Jeff S Posted June 13, 2014 Share #201 Posted June 13, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) FWIW, DP Review made these comments about Fuji's firmware updates to its X series. An excerpt… "We're hugely impressed by Fujifilm's continual updates and improvements to its cameras - it's fair to say that the X-Pro1 has been transformed since its launch into one of the most capable mirrorless models on the market. In this round of updates, the X-Pro1, X-E1 and X100S inherit many of the small tweaks first seen in the X-E2; users are likely to appreciate the addition of customizable Auto ISO in particular." Note the quick response to customer feedback regarding auto ISO. Incidentally, Fuji delivered on all 7 of the anticipated changes desired by customers, as detailed further here. I don't own Fuji gear, nor do I have any vested interest in their products. My general impression, without any numbers to back it up (sorry, Pop), is that they do a much better job than Leica in this area of updates and customer communications. The fact that Leica has still not addressed anticipated M9 firmware updates (again no vested interest here, as I skipped the model), e.g., discreet mode lockups, shows poor follow-up or, at a minimum, poor communications. I recognize the issues associated with low volume, boutique type firms, but this is one area where I think Leica could get a lot more bang for its customers' bucks. And, in the long run, build more goodwill and increased sales. Almost every time Adobe updates LR, I get the same advantages (ultimately better prints) as if I upgraded my camera and/or lens; it would be nice if Leica provided some free endorphins on a more frequent basis. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Hi Jeff S, Take a look here New Firmware on May 24th. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Rick Posted June 13, 2014 Share #202 Posted June 13, 2014 Jeff, nice post, but as I re-read it there isn't any beef to it, all bun. Who cares about Fijiti? It is an entirely different company and a completely different plastic, mass-produced consumer item. Also, playing the Leica boutique card is always meaningless to those of us that use the camera for real work and artistic creativity. I bet if, I started one of my infamous polls, no one would vote that they bought the camera for its boutique status. That claim is often made by those jealous of the camera and who want to make themselves feel better by putting down those that have it as having more money than photographic knowledge. The opposite is actually true. Leica owners are probably the most photographically-knowledgeable real users of any of the brands. So, mostly a lot of BS. Be patient a little longer and maybe, Leica will surprise you with a fairly impressive and comprehensive update. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted June 14, 2014 Share #203 Posted June 14, 2014 Jeff, nice post, but as I re-read it there isn't any beaf to it, all bun. ...Who cares about Fijiti? ….Also, playing the Leica boutique card ...So, mostly a lot of BS. Be patient a little longer... I'm not sure what beaf (sic) is, but if I were you I'd try to read all of the above posts a little closer before offering back your own BS. I care about Leica and how they might improve. Fuji is only an example of a company that does well with updates. I used it as my example only because others had already debated its history with firmware updates, some questioning their responsiveness. I didn't raise the issue of Leica's boutique status; Pop did. He cited its low volume production as a key characteristic that customers need to deal with or go elsewhere. And I'm in no rush personally for a damn thing. Can't someone make an observation without vested interest? I thought I did that rather well. What and where is your beef? Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 14, 2014 Share #204 Posted June 14, 2014 My Fuji X-E2 feels indeed a bit plasticky but its controls are pretty well comparable to those of the M240 with more speed, a (much) better EVF and more features like Auto iso which works perfectly in manual mode for instance. It can even display the selected iso value in the EVF or on the LCD which is quite handy. A good example for Leica IMHO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted June 14, 2014 Share #205 Posted June 14, 2014 My Fuji X-E2 feels indeed a bit plasticky but its controls are pretty well comparable to those of the M240 with more speed, a (much) better EVF and more features like Auto iso which works perfectly in manual mode for instance. It can even display the selected iso value in the EVF or on the LCD which is quite handy. A good example for Leica IMHO. Ok, I get that. Leica can do better. But, these are two completely different products. I could write a list of things that Fuji could do do better (more like Leica), but so what? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 14, 2014 Share #206 Posted June 14, 2014 My Fuji X-E2 feels indeed a bit plasticky but its controls are pretty well comparable to those of the M240 with more speed, a (much) better EVF and more features like Auto iso which works perfectly in manual mode for instance. It can even display the selected iso value in the EVF or on the LCD which is quite handy. A good example for Leica IMHO. Can you switch auto-Iso off in manual mode without delving into menus? if not I find it useless - as I found it useless on the M8 and M9. For my use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted June 14, 2014 Share #207 Posted June 14, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I suppose you could just look at some of the "thanks" on your post and that says it all for me. And I'm supposed to respect this as the basis for one's opinion? So you're not RickFuji….today...but you changed to and from RickSony pretty quickly. My, those were some no-nonsense times, with some really well reasoned opinions. I don't align with any company, but I've worked long enough for some good ones, and for my own, to offer an opinion about areas for improvement. Take or leave it; I really don't need the judgment, thank you. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted June 14, 2014 Share #208 Posted June 14, 2014 Ok, I get that. Leica can do better. That's the point…at least mine. Not nonsense, then. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 14, 2014 Share #209 Posted June 14, 2014 Can you switch auto-Iso off in manual mode without delving into menus? You mean from auto iso in manual mode to auto iso in auto mode or vice versa? Yes suffice it to set the shutter speed dial on A (auto mode) or on any shutter speed (manual mode). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted June 14, 2014 Share #210 Posted June 14, 2014 Jeff, you see, calling me RickLeica or fanboy or anything else doesn't mean I align myself with any company either. And, you have completely got it wrong with me and Sony. I love my RX1 and still use it very much. So, you are wrong again and painting me with the wrong brush... please stop with the Leica boutique and RickLeica crap, ok buddy? Re: Thanks... birds of a feather. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 14, 2014 Share #211 Posted June 14, 2014 You mean from auto iso in manual mode to auto iso in auto mode or vice versa? Yes suffice it to set the shutter speed dial on A (auto mode) or on any shutter speed (manual mode). No I mean from Auto ISO mode into real manual mode. When I am on Auto, any form of Auto , be it Aperture, Shutterspeed or ISO or combination thereof I want to be able to flick the camera to full manual control with a fixed preset ISO value to be able to nail exposure without the camera interfering. I want to be able to turn the M240 into an M6. Instantly. However, when I have a long lens on I want to be able to have aperture and shutterspeed fixed and ISO controling the exposure. For me the perfect implementation is an easy switch between both types of Manual, full manual and Iso-controled manual. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted June 14, 2014 Share #212 Posted June 14, 2014 Jeff, you see, calling me RickLeica or fanboy or anything else doesn't mean I align myself with any company either. And, you have completely got it wrong with me and Sony. I love my RX1 and still use it very much. So, you are wrong again and painting me with the wrong brush... please stop with the Leica boutique and RickLeica crap, ok buddy? Once again you missed the point. I'm well aware of your thoughts on not aligning with any company. I couldn't care less what cameras you use or like. I used the term RickSony to remind you of the extensive period (when others called you that), during which you made lots of no-nonsense, well reasoned posts. Not. You even apologized for some. So when you accuse me of posting nonsense, it's beyond parody. Especially when you don't understand the key point of my post. One last time…my key point wasn't about Fuji or any other company; it was about Leica. You and your cameras don't enter into those thoughts. And don't call me buddy. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 14, 2014 Share #213 Posted June 14, 2014 Gentlemen, gentlemen, please..