phancj Posted August 31, 2010 Share #1  Posted August 31, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Having used the X1 since Feb, I can safely say for sure it is indeed the best travel camera I have ever owned!  it is tiny, discrete, reliable AF (albeit not the fastest but fast enough for me), fabulous image quality. I have it in my waist pouch when traveling and almost 100% of shots are in focus and perfect (to me at least haha:p). In the world of DSLR-toting travelers I am glad to have shed most of my gear when traveling and still take BETTER pictures than before.  Attached some photos also posted in the main photo forum, but to show diversity of shots in different circumstances. The metering and AF is most reliable for me, that to me is more important than speed!  If I shoot sports then I would go for my DSLR, and macro too. For everything else its my old and trusty X1 now!  http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/people/137990-construction-boycott.html  http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/landscape-travel/138135-head-box.html  http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/people/138336-accidental-tycoon-night.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 Hi phancj, Take a look here X1-The greatest travel camera ever!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ravinj Posted August 31, 2010 Share #2 Â Posted August 31, 2010 Agree. Small, unobtrusive, superb picture quality. I have taken many a street shot with the X1 that I could not have with a DSLR. Not to mention that I don't miss lugging a DSLR around my neck. Yes, you are "stuck" with a single fixed lens which makes things even better as you don't waste time fiddling with the lenses. Â On a separate note, I see many young Asian tourists of the iPad generation with DSLR and big lenses these days (mostly Nikons). Is that a new trend? I thought DSLRs were for old people, much like the big Lincoln and Buick cars. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phancj Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share #3  Posted August 31, 2010 Agree. Small, unobtrusive, superb picture quality. I have taken many a street shot with the X1 that I could not have with a DSLR. Not to mention that I don't miss lugging a DSLR around my neck. Yes, you are "stuck" with a single fixed lens which makes things even better as you don't waste time fiddling with the lenses. On a separate note, I see many young Asian tourists of the iPad generation with DSLR and big lenses these days (mostly Nikons). Is that a new trend? I thought DSLRs were for old people, much like the big Lincoln and Buick cars.  Yup, your observation is consistent with mine, and since I work in a mall I see people with cameras all day! And right now, the general consensus seems to be that the bigger the dslr, the more "serious" the photographer...  Must confess I had the same belief until I bought and used the X1.  I have seen a couple of film Ms over the years when traveling and home, but to date only met ONE gentleman with an M9 and this was few months ago. He was from India and probably on holiday. He looked positively contented and happy. Spoke to him and he raved about how the M9 was like the Mac and the Nikon he was having (D700 I think) was like a PC and having switched he did not see any possibility of ever going back. He had a 35 summilux on, and told me he was getting the noctilux soon (lucky fellow!).  Here in Asia (outside of Japan) most people do not know much about Leica so when I whip out the X1 I am not sure if their reaction is one of disinterest/pity/nonchalent but I do not bother. On the contrary when I take out my DSLR with huge zoom lenses they immediately take notice.  Now it seems the old guys are using the P&S (maybe failing eyesight & lack of bodily strength) while the young are happily toting their humongous DSLRs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnwolf Posted August 31, 2010 Share #4 Â Posted August 31, 2010 I don't mean to be antagonistic, but I just don't get threads like this. I don't know any other forum where members are so concerned with assuring themselves and the world that their camera is better than others. It's great to be thrilled with your gear, but why this incessant need to declare it better than everyone else's? Â John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phancj Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share #5  Posted August 31, 2010 I don't mean to be antagonistic, but I just don't get threads like this. I don't know any other forum where members are so concerned with assuring themselves and the world that their camera is better than others. It's great to be thrilled with your gear, but why this incessant need to declare it better than everyone else's?  John  John, some may see it as not an assurance of the camera's prowess, but rather a celebration of it, and hoping more can see what this little gem can do. So it is not mean to be snobbery and if you see it this way all I can say is it is not the intention. Rather, it is the incessant slamming of this camera that threads like this SHOULD be started now and then to remind all that there is this camera that can take these pictures and being so tiny.  If you see things negatively, then practically most threads would be snobbery, or mud slinging?  This thread started coz I was reviewing some of my recent travel photos, and the sudden realization that with my DSLR, I have never taken so many nice shots before.  You can see things from a nice perspective, or not, but my intentions was a sharing of joy, not snobbery. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanCderidder Posted August 31, 2010 Share #6  Posted August 31, 2010 I don't mean to be antagonistic, but I just don't get threads like this. I don't know any other forum where members are so concerned with assuring themselves and the world that their camera is better than others. It's great to be thrilled with your gear, but why this incessant need to declare it better than everyone else's?  John  It's small, it's light, it's easy to pocket, it's unobtrusive, it's quiet, it produces great images at 100ISO, it produces great images at 2.8, it produces great images at 1600ISO ....  Whats there not to be enthusiastic about? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phancj Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share #7 Â Posted August 31, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am praying this thread I started doesnt end up as a free-for-all mudslinging like my last discussion on a m4/3 lens haha:rolleyes: Â But guys, please see this as an expression of joy, not one-upmanship?? Â I have been working round the globe since a tender age and the last few months with the X1 has been phenomenal for me in terms of the number of quality photos I have captured compared with previous cameras. So yes, I am still zealous (overly maybe), still enthusiastic (very much so) and I consider myself an ambassador (maybe not gentleman) of the X1...give me some room to enjoy this euphoria ok? Â I must say this camera is a great gear investment, I have bought new laptops, gaming consoles, etc,etc but most left me wanting after a short spell of weeks. With the X1 I am still superbly happy after half a year! So much satisfaction and worth its weight in $. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnwolf Posted August 31, 2010 Share #8  Posted August 31, 2010 It's small, it's light, it's easy to pocket, it's unobtrusive, it's quiet, it produces great images at 100ISO, it produces great images at 2.8, it produces great images at 1600ISO .... Whats there not to be enthusiastic about?  I'm all for enthusiasm. It's wonderful to have gear we love. But the need for our Leicas to be proven best comes up too often here. It just strikes me as defensive and immature and adds little to the forum. I don't mean to spoil the party, so I'll bow out. I probably should have kept mum anyway. Enjoy your cameras and resume the lovefest!  John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phancj Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share #9  Posted August 31, 2010 {QUOTE=JanCderidder;1432840]It's small, it's light, it's easy to pocket, it's unobtrusive, it's quiet, it produces great images at 100ISO, it produces great images at 2.8, it produces great images at 1600ISO .... Whats there not to be enthusiastic about?  I'm all for enthusiasm. It's wonderful to have gear we love. But the need for our Leicas to be proven best comes up too often here. It just strikes me as defensive and immature and adds little to the forum. I don't mean to spoil the party, so I'll bow out. I probably should have kept mum anyway. Resume the lovefest and enjoy your cameras! John  On the contrary John you have highlighted that maybe in our overzealous nature sometimes we come across as defensive or snobbish, I will guard against this in future. But frankly, in this forum and in many others we see senior citizens behaving like children when a discussion on gear comes into play? Its like gals with clothes, handbags and shoes maybe?? Thanks buddy for your thoughts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prk60091 Posted August 31, 2010 Share #10  Posted August 31, 2010 I don't mean to be antagonistic, but I just don't get threads like this. I don't know any other forum where members are so concerned with assuring themselves and the world that their camera is better than others. It's great to be thrilled with your gear, but why this incessant need to declare it better than everyone else's?  John  you obviously havent read many D2 posts - but i loved that camera and i love this one Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest badbob Posted August 31, 2010 Share #11  Posted August 31, 2010 I'm all for enthusiasm. It's wonderful to have gear we love. But the need for our Leicas to be proven best comes up too often here. It just strikes me as defensive and immature and adds little to the forum. I don't mean to spoil the party, so I'll bow out. I probably should have kept mum anyway. Enjoy your cameras and resume the lovefest! John  Humans always have to justify what they do. That's what forums are all about. Not just "what I did", but "why I did it". And if you pay outrageous prices for a Leica that are several times more than cameras which have lots of features the Leicas don't have, it adds even greater pressure to justify.  It's not like a high-priced car. If you buy a Maserati etc., everyone everywhere will know what you have and ooh and ahh over your car. And the car produces absolutely *nothing*. Leica cameras don't get even a glimpse of recognition in most places, unless you're in a tourist trap like Manhattan, Paris, or the better parts of London. And the Leicas *do* produce something - some of the best photos possible.  So you probably still won't understand, but when we pay these kinds of prices we expect a lot more than the people who buy the mass-market stuff. And if we don't see the superior results we feel we paid for, then we go to the forum and ask what and why, in an attempt to discover the hidden (or non-obvious) techniques that wil deliver those outstanding photos.  I think when you pay a Leica price you have a *right* to some superior performance, unless Leica would be willing to admit publicly that their very expensive cameras do not produce superior results. Wanna place any bets on that? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
