is the x1 good choice to explore the leica world

[earleygallery]

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Just standing up for my South Carolina friends who will tell you that their state is so much better than North Carolina.

 

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.

 

Just don't get started on the whole Springfield v Shelbyville debate, look at what happened last time!

[JeTexas]

I wish one of those consumer activist or gadget sites would track all the suppliers of image sensors and who they are selling to. I'm pretty sure 99% of them are made in China and Korea, and I wouldn't doubt that many of the cameras sitting on the shelf at Best Buy all have the same sensor.

 

Which camera was it that supposedly shares a sensor with the X1, the Nikon D90?

 

Of course, the software engineering is going to have a lot to do with how well the sensor performs. Canon is known for making lower-tier compacts with essentially the same guts as the more expensive models, but with dumbed-down software. Of course, once this was discovered, it didn't take the developer community long to exploit it CHDK Wiki

 

Strangely, this phenomenon seems to be limited to Canons. Either they just had the firmware that was easiest to exploit or Nikon and Fujifilm users weren't as tech savvy. Who knows?

 

I think it would be great if camera manufacters would go open source with the firmware once they discontinued a camera line, but maybe that would give too many secrets away regarding the algorithms they use to set colors and process jpgs, etc.

 

So back to my point, I don't think there's any real Made in Germany cameras in any price range. Of course, back in film days, when film was essentially the sensor, did people get upset if it wasn't made in Germany?

[prk60091]

I wish one of those consumer activist or gadget sites would track all the suppliers of image sensors and who they are selling to. I'm pretty sure 99% of them are made in China and Korea, and I wouldn't doubt that many of the cameras sitting on the shelf at Best Buy all have the same sensor.

 

Which camera was it that supposedly shares a sensor with the X1, the Nikon D90?

 

Of course, the software engineering is going to have a lot to do with how well the sensor performs. Canon is known for making lower-tier compacts with essentially the same guts as the more expensive models, but with dumbed-down software. Of course, once this was discovered, it didn't take the developer community long to exploit it CHDK Wiki

 

Strangely, this phenomenon seems to be limited to Canons. Either they just had the firmware that was easiest to exploit or Nikon and Fujifilm users weren't as tech savvy. Who knows?

 

I think it would be great if camera manufacters would go open source with the firmware once they discontinued a camera line, but maybe that would give too many secrets away regarding the algorithms they use to set colors and process jpgs, etc.

 

So back to my point, I don't think there's any real Made in Germany cameras in any price range. Of course, back in film days, when film was essentially the sensor, did people get upset if it wasn't made in Germany?

 

 

i agree totally with this. You know if the firmware were open source- then we could be updating our x1 firmware even after the x99 is introduced (which may be the reason why they don't open it up). Think of all the D2 owners who still are using their D2's many years after it was discontinued- but they only received 1 or 2 firmware updates while the camera was being sold

[davidhunternyc]

I wanna enjoy the wonderful Leica world, but is the x1 the right choice to explore it? Money isn't the biggest subject. Thanks in advance.

Greetz,

Ricardo

 

Forget the X1. Get the M9 Titanium instead.

[Allnm]

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.

 

Do you have evidence of this? I would be interested to know where you got your information.

 

I dont think anybody outside of Leica knows exactly where or how they are made, but to be labelled as Made in Germany, a firm such as Leica must closely follow the rules, part of which are copied below.

 

A product “Made in Germany” must fulfil the following requirements:

Those services and components which are crucial to the quality and valuation of the goods must have been per- formed or manufactured in Germany. The description “Made in Germany” is not justified by simply assembling parts that have been prefabricated abroad, carrying out a final inspection or labelling the goods in Germany. On the other hand, some parts or components of an industrial product may certainly be supplied from abroad, but the essential parts of the final product must always originate in Germany.

A significant refinement may justify the description “Made in Germany”, but here too the above statement still applies: the refinement must be crucial to the quality and valuation of the product.

 

As far as I know, the sensor is the same one as fitted in the Nikon D300 or D300s and is made by Sony, this information is available in many articles about the X1 sensor.

 

Oh, and dogs cant look up. Honest....

 

Allan

[Shootist]

Not really in my opinion.

 

Not that the X1 is a bad camera but it is the first Leica of it's kind and not really respective of a true Leica.

When I think Leica I think the M series. That is the camera that put Leica on the map. Not that earlier camera weren't good they were but it is the M series that has made Leica what it is today and for the last 50 years.

The X1 is not a M.

[ravinj]

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The X1 is not a M.

 

And vice-versa. And thank God for that.

 

It is only due to the X1 that a lot of us took the plunge in Leica land and are so glad that we did do. If Leica was only manufacturing M's, persons like me wouldn't have considered a Leica. Now thanks to the X1, some of us may consider the M8/9. After I shared some of my X1 results with a German friend of mine, she got an X1 for herself. This is a hard core film shooter who considers digitals junk. Now she is saving for an M9.

 

So yes, so ahead and get the X1: it is the perfect choice to explore the Leica World. It is a true Leica with Leica results.

[Ecaton]

If you are looking for a compact , MF camera with the best lenses there are, a camera which is the extension of your eye and arm, responds immediately and does exactly what you want it to do then you need a Leica M, film or digital. For most, this is what Leica cameras stand for.

The X1 is definitely not this camera.

[Allnm]

Yes its a good camera, but only you will know if you like it or not and if it suits your purpose.

No, its not an M and was never designed to be and of course is a lot cheaper.

Yes, you will miss shots because of its slow autofocus.

No, you wont be disappointed with the shots you do get.

 

It may not be the only camera you need, after all, it is a fixed lens, but mine has been the first camera that comes to hand everytime I go out. You learn to live with a fixed lens as well as the limitations of this sort of camera, but I have to say I am impressed with the quality of the shots it produces and the quality of build, I am now getting the shots i was missing with my DSLR's, every one is sharp as a pin at 100%.

As for a lot of the naysayers, ask yourself ( or them ) if they have actually seen or used an X1

 

Go for it

 

Allan