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Final questions before I get the x1


nyckylim

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Ramses, pretty much mirrors the testing I have done with gf1 vs x1. Not much in it till printing. :o

 

 

yes.

My heart says yes my head says no.

But the X1 shines when its dark.

And indoors it rules

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some more shoots

And again, if sports and children running playing is what you want to shoot, then this is not your thing. For anything else the X1 is very good.

 

I never really take photos at sports events or of children, so that isn't a concern for me! And i suppose the 'slow' autofocus is subjective, for some it will be ample and for others detrimental and lead to missed shots. I wonder how it would compare up against the Digilux 3 i use currently?

 

Nonetheless, I think if I could find an X1 available in the UK before I head on holidays at the end of June, I'd likely go for it! If I was to guess of any X1 announcement at Photokina, it'd maybe be the option of other focal lengths, maybe a 50mm, or else a firmware update, but really who knows.

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Nice review Amy, and congrats on another guest spot. I'm not sure I'd say that the x1 kills the mft offerings in iq.. they both have features that offset higher iso need - IBIS and a faster lens. But I'm sure for those printing big, it will be a great cam.

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Nice review Amy, and congrats on another guest spot. I'm not sure I'd say that the x1 kills the mft offerings in iq.. they both have features that offset higher iso need - IBIS and a faster lens. But I'm sure for those printing big, it will be a great cam.

 

Hey, don't get me wrong... I'm an E-P2 owner as well and I like that camera very much, especially combined with the Panny 20mm f/1.7 lens. When you take all things into account, it can be a harder decision to decide between the two setups... But side-by-side, focusing on IQ alone, the X1 just blows the E-P2 away.

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Hey, don't get me wrong... I'm an E-P2 owner as well and I like that camera very much, especially combined with the Panny 20mm f/1.7 lens. When you take all things into account, it can be a harder decision to decide between the two setups... But side-by-side, focusing on IQ alone, the X1 just blows the E-P2 away.

 

Hmm, i wonder if i don't see that drastic of a difference in most cases.. even the iso advantage is offset, compared to the gf1 because I am using the Panasonic 20/1.7?

 

For me, if I am trying to shoot in low light, it's usually portraits - so the 1.5 stops gained by the faster pancake offsets the 1 stop difference in iso and works out well for portrait stuff. I can routinely shoot at 400 with gf-1 vs 800 on the x1.

 

I know you have and like the e-p2, you've made wonderful photos with it... and I am also sure you notice a lot more about iq than I do.. for other beginners out there perhaps, the x1 may be overkill in terms of IQ difference. I agree the x1 is slightly sharper for sure - I just don't think it is (for me) quantifiable as blowing away the gf1/20mm. The colors certainly render differently, and the x1 seems more clear.

 

Obviously you are far far far more accomplished than me - my beginner observations are probably invalid for anyone other than another beginner - not many of which seem present on this particular forum... so really I should have just deferred to your greater level of expertise.

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Hey Guys,

 

I just found the perfect way to judge the speed of the X1's AF. I cant believe I have never thought of this such a simple solution it until one member suggested it to me yesterday. Haha.

 

 

Cheers

Nycky

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Guest badbob

I just tried the autofocus in a rather dimly lit roon, so that the exposure was f2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 1600, and the autofocus was consistently less than one second.

 

Would that mean that the problems people are having are due to really extreme low light, or a combination of low light and very low contrast?

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Guest badbob

Adding to my last post - I tried some outdoor shots in average light 15 minutes before sunset, shooting over a body of water, and focus sometimes took more than a second, which was worse than the indoor tests I did.

 

So the next question is, do people expect a contrast-detect autofocus to work quickly in low contrast scenes? Is this something unrelated to the sensor, so that improved firmware could actually make this faster?

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Adding to my last post - I tried some outdoor shots in average light 15 minutes before sunset, shooting over a body of water, and focus sometimes took more than a second, which was worse than the indoor tests I did.

 

So the next question is, do people expect a contrast-detect autofocus to work quickly in low contrast scenes? Is this something unrelated to the sensor, so that improved firmware could actually make this faster?

The m4/3 AF is also contrast detect an much faster.