msbel Posted August 31, 2010 Share #12 Â Posted August 31, 2010 Bottom line - forums are communities, this is ours, and we love it and the brand it associates itself with. Â I do not know of one camera owner of any brand that does not like to express his satisfaction and joy of his gear...further that goes the same for gear heads in rock climbing to auto aficionados to cigar connoisseurs to yes, women and their shoes (I am married to a shoe addict!) Â Back to the topic, I wholeheartedly believe the X1 is the best travel, subtle street, and transportable digital camera hands down..... for me. Putting a bazooka around my neck for my street shooting full time companion and/or walking around all day in a foreign land 'aint happening ever again.... for me. Â Sure, for studio, serious tripod work, landscape scale a la large format, and pro dslr (sports, etc.) work, not the way to go.... yet. Â Love this thread Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prk60091 Posted August 31, 2010 Share #13  Posted August 31, 2010 . . . Back to the topic, I wholeheartedly believe the X1 is the best travel, subtle street, and transportable digital camera hands down..... for me. Putting a bazooka around my neck for my street shooting full time companion and/or walking around all day in a foreign land 'aint happening ever again.... for me. . . .  truly the 1 reason why i sold my D2 was because it felt like i was wearing a brick around my neck and I never wanted to take it anywhere..... the Dlux4 was a step down in quality from the D2 but i took it everywhere- now the X1 goes everywhere and is not a brick or a shotgun hanging from my neck... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted August 31, 2010 Share #14  Posted August 31, 2010 The thread intro is over the top and is a misleading statement, eventually it leads to the best travel camera I have ever owned! What sticks out in forums of this nature most of the talk is about the cameras and rarely do the results match the so called enthusiasm of the owners. The X1 is a part of the Leica stable be it like the D2 a hybrid of other companies input and there is a certain snob value in the product. This is usually over emphasised by the first time Leica buyers as many have lusted over a leica for years and see it as being part of an exclusive club.  The ordinary results produced by X1 owners is in stark contrast to some of the spectacular results produced by the m8/9 owners and this is probably due the the m owners having that edge in experience over the novices of the X1s . Not being a big seller in the pro ranks does not help the X1s cause  But tpeople here enjoy their cameras ............ not sure whether they are all that interested in photography Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted August 31, 2010 Share #15 Â Posted August 31, 2010 I believe that (besides AF speed) the x1 is very close to my original understanding of a Leica M film camera: it is unobstrusive, simple, quiet, small still delievering very good IQ. Â I also enjoy the M9 a lot, but in some points the M9 (and M8) have become a little louder and a little bigger than those film Ms. Â Now the x1 is even a little smaller and near quiet. Â Great little camera! Â I forgot: great images from India and thank you for posting them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted August 31, 2010 Share #16 Â Posted August 31, 2010 I believe that (besides AF speed) the x1 is very close to my original understanding of a Leica M film camera: it is unobstrusive, simple, quiet, small still delievering very good IQ. Â Apart from the fact that it's not a rangefinder and doesn't have interchangeable lenses Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted August 31, 2010 Share #17  Posted August 31, 2010 ... What sticks out in forums of this nature most of the talk is about the cameras and rarely do the results match the so called enthusiasm of the owners. ... But tpeople here enjoy their cameras ............ not sure whether they are all that interested in photography  That sums it nicely up. I think there's a reason why this forums rules begin with  The Leica Camera User Forum centres on Leica and photography. Content is defined by users: you can raise questions or provide answers; get information about new products (and old ones!), seize suggestions or talk to like-minded people. Mainly the forum is a platform to establish contacts with other people who share our Leica passion.  Most users here either like Leica stuff or like blathering about Leica stuff. Some happen to be good or even outstanding photographers.  It can't be all that bad a place here, seeing how the same people keep on returning to post here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 31, 2010 Share #18 Â Posted August 31, 2010 It's the naive hyperbole that attracts derision. A thread title like this is asking for trouble, IMO. Â A little sangfroid goes a long way. Â Regards, Â Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted August 31, 2010 Share #19 Â Posted August 31, 2010 A little sangfroid goes a long way. Â Be assured, then. There's no lack here of cold blooded forum members. Â Â But then, where's the harm in a enjoying one's new toys? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 31, 2010 Share #20 Â Posted August 31, 2010 None at all. As I said, though, it's the naive hyperbole that attracts derision. Â Regards, Â Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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