X1 - how do you deal with speed issues?

[patrick parker]

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I deal with the speed issue by switching to a different camera.

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

[tom0511]

Hi Tom , simple answer really.

Compared to the excellent Lumix 20mm pancake...

1.Resolution about the same

2.To my mind the Leica gives a softer more agreeable out of focus effect ( I hate that silly false word BOKEH!! )

3.Slightly desaturated colours in Leica jpeg sometimes almost a creamy look

4.More contrast ,sharper and , well , I say "wow" more than I'm used to with the GF-1.

 

When I read the various reviews , looked at DPReview sample images and saw the lens chart results, I had expected little or no difference between X1 and GF-1 shots.

For me that difference is worth the cost of the camera and shows in every shot blown up to poster size.

 

Thanks for the fast answer!

But doesnt it sound strange to have to use too (kind of) compacts parallel? In this case you could nearly carry a small DSLR and would have not any more bulk?

But from the first impression from the x1 I also dont want to give up the e-p2

[RichardM8]

For those who don't know the site and his unique way of reviewing cameras and lenses I can highly recommend the ongoing X1 review from Sein Reid. If there one review that learned me more about the X1 than all other reviews combined, this is the one.

 

Reid stays well away from the usual specs, bells & whistles way of reviewing. His different angle is much more about photography and photographic aspects of a camera and how it allows - or dictates - you to work in the field, how to see the subject, and ways to capture it.

 

While Reid is not a Leica 'fanboy', he has high praise for the X1 and has his own way of seeing its shortcomings. He reviews all sorts of Leica gear but also the obligatory Canon en Nikon gear, Ricoh & Panny stuff etc. For most of his professional work Reid uses Canon FF SLRs.

 

It is a subscriber site but highly recommended and worth every penny imo.

 

http://www.reidreviews.com/

 

Richard.

[DRabbit]

The X1 is an easy camera to love for its size and image quality... But I also said in another thread, it's a bit "clunky" (for lack of a better word) to use sometimes. I find myself looking at it and saying "come on" in that hurray-up tone from time to time.

 

I also find the lack of AEL to be quite annoying. I do realize I could switch to all-manual exposure, but that isn't always the quickest solution, especially if you're already battling some speed issues that camera clearly has.

 

Now, I personally shoot a lot of inanimate objects, so for me, most of the time it's just not an issue. But even so, it DID arise when I was out shooting with the camera all day last Saturday.

 

I'm holding out hope that firmware will address some of these things...

 

Oh, and here's an image from my Comicon visit two years ago... So much fun!

 

[RichardM8]

Ready through various comments and views this just popped into my mind.

 

 

The image quality from the various P&Ss I've owned up to the current LX3 always annoys me. Every single image, year after year. Just as the weight, bulk and intrusiveness of my Canon SLR always annoys me. On every single occasion, year after year.

 

In that light, the occasional annoyance from the X1s lack of speed seems a good and easy trade off...

 

 

Richard.

PS, I love that image Amy!

[DRabbit]

Thanks Richard...

 

I also think you're right about the trade-offs. On top of that, I think if a lot of us who buy the X1 are also M owners, we probably have more patience for working a little slower than DSLR speeds anyway. My biggest complaint really, so far, is the lack of AEL button.

[thrid]

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Personally I like this shortcoming. This is a camera made for documentary purposes. Documentary work requires anticipation of events and subjects actions. Prefocusing is the key as well as manual exposure and being prepared for those decisive moments. The better you become at this the more time you'll have to see those decisive moments coming.

 

The only feature IM missing is the ability to lock the focus at a certain distance after pre focusing allowing me to take my finger off the shutter if needed. Other than that the less I rely on the camera the more I rely on myself and my ability to make shots happen. With this approach one will find many more decisive moments coming their way.

 

PS: the decisive moment is about making good decisions when seeing a great photographic moment, not relying on the camera's ability to think for you and the x1 allows me the freedom to work in this way.

