Christopher Bell Posted March 20, 2011 Share #1 Â Posted March 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, Â New X1 owner here. I am a cinematographer by trade, and I chose the X1 for my upcoming vacation to Europe. I wanted a small point and shoot camera which did something more dynamic than our S95 or my iPhone4. I've had the camera for a couple of days now, and have already decided the auto focus is simply not worth the effort. I am almost convinced Leica wants me to use the manual focus, and frankly I get much better results. Being a cinematographer, I am used to a manual camera. There is virtually nothing "auto" in my world, so I am wired to use my head instead of relying on a computer to do the work for me. Â I have been very impressed with the results so far. There is a quality to the photos which no other point in shoot can compete. The camera shop tried to convince me to go with one of the various micro 4/3 cams, but they all felt boring to me. I even like the images better than my Canon 7D (which I primarily use for video). The sharpness and low noise of the sensor stand out. I've taken pics with very little light and the results are fantastic. Â Since I bought this for my trip, I will be taking lots of pics of Europe. I am curious if the top mounted Bright Finder is worth it? Yes, I'd have to put the camera in auto focus mode, but I reason that it will extend battery life. I'd be curious to hear feedback? Â Thanks, Â Christopher Bell http://www.christopher-bell.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 Hi Christopher Bell, Take a look here New Owner w/ Question. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
PasMichiel Posted March 20, 2011 Share #2  Posted March 20, 2011 Hi,  New X1 owner here. I am a cinematographer by trade, and I chose the X1 for my upcoming vacation to Europe. I wanted a small point and shoot camera which did something more dynamic than our S95 or my iPhone4. I've had the camera for a couple of days now, and have already decided the auto focus is simply not worth the effort. I am almost convinced Leica wants me to use the manual focus, and frankly I get much better results. Being a cinematographer, I am used to a manual camera. There is virtually nothing "auto" in my world, so I am wired to use my head instead of relying on a computer to do the work for me.  I have been very impressed with the results so far. There is a quality to the photos which no other point in shoot can compete. The camera shop tried to convince me to go with one of the various micro 4/3 cams, but they all felt boring to me. I even like the images better than my Canon 7D (which I primarily use for video). The sharpness and low noise of the sensor stand out. I've taken pics with very little light and the results are fantastic.  Since I bought this for my trip, I will be taking lots of pics of Europe. I am curious if the top mounted Bright Finder is worth it? Yes, I'd have to put the camera in auto focus mode, but I reason that it will extend battery life. I'd be curious to hear feedback?  Thanks,  Christopher Bell www.christopher-bell.com  people around you will notice you less. I like it. And the battery life with no use of the lcd is twice as long. So I think it's a good investment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted March 20, 2011 Share #3 Â Posted March 20, 2011 The CV vf is half the price, and since it's just glass and framelines, you may wish to save the money. Â Bear in mind framing is approximate.. and not accurate at infinity or up close.. you will have to crop if framing is critical. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Jones Posted March 20, 2011 Share #4 Â Posted March 20, 2011 I like the VF, if you are travelling it's worth considering the ever ready case. There's a lot of negative talk about the ERC's but it protects the camera very well, and I found it very useable. Also the VF fits in a special pouch on the strap. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prk60091 Posted March 20, 2011 Share #5 Â Posted March 20, 2011 I personally do not like a viewfinder. I use the histogram and you will lose the histogram with the OVF. As for battery usage-I carry a spare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jafleming3 Posted March 21, 2011 Share #6 Â Posted March 21, 2011 I find the OVF essential when shooting outdoors in bright sunlight, otherwise I don't use it. If you use manual focus, however, it's of little value (unless you mean zone focus). Â Cheers, Â john Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jippiejee Posted March 21, 2011 Share #7 Â Posted March 21, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) The external viewfinder is a must-have imho... I took my camera out today for a stroll around the neighborhood, and in the sunny weather I'd have no chance to read the lcd screen properly. But the leica evf is bright and clear, and I don't mind a little cropping to get the frame exactly how I want it later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Bell Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share #8 Â Posted March 21, 2011 Purchased the top finder this afternoon. I like it. Feels more like a Leica. Â Thanks for everyone's advice. Â Christopher Bell http://www.christopher-bell.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert blu Posted March 21, 2011 Share #9 Â Posted March 21, 2011 Christopher nice clips in your site. And good choice for the VF useful when shooting outdoor. robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiILX1 Posted March 23, 2011 Share #10 Â Posted March 23, 2011 I personally do not like a viewfinder. I use the histogram and you will lose the histogram with the OVF. As for battery usage-I carry a spare. Â You can still use the histogram- just turn off "external viewfinder" in the menu. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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