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted June 14, 2014 Share #214 Posted June 14, 2014 No I mean from Auto ISO mode into real manual mode. When I am on Auto, any form of Auto , be it Aperture, Shutterspeed or ISO or combination thereof I want to be able to flick the camera to full manual control with a fixed preset ISO value to be able to nail exposure without the camera interfering. I want to be able to turn the M240 into an M6. Instantly. Interesting indeed but the shutter speed dial cannot be used for this purpose any more as it triggers the manual mode of auto iso already. So either we chimp to disable auto iso (as with the X-E2) or the camera allows to assign a button or a dial for that. Not sure if the M240 could do it though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante Posted June 14, 2014 Share #215 Posted June 14, 2014 Jaap, you really can't compare British car manufacturers with Leica. Believe me, I know! You're right; the electronics in my Jaguar have turned out to be a lot less crash-prone than those in my M 240. I think my XF had some kind of firmware upgrade that finally caused it to get along with an iPod. Of course, if the choice is between perfect iPod performance (newer iterations) and the V8 (older ones), I'd take the V8. But honestly, the complaints about M8/M9 firmware updates baffle me a little bit. With the Atari 2600-era electronics, it's not like anything Leica can do is going to turn water into wine (except maybe banding, but that sounds like it is coming from hardware amplification). The M 240 has more potential, but at the end of the day, it has some hardware limitations. And to expect either of them to have the magic upgrades like a Fuji with its electronic magic viewfinder? Not realistic. That said, Fuji (like Ricoh) does a much better job of listening to its customers and doesn't have the intellectual orthodoxy that holds tight to "tradition," no matter how many times Leica humiliates that orthodoxy with feature additions that undermine the "traditional" view (metering, quick film loading, TTL flash, autoexposure, digital, EVFs, video, etc. - and that's just the M line...). And Jaap, even for someone who has not been using M cameras for 40 years (only about 18), the 90mm capability is sorely lacking. It's not so much being able to focus accurately with the RF - it's more that it's hard to hold accurate focus with anything but a centered subject - and the fact that the framelines are so small that the RF reticle subtends a lot of their area. With 24mp, sometimes I wonder if it's not just easier to use a 75 and crop. Dante Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared Posted June 14, 2014 Share #216 Posted June 14, 2014 And Jaap, even for someone who has not been using M cameras for 40 years (only about 18), the 90mm capability is sorely lacking. It's not so much being able to focus accurately with the RF - it's more that it's hard to hold accurate focus with anything but a centered subject - and the fact that the framelines are so small that the RF reticle subtends a lot of their area. With 24mp, sometimes I wonder if it's not just easier to use a 75 and crop. Dante Strangely, that's exactly what I ended up doing. I traded in my 90mm APO on a 75mm APO and am much happier. I just crop as required, and find I am MUCH more likely to nail focus (and therefore get a better result) than Inever did with the 90mm. I know it's not a classic Leica focal length and is uncomfortably close to the 50mm, but I was just never able to get the consistent focus I needed out of the 90--even with the 1.4x magnifier (which I could never get used to, anyway). - Jared Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardkaraa Posted June 14, 2014 Share #217 Posted June 14, 2014 It's really a pity that the 90 cron is so difficult to focus. My 85 Sonnar is very easy to get accurate focus anywhere in the frame. Zeiss claims a special focusing helicoid, but whatever it is it really works. I wonder why Leica doesn't implement a similar mechanism. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted June 14, 2014 Share #218 Posted June 14, 2014 I just use the EVF now for anything over 50 and even my 50 Noctilux in lower light, when I just cannot see the overlap sufficiently accurately in the RF. That is one reason I am disappointed Leica does not seem to be going to upgrade to the far better VF4, as that really would make focusing of longer lenses easy. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirekti Posted June 14, 2014 Share #219 Posted June 14, 2014 I've just received 24mm Elmar. I saw in few other threads that there is a small magenta cast. I can see it in my sample too. It is really weak, but there. Vignetting is also stronger with the default profile than 24mm Elmarit. Do you think anything was done in regards to lens profiles? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 14, 2014 Share #220 Posted June 14, 2014 It's really a pity that the 90 cron is so difficult to focus. My 85 Sonnar is very easy to get accurate focus anywhere in the frame. ... Sorry to hear that this is the case for you but I have no more difficulty focussing my 90 Summicron AA than I do either my 85/2 CZJ Sonnar or Zeiss 85/2 Opton Sonnar (all without a magnifier). My hit rate is the same as I would hope for with my 50 Summilux. Still I can't see a firmware update making much difference to focussing with the rf. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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