frodoentoby Posted February 20, 2011 Share #1  Posted February 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) hi there i am ricardo from holland  i wanna enjoy the wonderfull leica world, but is the x1 the right choice to explore it ?  or is it betetr to start with a less expensive model or more expensive model,  i always uses nikon dslr camera's but i like the mythical lifestyle around leica too ,  money isnt the biggest subject  thanks in advance  greetz ricardo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 Hi frodoentoby, Take a look here is the x1 good choice to explore the leica world. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
leic Posted February 20, 2011 Share #2  Posted February 20, 2011 Hi ricardo  It has as similar, if not better image quality, better color rendering lens, than an average dlsr.  To your question, yes it has much of the magical leica spirit in it and that is the greatest advancement tis cam has. It is the handling, the feeling in your hands.  Not disturbing, more invisible, portable.  But you have to compare it to your DLSR in manual mode more.  It is not a point and shoot. It's a tool, that has to be used right.  I have mine about two weeks and love it from day to day more.  Leic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 20, 2011 Share #3 Â Posted February 20, 2011 Welcome to the forum. Â I would ask what do you want to use a Leica for? Â Some people want a Leica because they want a small discrete camera. Others want to use Leica glass. Many want both! Â The X1 is a very compact large sensor camera, so if you want something smaller/lighter to carry than your DSLR it would be a fine choice. You should read up about it's known shortcomings too, to see if they will matter to you. Â The alternatives to consider are; Â A s/h M8, which can be bought now for not a great deal more than the X1, but you will need extra money for a lens of course. This will give you experience of M rangefinder photography, and allow you to add other lenses in due course. Â A film M or Barnack camera. Must your Leica be digital? Why not try one of the legendary Leica's such as a lllf or an M3/M2? Â Forget about the cameras and buy one or two R lenses, plus Leitax adaptors for your Nikon. There are many fine R lenses, and they are very cheap at the moment. I'd suggest looking for a 35 or 50 Summicron or Summilux to start with. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinsBarroso Posted February 20, 2011 Share #4 Â Posted February 20, 2011 Yes, I think the X1 is the real first choice to enter in the world of Leica. Â It's handmade in Germany as the more expensive items like the M9 and the most important, it's compact and portable, so you will have a lot of more experiences than with the others models. Â The D-Lux 5 is an excelent compact camera and it has the macro mode, but they are made in Japan, even the lenses, so I think it is not a real Leica. Â What do you think about a Rolex model, made by Seiko in Japan, but under the quality control of the Rolex? A excellent product but without soul. Â Many forum members who already have the M9 are loving to have the X1 too. Â The future will be to the compact and pocketable cameras with the sensors of the professioanal DSLR like the X1 and now the new Fuji X100. Â Buy the X1 now and I'm sure when you see the X2, even if you've already bought the M9, you will want to buy it too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 20, 2011 Share #5  Posted February 20, 2011 Yes, I think the X1 is the real first choice to enter in the world of Leica. It's handmade in Germany as the more expensive items like the M9 and the most important, it's compact and portable, so you will have a lot of more experiences than with the others models.  The D-Lux 5 is an excelent compact camera and it has the macro mode, but they are made in Japan, even the lenses, so I think it is not a real Leica.  What do you think about a Rolex model, made by Seiko in Japan, but under the quality control of the Rolex? A excellent product but without soul.  Many forum members who already have the M9 are loving to have the X1 too.  The future will be to the compact and pocketable cameras with the sensors of the professioanal DSLR like the X1 and now the new Fuji X100.  Buy the X1 now and I'm sure when you see the X2, even if you've already bought the M9, you will want to buy it too!  The X1 is made in the far east (not sure if it's Japan, Taiwan or China or more likely a combination of components from different markets).  The various parts are shipped to Germany where they are assembled together in the Leica factory - the assembly is enough for the camera to be labelled 'made in Germany' but the actual parts aren't. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leic Posted February 20, 2011 Share #6  Posted February 20, 2011 And it is not only the assembling but the quality checks too!  Here I found a video that shows how an M9 is checked  Assembling The Leica M9 on Vimeo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted February 20, 2011 Share #7 Â Posted February 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) James is right. The lenses are not made in Germany either. Â Doesn't mean that the X1 isn't a good camera, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjohn Posted February 20, 2011 Share #8 Â Posted February 20, 2011 Then by Linsbarro's definition it is not a real Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frodoentoby Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share #9  Posted February 20, 2011 hi everyone thanks for your reply's so far  i is good to post this because i thouht it was made in germany , and thats why the price tag is a little higher , but if its only assempled in germany , it takes some of the charm off ,  because i like made in germany i ride a porsche , and have made ingermany watches , because for my feelings you get bether products  and i will look into the non positive things about the camera also ,  but in the assembly off the m9 in the beginning as the uy get the camera from the lady he say its come from portugal like this or something , so that camera is also only asembled in germany then ?   