X1 Firmware v2 Upgrade [Merged thread]

[timetraveller]

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Meanwhile the camera is still great as it is...

 

I totally agree..

 

This camera has a steeper "learning curve" that others cameras, to allow you get the maximum of it. After 3 months of use, I'm much more pleased with my results and camera performance that I was in the beginning as I've learnt a lot of things/settings to get the maximum of it (thanks in part to this forum ).

 

You have to study, investigate, try new things, and suddenly you realize that this camera is MUCH better that many people thinks (people that by the way, has never used it, or has used it 10 minutes in a store)

 

 

The only thing I don't like of it is AF performance, but I use AF less than ever as I've learnt how to prefocus properly and work with hyperfocal distances. I mainly do street work, and even the fastest AF in the world (or manual focus) is not enough in some situations, prefocus is much better.

 

 

I hope the new firmware has the option to focus directly to the hiperfocal, or to predefined distances, as Ricoh cameras has.

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[h00ligan]

While there are a few things to consider, compared to modern DSLR, I'd have to disagree... complicated is the 7d running on ai servo with point expansion (comparatively).. the x1 is great because it's easy, imo. That said, while I wouldn't consider it complication - one does have to learn how to move around the quirks...hopefully to be rectified in part by (drumroll for the tie in)... the new firmware.

[phancj]

I totally agree..

 

This camera has a steeper "learning curve" that others cameras, to allow you get the maximum of it. After 3 months of use, I'm much more pleased with my results and camera performance that I was in the beginning as I've learnt a lot of things/settings to get the maximum of it (thanks in part to this forum ).

 

You have to study, investigate, try new things, and suddenly you realize that this camera is MUCH better that many people thinks (people that by the way, has never used it, or has used it 10 minutes in a store)

 

 

The only thing I don't like of it is AF performance, but I use AF less than ever as I've learnt how to prefocus properly and work with hyperfocal distances. I mainly do street work, and even the fastest AF in the world (or manual focus) is not enough in some situations, prefocus is much better.

 

 

I hope the new firmware has the option to focus directly to the hiperfocal, or to predefined distances, as Ricoh cameras has.

 

I agree, except I think I manage okay with AF and actually like the X1's for its almost dead-on accuracy. Maybe I gotten used to it so albeit slower than my DSLR it is very accurate, with almost 100% of the shots in perfect focus.

 

I think this camera does have its many quirks and if one spends some time toying with it (and it is a fun little cam) will be rewarded with excellent image quality.

 

I am going to India soon and originally I thought of bringing my dlsr with the X1 but since I havent gotten my 11inch macbook air (I customized one with the highest possible specs for traveling-to run LR haha) I have decided to leave the dslr at home and just bring the X1.

 

The convenience/portability/ Image quality is in my opinion unmatched.

[h00ligan]

CJ, not to derail.. I had the 11" and I didn't find it fast enough for Lightroom/photoshop for more than organization.. it was frustrating.. - and resold after a day. OTOH, I borrowed a 13" fully loaded and found it fit a photography workflow much better due to the built in cf reader, faster bus speed, faster processor. The price and weight difference are minimal.. however if traveling coach the smaller model may become a better option. 13" has a much better battery life as well.

 

Just a thought from an IT guy.

[timetraveller]

I agree, except I think I manage okay with AF and actually like the X1's for its almost dead-on accuracy. Maybe I gotten used to it so albeit slower than my DSLR it is very accurate, with almost 100% of the shots in perfect focus.

 

Of course is very accurate, and fast enough for 90% of situations.

 

For street work is slow, but, maybe all EVIL's AF are slow for this kind of photography...I find f.5.6 and prefocus works better for some street work.

 

I think it depends on your style or specific situation.

[phancj]

While there are a few things to consider, compared to modern DSLR, I'd have to disagree... complicated is the 7d running on ai servo with point expansion (comparatively).. the x1 is great because it's easy comparatively, imo. That said, while I wouldn't consider it complication - one does have to learn how to move around the quirks...hopefully to be rectified in part by (drumroll for the tie in)... the new firmware.