It is at least for some part related with the sensor, but I am also hoping the might improve it a little bit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

How slow is slow ? I understand that SLOW is something that is subjective. However, I do have a panasonic LX3 on hand. So can someone review the speed of the AF and overall speed of the camera as compared to only the LX3 ?

 

There is a thread in the x1 forum about the af and a guy consistently says in every comparison that the x1's af is faster than his lx3. That thread is here http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-x1-forum/127897-all-talk-about-x1s-af.html

 

The consensus so far is that it's a bit slower though, but more accurate. The best explanation I read was this by Dan States:

Accuracy is the thing to note here: The Dlux4 and the S90 can focus quite quickly...but have a high error rate (especially the s90). It is only the massive depth of field that makes the focus accuracy on these cameras acceptable.

 

The X1 MUST focus precisely because it's larger format means the out of focus areas will REALLY be out of focus. If you use the X1 like you use a rangefinder camera...focus on one distinct portion of a subject...the af is quite quick. Using it like a micro sensor point and shoot means the camera has to think hard about low contrast, poorly defined subjects and takes longer...It DOES focus on them however...unlike my Canon G's and S90 which tend to default to infinity or completely fail to lock.

 

Example: My G10 and S90 will not focus correctly on a beige berber carpet....the X1 will even while moving, it just takes about 1.25 seconds.

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I said this in the other thread too. After working with the X1 for some 2 weeks I really think the whole AF thing is blown completely out of proportion. Big time.

 

Yes, the current m4/3s have faster AF due to the higher frame rate of their sensors. But the X1 is on par or quicker than most P&S cams. I have both a Sony and Panny LX3 for direct comparison and the X1 is always equal or faster than the LX3. And more accurate. Also in low light conditions. I think most of us know how highly the LX3 / D-Lux are rated and tested for years. And never got a single bad word about the AF. This just shows how relative these things are to say the least.

 

Needles to say that both the Olly & Panny m4/3s don't come even remotely close to the X1s file quality (personally I find both even a bit disappointing).

I also think the X1s second trump card doesn't get the attention and praise it deserves. The brilliant analog controls and general operation of the camera. This truly sets the X1 apart from every other (compact) camera. I really only started to appreciate this when using the X1. It helps me to learn and encourages me to take better pictures 'cos it makes me think about and work more actively with essential settings like aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Very rewarding imo.

 

Below just two casual snaps.

 

Amsterdam on a grey overcast day. The level of detail captured is stunning. On 100% view the street signs, barely visible on the the house in the center, are readable.

 

L1000081.jpg

 

My son in a Cafe with very low light at ISO 1600...

 

L1000079.jpg

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I said this in the other thread too. After working with the X1 for some 2 weeks I really think the whole AF thing is blown completely out of proportion. Big time.

 

Yes, the current m4/3s have faster AF due to the higher frame rate of their sensors. But the X1 is on par or quicker than most P&S cams. I have both a Sony and Panny LX3 for direct comparison and the X1 is always equal or faster than the LX3. And more accurate. Also in low light conditions. I think most of us know how highly the LX3 / D-Lux are rated and tested for years. And never got a single bad word about the AF. This just shows how relative these things are to say the least.

 

Needles to say that both the Olly & Panny m4/3s don't come even remotely close to the X1s file quality (personally I find both even a bit disappointing).

I also think the X1s second trump card doesn't get the attention and praise it deserves. The brilliant analog controls and general operation of the camera. This truly sets the X1 apart from every other (compact) camera. I really only started to appreciate this when using the X1. It helps me to learn and encourages me to take better pictures 'cos it makes me think about and work more actively with essential settings like aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Very rewarding imo.

 

Below just two casual snaps.

 

Amsterdam on a grey overcast day. The level of detail captured is stunning. On 100% view the street signs, barely visible on the the house in the center, are readable.

 

L1000081.jpg

 

My son in a Cafe with very low light at ISO 1600...

 

L1000079.jpg

 

hey all,

 

Just got back from Northern India in beautiful Daramshala, but as I was kept busy almost the entire morning and afternoon, the only opportunity to go shoot photos are after 6pm, thank goodness there is still some light then, so I attach few shots here....got a whole lot more...

 

I am inclined to think that slow AF or not, the X1 is an excellent travel cam, tiny, easy to use, and shoot in my opinion outstanding photos ( by my standards at least). photos are sized down in quality for easier downloads...cheers

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