if max IQ (DR, high ISO, WB acc., lens quality) in as small and lightweight as possible packages are key criteria? The Samsung and the new Sony models are the clear alternatives, but they do or will have their shortcomings as well. What don't you like about the GXR? Seems like a great camera. I'd love to own one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted April 29, 2010 Author Share #39 Posted April 29, 2010 Am in the same boat. Still undecided whether to keep the GXR A12 or X1. Both have their shortcomings. The frustrating thing is that Leica and Ricoh came pretty close to produce darn good cameras, yet just fell short of it. Maybe the next generations? But in the interim, what are the alternatives, if max IQ (DR, high ISO, WB acc., lens quality) in as small and lightweight as possible packages are key criteria? What's the alternative? Good question. Yes, Samsung and Sony both seem to have come up with good packages. Canon's G11 also has appeal. Haven't tried the new GX, but I have the Ricoh GR-D, and it's also very good, but the larger sensor of the X1 is streets ahead of the small sensor cameras. Otherwise you are pretty much limiting yourself to 400 ISO and below. The clincher, for me, is the simplicity of the two dial layout which I find far far clearer than the cluttered, over-complex, graphic icon-laden and menu-driven design approach of competitors. In this respect, the X1 is unique. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecaton Posted April 30, 2010 Share #40 Posted April 30, 2010 What's the alternative? Good question. Yes, Samsung and Sony both seem to have come up with good packages. Canon's G11 also has appeal. Haven't tried the new GX, but I have the Ricoh GR-D, and it's also very good, but the larger sensor of the X1 is streets ahead of the small sensor cameras. Otherwise you are pretty much limiting yourself to 400 ISO and below. The clincher, for me, is the simplicity of the two dial layout which I find far far clearer than the cluttered, over-complex, graphic icon-laden and menu-driven design approach of competitors. In this respect, the X1 is unique. Mine was a rhetoric question. Presently, I don't see alternatives to the X1 or GXR A12. And if jacket pocketability matters, in addition to max IQ, the X1 is in a class of its own. Up to iso 400, maybe 800 in good light, the Sigma DP2 might be an alternative. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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