New to the forum and got myself an X2

[oresund]

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Hi all,

 

First of all, pls. excuse me as there might be some grammatical or

spelling errors as I'm not native english spoken.

 

I'm new to this forum as well as new owner to a Leica X2.

I know a lot of people trying to seek advice if they should buy it. I myself

read everything I could find on the camera before digging the pockets

for the rather big investment of the little X2.

 

I do have some history with cameras but I feel it's rather pointless to

explain what cameras I previosly owned and instead describe what

made me buy the X2 and maybe help some people to decide if this is

the camera they'd expect it to be.

 

Soft arguments and impressions :

 

At his older age my dad had a Leica as well as my big brother ( now 66

years old ) have a Leica.

Leica seems to be something for a person who's getting mature and

demanding :-) Maybe it's the simplicity of using the camera

and achieve great image results without the need of image editing. This

would indeed make an argument for many people who lack the interest

of playing around with photo editing.

 

Leica is a smart company, they know their customers and what

they expect. In todays tough competition they need to use their name

as sales argument and to stay in business by reaching for a broader

market with bigger volumes. This is where the rebranded Panasonic

cameras and the X1/X2 comes into the picture.

 

The Pansonic versions ( good cameras) seems to be for those who

want the prestigious red dot and the X series for those who expect

more "Leica" to the camera.

 

Now, does the X series deliver, we'll I'd say yes, for me it does.

For the price, you could get a "better" camera with more functionality

and same if not better picture output but it will most likely be a very

hight tech camera with hundreds of settings to remember.

 

The beauty of the X series is it really encourage you to think before you

press that button. Every single photo you take feels like you're being

creative. I would say it's little like a Mac among the camera brands. It's

a creative and user friendly tool with a good output ( don't bash on me

for this :-)

 

Hardware arguments and impressions :

 

Now this is a little more tricky. Is the camera worth it's money ?

 

When the camera arrived and I opened the box, my first impression

was wow, the box is really beautiful!

I do however think Lecia could have made some more effort

with packing of the accessories. All the cables, charger etc. looked like

it all just been thrown in there.

All covered in plastic bags with the look of gadgets being

packed in China. When making a nice box like this, why not make some

effort with how all the product are packed inside.

 

My biggest disappointment is the charger. A big, ugly and

cheap feeling piece. I never find enough space to plug it without

unplugging other stuff.

 

The good parts is the camera itself, a very nice leather

strap and great documentation covering warranty card, test

certificate and a very good manual.

 

Many people ask for the quality feeling of the camera.

I would say it's good but not exceptional. However, it does really feel

good in hand. The weight and balance is perfect.

Don't expect the built quality of a tank though.

 

I guess Leica make some of the parts but there are most likely

some OEM parts involved as well.

 

I'd hesitate to justify the hardware quality vs. the price tag

but after been using the camera for a few days I can truly say,

the IQ is really, really amazing. Details, contrast, depth and

colors are all there.

I did read some comments regarding lack of sharpness and I believe it

has to do with the auto ISO settings. You can choose to set a min.

shutter speed and the highest speed among those are 1/30th ( I would

like to see 1/60th as an option here ). When shooting in lower light

situations, the camera tend to use 1/30th before highering the ISO. This

could result with a slightly unsharp photo (Of course one can override

the shutter speed by setting it manually)

I don't find any alternatives to turn off the auto ISO settings so I believe

it's always active. Any input here would be appreciated.

 

To summarize what I miss with this package.

I would like a more flexible auto iso setting ( higher min. shutter speed )

 

Charger is a disaster. Bulky and does not fit anywhere.

 

It would be nice with a small hole in the lens cap so it

could be fitted with a string to the camera body.

 

Except the above, it has so far been a true pleasure using the X2 and

I'm amazed by the output for such a small camera.

 

Below are some link to photos taken with the X2

 

Thanks for reading

/ Jens

http://harloff.dk/misc/3.jpg

 

 

http://harloff.dk/misc/2.jpg

 

http://harloff.dk/misc/1.jpg

[spylaw4]

Welcome to the forum Jens!

 

Thanks for the post with your impressions of the X2.

 

If you think the X2 charger is ugly, you should have seen the M8's! Personally, I find the charger neat and as one can remove the plug prongs readily packable for travel.

 

I agree about the lens cap - should have had a hole like the D-Lux 5.