 

All the best

 

Kristian

 

 

I'm sorry, but I really disagree with most of these statements. If you are doing documentary work or street photography the last thing you need is a camera that you have to wait for and gets in your way. That's simply absurd. The approach you are describing may work for something like landscape photography with a 4x5, but it certainly does not apply to reportage work.

 

The decisive moment doesn't wait for you. It's only there for a fraction of a second and if you are delayed by your camera you are going to miss it. That is of of the principal reasons why the M series dominates (dominated) this field. It's incredibly fast and doesn't get in your way.

 

For documentary and street photography you need a camera with minimal shutter lag, fast focusing and throughput. That does not mean a 'auto-everything plastic electronic-crutch-camera', but simply fast operation, like an analog or digital M body offers.

 

I don't know if you have ever seen a professional or serious amateur shoot this type of work, but you may be amazed how fast they tend to work. A sluggish camera simply gets in the way and is useless. Take a look at some of the videos of Winogrand, HCB etc working on Youtube. At the speed that these guys, and others who are not so famous, operate a slow camera would be useless.

 

I played around with the X1 for a while, trying to figure out if it was for me. The AF is not blazing fast, but acceptable in my book. Support for scale focusing is primitive, but workable. General operating speed could be faster, but it's workable, unless you need to take a series of shots. Then it gets interesting. Ultimately what killed it for me was the mushy and unresponsive shutter release present in all operating modes. That's a deal breaker.

[Guest stnami]

Maybe he meant ,,,,,,,

This is a camera made for re-enactment purposes

[RichardM8]

Fortunately there is always an easy way out. Return or sell it and get it over with...

[Guest stnami]

.....just like a re-enactment but in reverse

[andym911]

Not wanting to defend the X1 but this complaint about AF speed is totally odd.

 

Compared to other AF cameras it is slow....but compared to an M it is fast.

 

Once the camera is at the eye I can still take an 'in focus' image faster with the X1 than with an M...and I am not such a slouch focussing an M:)

Depends what you are comparing it to IMO

 

Anyway the XI is indeed in the 2nd League when it comes to speed compared to other AF digital cameras but if my preferred subjects are largely 'in motion' then I would probably go for another camera anyway....

 

happy Sunday

andy

[tom0511]

Not wanting to defend the X1 but this complaint about AF speed is totally odd.

 

Compared to other AF cameras it is slow....but compared to an M it is fast.

 

Once the camera is at the eye I can still take an 'in focus' image faster with the X1 than with an M...and I am not such a slouch focussing an M:)

Depends what you are comparing it to IMO

 

Anyway the X1 is indeed in the 2nd League when it comes to speed compared to other AF digital cameras but if my preferred subjects are largely 'in motion' then I would probably go for another camera anyway....

 

happy Sunday

andy

I have read that argument several times but I believe that I can focus faster and catch the moment better with the M9 manually than the X1 in AF. But I also do have much more experience with a Leica M than with a X1.

Maybe I am wrong. For me the M9 feels more responsive.

[CoBra]

Now that the early glow of ownership is wearing thin , the only speed issue that bothers me is that of focusing.

I've just returned from a week in Croatia and I was glad to have my GF-1 with me too.

The X1 is not a camera for spontaneous moments and the idea of leaving the camera switched on in zone focus mode doesn't appeal to me given the limited battery life.

 

Perhaps a firmware fix will improve the issue but until then it remains a wonderful niche product not the ultimate high quality travel camera I'd hoped for.

Still love the image quality though.

 

Perhaps the camera could default the lens to the hyperfocal distance in manual focus mode if an aperture were selected ; that might be useful to me.

 

Let's hope Leica are listening:)

Great pics. Dubrovnik is my home town. I hope you have some more to share.

[stephen.w]

Now that the early glow of ownership is wearing thin , the only speed issue that bothers me is that of focusing.

I've just returned from a week in Croatia and I was glad to have my GF-1 with me too.

The X1 is not a camera for spontaneous moments

 

those rooftops look like they're about to break into dance!