 

Edward,

 

The difference to me is this:

 

- For the X1 the challenge to have nice photos is to understand its limitations, work around its little quirks and really experiment with it.

 

- For the DSLR it is digesting the humongous few hundred pages manual and crazy multi-tiered menus but it may sometimes distract from the fundamentals of photography. I rarely use most of the gizmo whizbangs on my DSLR anyway and just control shutter, aperture and iso. The rest just bore me to tears....

 

Having said that it seems to me Leica's forte is not macro which I use a lot for work, neither are they the best for long telephoto shots. But for anything in between Leicas are great.

[phancj]

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CJ, not to derail.. I had the 11" and I didn't find it fast enough for Lightroom/photoshop for more than organization.. it was frustrating.. - and resold after a day. OTOH, I borrowed a 13" fully loaded and found it fit a photography workflow much better due to the built in cf reader, faster bus speed, faster processor. The price and weight difference are minimal.. however if traveling coach the smaller model may become a better option. 13" has a much better battery life as well.

 

Just a thought from an IT guy.

 

hey Edward,

 

I am using the 13 MBP and still find it big and heavy. The 11 MBA seems the perfect size/weigh for me to travel. I upped the processor to max and the ram to 4GB (max too). I find running photo processing on a 2GB ram in most machines painful...having said that if it doesnt perform to satisfaction I think I'll still use it for work during some short biz trips.

 

Thanks for the heads up...

 

CJ

[timetraveller]

Edward,

 

- For the DSLR it is digesting the humongous few hundred pages manual and crazy multi-tiered menus but it may sometimes distract from the fundamentals of photography.

 

I TOTALLY agree with that one, man.

 

Having said that it seems to me Leica's forte is not macro which I use a lot for work, neither are they the best for long telephoto shots. But for anything in between Leicas are great.

 

It's true: MACRO performance in the X1 is not enough, I wouldn't even call it "macro". But, as I said, I use this camera for street, so macro is not important to me in this camera.

[h00ligan]

hey Edward,

 

I am using the 13 MBP and still find it big and heavy. The 11 MBA seems the perfect size/weigh for me to travel. I upped the processor to max and the ram to 4GB (max too). I find running photo processing on a 2GB ram in most machines painful...having said that if it doesnt perform to satisfaction I think I'll still use it for work during some short biz trips.

 

Thanks for the heads up...

 

CJ

 

Well, the air is considerably lighter. I Hope you enjoy your new computer.. please know I wasn't trying to say bad things, just my experience... it worked very well for general things - just not quite enough (barely missing the mark) for photography.

 

I agree, the dslr has a huge manual. I have found the magic lantern guide to be great. There are some things that basically no Leica can do (maybe s2).. i.e. action. The shots I took today of a rescue dog would have been very tough without zone focusing the x1.. and the look would have been much different.

 

at the risk of castigation I'll just link 2 shots.. bear in mind I am completely now to action photography and I obviously have a lot to learn.. including the technicals! If my x1 wasn't in for repair, I would have used it at least in part... but I'm not sure the rather large (comparatively) dof would have worked.. either need longer lens or faster lens.

 

These were just small posts for my friends.

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs600.snc4/58035_1742203359944_1384508793_2842264_1508456_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1231.snc4/156366_1742203119938_1384508793_2842263_5444359_n.jpg

[phancj]

Well, the air is considerably lighter. I Hope you enjoy your new computer.. please know I wasn't trying to say bad things, just my experience... it worked very well for general things - just not quite enough (barely missing the mark) for photography.

 

I agree, the dslr has a huge manual. I have found the magic lantern guide to be great. There are some things that basically no Leica can do (maybe s2).. i.e. action. The shots I took today of a rescue dog would have been very tough without zone focusing the x1.. and the look would have been much different.