 

The leads may well be bought in items and come that way from the maker. To unpack them and repack in classy packages would add unnecessarily to the cost of the camera outfit, don't you think?

 

Please read the photo posting instructions as it makes it much easier for others to see your images without extra clicks.

[jaapv]

Welcome. If you should decide to post more images, which we like you to do, please do so in the photoforums.

[wda]

Jens, welcome to the forum! Thank you for your detailed analysis of your X2.

 

Lens cap: I replaced mine with the much recommended JJC auto lens cap. It has removed the frustration of losing the original cap and is quicker in operation.

 

Battery charger: Unless the design has changed with the X2 (cannot think why; it uses the same battery) I don't understand your point. The pins can be removed for travel and the charger could hardly be much smaller.

 

Enjoy you new Leica camera for many years.

[stark60]

Jens,

 

 

About : « ... I don't find any alternatives to turn off the auto ISO settings so I believe it's always active. Any input here would be appreciated.... »

 

If you set Auto ISO with the ISO left button then the auto ISO settings from the menu are used which implies :

 

Auto speed and auto diaph (P) : the camera sets ISO from 100 to (max iso selected lower or equal to 6400) and sets speed from 1/2000 to (min speed selected greater or equal 1/8)

 

Fixed speed and auto diaph (S) : the camera sets ISO from 100 to (max iso selected lower or equal to 6400). Everything is all right for speeds faster than 1 s after that the camera can’t set correct ISO automatically (an ISO is set but diaph and speed values are red coloured). It works better in auto focus than manual focus.

 

Auto speed and fixed diaph (A) : the camera sets speed from 1/2000 to (min speed selected greater or equal 1/8)

 

Fixed speed and fixed diaph (M) : auto ISO doesn’t work any more, you have to set manually a ISO value. You can see the light balance on the screen.

 

If you set an ISO value with the ISO left button (no more auto ISO) then :

 

Auto speed and auto diaph (P) : the camera set diaph and speed but no slower than 1/2s.

 

Fixed speed and auto diaph (S) : you don’t see the light balance on the screen but only the fact that you’re underexposed (diaph and speed values are red coloured).

 

Auto speed and fixed diaph (A) : the camera set speed but no slower than 1/2 s.

 

Fixed speed and fixed diaph (M) : You can see the light balance on the screen.

[oresund]

Hi David

 

Thanks for the tip regarding the JJC auto lens cap, I'll check it out.

 

Regarding the charger, I really don't like it. I'd guess in U.K the power outlets are wider due to the bigger plug and it will fit. Here, I need to remove other plugged units to make the charger fit. I bet it could be smaller if the battery compartments was turned with the connetctors upwards or there should be a solution to connect the charger with a cord.

 

Best Regards

Jens

[oresund]

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Jens,

 

 

About : « ... I don't find any alternatives to turn off the auto ISO settings so I believe it's always active. Any input here would be appreciated.... »

 

If you set Auto ISO with the ISO left button then the auto ISO settings from the menu are used which implies :

 

Auto speed and auto diaph (P) : the camera sets ISO from 100 to (max iso selected lower or equal to 6400) and sets speed from 1/2000 to (min speed selected greater or equal 1/8)

 

Fixed speed and auto diaph (S) : the camera sets ISO from 100 to (max iso selected lower or equal to 6400). Everything is all right for speeds faster than 1 s after that the camera can’t set correct ISO automatically (an ISO is set but diaph and speed values are red coloured). It works better in auto focus than manual focus.

 

Auto speed and fixed diaph (A) : the camera sets speed from 1/2000 to (min speed selected greater or equal 1/8)

 

Fixed speed and fixed diaph (M) : auto ISO doesn’t work any more, you have to set manually a ISO value. You can see the light balance on the screen.

 

If you set an ISO value with the ISO left button (no more auto ISO) then :

 

Auto speed and auto diaph (P) : the camera set diaph and speed but no slower than 1/2s.

 

Fixed speed and auto diaph (S) : you don’t see the light balance on the screen but only the fact that you’re underexposed (diaph and speed values are red coloured).

 

Auto speed and fixed diaph (A) : the camera set speed but no slower than 1/2 s.

 

Fixed speed and fixed diaph (M) : You can see the light balance on the screen.

 

I See this needs some more testing. Thanks for the input !

 

Regards

Jens