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Current State of Leica T


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:) I'm thoroughly impressed by the depth of thought evidenced by some of the posts above. Thanks all!

 

Since acquiring my Leica T with 18-56 last November, I have noticed many or most of the issues mentioned above. While the AF can be slow, and the lag to turn on the EVF is noticable, as is the time lag to release for next shot, these are issues that, with my kind of photography, don't tend to bother too much.

 

Overriding all other considerations, for me, is the user interface. I"ve had Nikon, Panasonic and Olympus digital units in the past. Sold an Olympus OM-D when purchased the Leica. The intuitive interaction with the Leica is just exceptional.

 

Each of the previous cameras added additional dials and modes, and got more and more non-obvious.

 

The Leica T interface is like a breath of fresh air!

 

Coupled with the fine optics (have now added the 11- 23 and 55-135) - the system is just terrific!

 

(Well, if the left control dial weren't quite so easy to move when shooting). :o

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It will be very interesting to see what Leica will do with the T - stick with the single version and update it every 4 years or so? ditch it? Or release variants of it?

 

I rather like the last option, but I guess it's unlikely - I don't see Leica following the Sony A7 trend of releasing a new version every few months in the hope of making one stick. Easy enough when you make the sensors. At this end of the market, I suspect that Leica's traditional product life-cycle may be too long.

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It will be very interesting to see what Leica will do with the T - stick with the single version and update it every 4 years or so? ditch it? Or release variants of it?

 

I rather like the last option, but I guess it's unlikely - I don't see Leica following the Sony A7 trend of releasing a new version every few months in the hope of making one stick. Easy enough when you make the sensors. At this end of the market, I suspect that Leica's traditional product life-cycle may be too long.

 

The A7 series are well though out and each of the main 3 models has a different market.

 

Sony has summarised correctly that a one size fits all methodology doesn't work for FF cameras

 

With the T mount I think Leica will do well to have a x-Vario/113 dial type body as well as the touch one.

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Since acquiring my Leica T with 18-56 last November, I have noticed many or most of the issues mentioned above. While the AF can be slow, and the lag to turn on the EVF is noticable, as is the time lag to release for next shot, these are issues that, with my kind of photography, don't tend to bother too much.

<snip>

The Leica T interface is like a breath of fresh air!

 

 

I have to say that that lag ironically actually led to a huge breakthrough in my ability as a photographer. When I first got the camera and began transitioning from the E-M1 with its lightning fast AF I was frustrated.

 

Somewhere along the way, I started realizing that I could turn automatic things off and the performance of the camera improved. Using MF vs AF is the biggest win. This takes a good portion of a second off of the time between when I press the shutter and when it takes the shutter releases and reduces the time between shots as well. Being in a fully manual shutter mode with aperture and shutter speed (and maybe ISO) also helps some. The camera doesn't have to do anything except close the aperture to the setting from live view mode and snap the shutter.

 

Learning to do that effectively was probably the second biggest revolution in skill in my photography after learning to use prime lenses and foot zoom rather than adjust the FOV with the zoom lever.

 

One thing that still bothers me though is that you can't get the scale with the DOF unless you have focus assist on. Many times I don't want the zoom into 3x or 6x but I want to see what my DOF is going to be given the selected aperture (and FD when I'm not using the 23mm) and since MF is done in a live view mode the aperture is fully open and it is hard to get a sense of the true DOF.

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I have to say that that lag ironically actually led to a huge breakthrough in my ability as a photographer. When I first got the camera and began transitioning from the E-M1 with its lightning fast AF I was frustrated.

 

Somewhere along the way, I started realizing that I could turn automatic things off and the performance of the camera improved. Using MF vs AF is the biggest win. This takes a good portion of a second off of the time between when I press the shutter and when it takes the shutter releases and reduces the time between shots as well. Being in a fully manual shutter mode with aperture and shutter speed (and maybe ISO) also helps some. The camera doesn't have to do anything except close the aperture to the setting from live view mode and snap the shutter.

 

Learning to do that effectively was probably the second biggest revolution in skill in my photography after learning to use prime lenses and foot zoom rather than adjust the FOV with the zoom lever.

 

One thing that still bothers me though is that you can't get the scale with the DOF unless you have focus assist on. Many times I don't want the zoom into 3x or 6x but I want to see what my DOF is going to be given the selected aperture (and FD when I'm not using the 23mm) and since MF is done in a live view mode the aperture is fully open and it is hard to get a sense of the true DOF.

 

how would you summarise the IQ differences between the X-T1 and T, taking into account the lens as well

 

rgds

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I've had the T since it first came out and have very mixed emotions about it. The extensive number of fixes suggested in the prior posts tell me that this is the case with other photographers as well.

 

The Leica T is about the same size as my Leica III. I find this about ideal. I can grasp the camera easily. It is also the most beautiful camera being made, in my opinion. It is capable of producing beautiful images. I'm a fan of the 18-56 mm zoom as well (I also have the 35 mm equivalent but seldom use it.) I believe the size, weight and stunning design of the T could, with proper attention, because the successor to the M. After all, M lenses and the M body, patterned after what are now ancient film cameras, are too heavy and too expensive to make.

 

But the T fails in two respects important to me, at least, as a long-time Leica photographer. The Leica photographer wants an excellent view through the rangefinder. The current EVF disappoints in this respect. It is nowhere in the league of an optical finder. I loved the option on my Fuji X Pro-1 to have either an optical or electronic viewfinder (I always opted for the optical one.)

 

The Leica photographer also wants a quick acting camera to catch "the decisive moment." This is the essence of the Leica experience and here again the T fails. There is a slow start up, the auto-focus hesitates or gives a false reading of "in focus" when it isn't and generally is not a camera you can pick up and just shoot. It is when I take out one of my old film Leicas, pre-focus it and fire at my command, not the camera's, that this difference becomes so dramatic. Yes, I know it's possible to use MF on the T, but I can use my 240 if I prefer to focus it myself. I don't want to have to struggle with whether an image is in focus or not through the EVF. I thought I was buying a quick-focus automatic camera when I bought the model T, but instead I got a tardy camera that seldom seems ready to work when I need it to.

 

I recently had the opportunity to bend the ear of the new Leica CEO on this topic and I hope he heard me.

 

Leica should correct the focus problem through new firmware. I think it would be a shame for the company's reputation if owners had to buy a new edition of the T to obtain these essential "Leica" attributes; such a move would anger existing T customers and would leave the original T as a beautiful orphan.

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I like the sensor inside Leica T, same signature as my M240, but APS-C sensor

 

I think that the system deserves more lenses like the 23mm Summicron-T, I don't know the reasons for so many zooms at the begining

Sure, we can use MF lenses but I will prefer more AF primes

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