 

at the risk of castigation I'll just link 2 shots.. bear in mind I am completely now to action photography and I obviously have a lot to learn.. including the technicals!

 

These were just small posts for my friends.

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs600.snc4/58035_1742203359944_1384508793_2842264_1508456_n.jpg

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1231.snc4/156366_1742203119938_1384508793_2842263_5444359_n.jpg

 

Edward,

 

I actually appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experience here, so definitely keep them coming...

 

Frankly I like apple's design and UI but their QC is somewhat Leica-like I think, it wont dissuade me from buying, but I know they are not the most reliable. Same for many big brands of virtually all products. So I am not even confident of saying the MBA wont bomb out like my MBP barely after a few weeks, and have to be in the service center. My 13 MBP just came out of a week for replacement of the trackpad.

 

So I am having no illusions about the 11 MBA until I have it and toyed with it!

[h00ligan]

I had bad luck with my MBP 15", but (and it's a big one to me) Apple's support and willingness to remedy all of my issues was fantastic. I use windows, linux, enterprise unix, and os x.. and I won't be changing from the apple line when I replace my now3 year old laptop. They are, imo, a great company.. who has managed to stay in good graces with all products despite their massive growth. I hope Leica can do the same should they continue to experience success... posts would suggest they haven't found that level yet

[phancj]

I had bad luck with my MBP 15", but (and it's a big one to me) Apple's support and willingness to remedy all of my issues was fantastic. I use windows, linux, enterprise unix, and os x.. and I won't be changing from the apple line when I replace my now3 year old laptop. They are, imo, a great company.. who has managed to stay in good graces with all products despite their massive growth. I hope Leica can do the same should they continue to experience success... posts would suggest they haven't found that level yet

 

Apple makes great products, service is okay.

 

Leica the same I guess...

[ravinj]

I have a feeling that this firmware will remain in beta forever. Much like some of Google's products that never got past the beta stage.

[Dan States]

I have a feeling that this firmware will remain in beta forever. Much like some of Google's products that never got past the beta stage.

 

Sheesh, who pooped in your oatmeal?

[damnsharp]

Wow, 2.0! Exciting!

[ravinj]

Sheesh, who pooped in your oatmeal?

 

1. I don't like oatmeal.

 

2. Not sure if you like pooping all over the place.

[mod2001]

found on Steve's website:

 

I was able to confirm that the Leica factory in Germany is looking to address the speed of the AF in a future firmware upgrade. The next upgrade is not expected until sometime in the new year, perhaps by the end of the winter. Keep in mind that purchasing a camera at the same time does not guarantee the new version is already loaded but users can do the upgrade themselves at home.

 

Best regards,

Mark Brady

 

Leica Camera Inc. / Technical Advisor

1 Pearl Court, Unit A / Allendale, NJ 07401 / USA

 

end of winter in Germany is June

 

Yogi

[tom0511]

Meanwhile the camera is still great as it is...

 

yes, its excellent as long as you dont have to be fast and dont want to reyl on luck.

I like the x1 (a lt) and would keep even if no fw with af-improvement would be there.

What makes me mad is that Leica seems to be able to improve one of the few weak points of the x1 but does for some reason not want to share this improvement with us customers.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[timetraveller]

found on Steve's website:

 

The next upgrade is not expected until sometime in the new year, perhaps by the end of the winter.

 

Maybe Leica is holding this firmware release until the release of the Fuji X100 is close, so that way, sales will not be afected so much, as people might find that with fast AF and new firmware's "strenghts", the X1 is not so "inferior" as some want to show in reviews and critics right now.

 

Just a thought.

[JeTexas]

I don't think they're strategically holding it back. I think they're just trying to do a thorough beta test to make sure everything works well. Being a small company, if they distributed faulty firmware that required a great deal of warranty & service work to fix bricked cameras, it could destroy their bottom line.