X1 vs Dlux-5/LX-5 vs Nikon DSLR AF Speed

[jmooney]

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Hi All,

 

Trying to get an idea of the X1's AF speed. I have seen from several sources that it's very accurate so I'm not worried about that. How does the speed compare to the Dlux-5/LX-5? What about a Nikon DSLR with kit lens?

 

I realize that these are subjective measurements but I can't put my hands on one locally to try so any thoughts are appreciated.

 

Best,

 

Jim

[ECliffordSmith]

Hi Jim,

 

I once owned a D-Lux 4 and I would suggest the focus speed is about the same with the X1. In good light and contrast the focus is very fast but things slow down considerably when the light drops and it can hunt for seconds.

 

Personally I tend to use the manual focus, it works very well.

[prk60091]

Hi Jim,

 

I once owned a D-Lux 4 and I would suggest the focus speed is about the same with the X1. In good light and contrast the focus is very fast but things slow down considerably when the light drops and it can hunt for seconds.

 

Personally I tend to use the manual focus, it works very well.

 

i agree

 

i actually traded my dl4 for my x1 .... as i recall the speed were just about the same...

 

last weekend i was at a state fair and many inside pavillions and barns and the only issue i had was when i tried to macro focus on the eyes of the cows (surprisingly they move fast) however i managed a few usable images at ASA 400

[sfowler]

 

 

 

Personally I tend to use the manual focus, it works very well.

 

Can you provide me a link or helpful instructions on using the X in a manual focusing way? I have been using the X in AF and its fine for me with AF, but if manual focusing is faster - I would like to know how and the steps you use to do this or if you can provide me a link to a how to - on this technique.

 

What are the optimal settings you use to do manual focusing ? for example...

 

Fstop, ISO and speed with distance. Is there some standard settings that everyone uses with the X to do this manual focusing technique? I do appreciate any help,

 

Thanks

[WayneNor]

I had the same problem you have, couldn't find a Leica X1 locally to look at. I bought one anyway and find the auto focus to be quite fast in bright light. As the lighting gets dimmer the speed drops dramatically and sometimes it will hunt and not lock onto the subject. The X1 is not a camera for fast action on low light subjects. While frustrating once in a while, it it shoot mostly still lifes so it isn't an insurmountable problem.

[prk60091]

I had the same problem you have, couldn't find a Leica X1 locally to look at. I bought one anyway and find the auto focus to be quite fast in bright light. As the lighting gets dimmer the speed drops dramatically and sometimes it will hunt and not lock onto the subject. The X1 is not a camera for fast action on low light subjects. While frustrating once in a while, it it shoot mostly still lifes so it isn't an insurmountable problem.

 

 

from the manual

AF Assist Lamp

The built-in AF assist lamp (1.2) extends the AF system’s operational range

into low light conditions. With the function activated, the lamp lights up automatically

in such situations whenever the shutter release button (1.8) is

pressed.

In the menu, select AF-Assist Lamp (3.6), and in the submenu the desired

setting.

Note:

The range of the AF assist lamp is approx. 3m. Therefore, in low light conditions,

AF operation is not possible for distances beyond this limit.

i have found also that the AF requires a Vertical line of some sort to get a quick focus- if your subject doesn't have a vertical edge then it will hunt- so i move the area of focus to the vertical edge and voila in focus

[ECliffordSmith]

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Hi Sam,

 

My typical subject matter is fairly static land/city scapes and I can usually setup the shot as it were. My personal opinion is that my X1 lens resolves the most detail at f5.6 so unless I want shallow/deep depth of field this is the aperture I try to use if the light permits. Likewise, if light permits I will shoot at base ISO as this yields the best results and I will set the shutter speed accordingly. Here I find that for subjects more that a few metres away setting the focus just shy of infinity or hyperfocally using the scale on the camera yields very good results. When my subject is actually very far away I find the second to last focus distance always provides better results than infinity. I am not sure if this is my camera but it appears to go 'beyond infinity' and soften up.

 

The other time when I manually focus is if the light is low and I need to try and freeze something (my nephew for example below). Here I will set the focus to macro, auto focus and then switch to manual focus which unless locked will inherit the last auto focus setting which I can fine tune if required. The benefit here is that the lag is significanly reduced and I can focus on framing and timing. If the subject is a young child or animal that moves slightly moving with them instead of refocusing can work better.