if that is so it sheds a whole other light on what i thought about leica , Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjohn Posted February 20, 2011 Share #10 Â Posted February 20, 2011 The "Made In _______" (fill in the blank) has become somewhat meaningless in this day where the requirement for the label is broad enough to drive a mack truck through it. Hence, while I own a BMW 3 series and it is natural to think of it as a German car it was actually made in North Carolina USA. There are Korean cars being made in Alabama. I think you need to take such labels and assume it means assembled in rather than the old traditional made in. Â Of greater significance is the design, specifications, tolerances and quality controls and who enforces them. Thus Apple products made in China can be of very high quality because they are Apple's design, built to Apple's specification and tolerances and they enforce the quality and make sure it is up to their standards because they have to stand behind it and it is their reputation that is on the line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 20, 2011 Share #11  Posted February 20, 2011 Leica have for a long time manufactured their cameras in other countries, or had partnerships with Japanese manufacturers such as Minolta, Sigma, Fuji and Panasonic. Much of the 'raw' glass for the lenses comes from the far east too.  I'm not aware of anyone in Germany who actually makes digital camera sensors...  Interesting piece from the Porsche website - For many experts the world over, our production processes represent a model of efficiency. Why? Because in the early 1990s – when the company was restructuring – we introduced streamlined processes based on the Kaizen model from Japan. We adapted these methods and ever since have continually and very successfully optimised them at our factories. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbonedeedo Posted February 20, 2011 Share #12 Â Posted February 20, 2011 Well, the 911 I owned had plenty of parts made outside of Germany. Just some food for thought. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecaton Posted February 20, 2011 Share #13 Â Posted February 20, 2011 How well it's made is all that matters, not where parts, compounds, systems are made and eventually assembled. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanlow Posted February 20, 2011 Share #14 Â Posted February 20, 2011 How well it's made is all that matters, not where parts, compounds, systems are made and eventually assembled. Â Â Well Said. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leic Posted February 21, 2011 Share #15  Posted February 21, 2011 hi everyone thanks for your reply's so far  because i like made in germany i ride a porsche , and have made ingermany watches , because for my feelings you get bether products  ,  If you can afford a porsche and german watches (these cost 3-10 times as an rolex) then why you think so much about it? Buy one, and if you don't like it then sell it.   Maybe "the mythical lifestyle" is the lifestyle of artists, the lifestyle of photographers who used leicas. This lifestyle is something you can't buy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted February 21, 2011 Share #16 Â Posted February 21, 2011 You get it second hand Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elviskennedy Posted February 21, 2011 Share #17 Â Posted February 21, 2011 Hence, while I own a BMW 3 series and it is natural to think of it as a German car it was actually made in North Carolina USA. There are Korean cars being made in Alabama. I think you need to take such labels and assume it means assembled in rather than the old traditional made in. Â Â To prove that place of manufacture doesn't mean as much as it might have used to, the BMWs you refer to are made in SOUTH Carolina, not North Carolina. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjohn Posted February 22, 2011 Share #18 Â Posted February 22, 2011 To prove that place of manufacture doesn't mean as much as it might have used to, the BMWs you refer to are made in SOUTH Carolina, not North Carolina. Â Yes, you are right. My bad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elviskennedy Posted February 22, 2011 Share #19 Â Posted February 22, 2011 Just standing up for my South Carolina friends who will tell you that their state is so much better than North Carolina. Â For me, sitting in the cold and snow of the midwest, I think BOTH North and South Carolina are terrific. Charleston, SC being a particularly fine city. Â Yes, you are right. My bad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjohn Posted February 22, 2011 Share #20 Â Posted February 22, 2011 Having been in both North & South Carolina recently and in Charleston in particular, I have to admit I like that city. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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