 

I hope this helps a little. Here is an example of my nephew Thomas. I took four shots with him in this scene and three were fine and one was not. I feel I would not have got this with the auto focus alone. This is just a low resolution image from the side car JPEG but the DNG is acceptably sharp at full size for the face for my purposes.

 

Have a nice weekend.

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[prk60091]

Hi Sam,

 

My typical subject matter is fairly static land/city scapes and I can usually setup the shot as it were. My personal opinion is that my X1 lens resolves the most detail at f5.6 so unless I want shallow/deep depth of field this is the aperture I try to use if the light permits. Likewise, if light permits I will shoot at base ISO as this yields the best results and I will set the shutter speed accordingly. Here I find that for subjects more that a few metres away setting the focus just shy of infinity or hyperfocally using the scale on the camera yields very good results. When my subject is actually very far away I find the second to last focus distance always provides better results than infinity. I am not sure if this is my camera but it appears to go 'beyond infinity' and soften up.

 

The other time when I manually focus is if the light is low and I need to try and freeze something (my nephew for example below). Here I will set the focus to macro, auto focus and then switch to manual focus which unless locked will inherit the last auto focus setting which I can fine tune if required. The benefit here is that the lag is significanly reduced and I can focus on framing and timing. If the subject is a young child or animal that moves slightly moving with them instead of refocusing can work better.

 

I hope this helps a little. Here is an example of my nephew Thomas. I took four shots with him in this scene and three were fine and one was not. I feel I would not have got this with the auto focus alone. This is just a low resolution image from the side car JPEG but the DNG is acceptably sharp at full size for the face for my purposes.

 

Have a nice weekend.

nice image and cute kid - just looked at your flickr feed- you use the x1 very well.

[sfowler]

Hi Sam,

 

My typical subject matter is fairly static land/city scapes and I can usually setup the shot as it were. My personal opinion is that my X1 lens resolves the most detail at f5.6 so unless I want shallow/deep depth of field this is the aperture I try to use if the light permits. Likewise, if light permits I will shoot at base ISO as this yields the best results and I will set the shutter speed accordingly. Here I find that for subjects more that a few metres away setting the focus just shy of infinity or hyperfocally using the scale on the camera yields very good results. When my subject is actually very far away I find the second to last focus distance always provides better results than infinity. I am not sure if this is my camera but it appears to go 'beyond infinity' and soften up.

 

The other time when I manually focus is if the light is low and I need to try and freeze something (my nephew for example below). Here I will set the focus to macro, auto focus and then switch to manual focus which unless locked will inherit the last auto focus setting which I can fine tune if required. The benefit here is that the lag is significanly reduced and I can focus on framing and timing. If the subject is a young child or animal that moves slightly moving with them instead of refocusing can work better.

 

I hope this helps a little. Here is an example of my nephew Thomas. I took four shots with him in this scene and three were fine and one was not. I feel I would not have got this with the auto focus alone. This is just a low resolution image from the side car JPEG but the DNG is acceptably sharp at full size for the face for my purposes.

 

Have a nice weekend.

 

Thank you Clifford. I will give this a shot and try the settings you mentioned. BTW I looked at your flickr...awesome shots!!

 

Thanks again

 

Sam

[ECliffordSmith]

Hi Sam,

 

I trust you are having a nice weekend.

 

The sun has made an appearance here! I had not needed the 1000/s shutter speed this summer but today it was the speed of choice.

 

Thank you for looking at my flickr account, I am glad you liked it, I should get around to updating it but working in IT the computer based elements of photography tend to fall by the wayside.

 

I note we have two Chicago based X photographers on this thread. I have not been to your city yet but you have an enviable source of subjects.

 

As the time permits I look forward to browsing your online photographs.

[jmooney]

Thanks for all the great info! I'm encouraged by what I read. I actually just found out that lensrentals.com actually rents X1's so I may spring for one for a week and give it a try.

 

Best wishes,

 

Jim

[ECliffordSmith]

Hi Jim,

 

Renting the camera first could be a very good idea. You can see if the general performance that some people have had issues with bother you or not. I am sure you will be very happy with the image quality though.