X1 preview on DPReview.com

Glad to see that a hood is likely. I wish there was a setup option for controlling whether the lens retracts on sleep of power off - it would be a simple firmware change, I think. I just emailed both Leica USA and Leica AG to suggest it.

I just received a very nice email back from Leica AG. The writer was actually enthusiastic about the idea of allowing setup control of lens retraction behavior and was passing on the suggestion to the product team.

I have no illusions this will happen because of my email, but if more people spoke up on the topic I think a firmware change to allow this is at least possible.
 
For me, it's because the X-1 was designed with an optical VF in mind. See that focus confirmation light?

No I didn't see it. Thanks for pointing it out. Is there any way to tell what the camera is focused on?
 
Not without looking at the back LED, I assume. I would simply set the camera to center focus point and use it that way with the OVF.
 
"I have no illusions this will happen because of my email, but if more people spoke up on the topic I think a firmware change to allow this is at least possible."

Tell us who to email and we can all send in our concerns over this issue. I for one would mail them.

P^)
 
Until someone comes up with a large sensor pocketable digital camera with high image quality, interchangeable lenses AND a viewfinder with focus confirmation that allows use of MF lenses (particularly M lenses) with an adapter, my money is staying in my pocket and I will stick with my big guns. It seems that the makers have not gotten the message yet. These cameras are not mass market bits of kit. They are only for a niche market - where only a relatively few sales makes the difference between a good return and a bad one. So it confounds me that they should deliberately ignore the requirements of a part of that niche that could otherwise add a small but significant number of sales.
 
I was getting pretty hyped about the X1, but I can't live with the DOF of a 24/2.8, so I'm abandoning ship. Damn, all these cameras that seem to be nearly right for me are coming along, but nothing I'm willing to drop the cash for, yet. Maybe a really nice M8 with a warranty...
 
The X1 comes with a 1.5X CMOS sensor from what i hear. Isnt the the same size the Nikon D200 used? Whats Canon have...1.6 or something?
 
Last time I checked all my OMs had nothing but analog controls, and I do believe they were Japanese. Same for my Konica FS-1, my Minolta 7Sii, etc., etc.

I think you mean digital cameras made in Japan ... well, they would make them analog-controlled if the boss told them to. The issue is, they do not believe there's a market for that. Maybe we should tell them.
On second thought, maybe not ... given the size of the market, the price would be such that the usual suspects on RFF, pnet, etc., would be complaining about how it should cost half as much ... "It's only analog controls, how can that old technology be so expensive!?!?"

Cranky!!

Get back in the darkroom you!
;D
 
Curmudgeon alert:

Ho hum. Another high-priced digital toy that once again falls short. "What I really want is ... "

Camera makers are in the unenviable position of trying to please all of the people all of the time. Obviously, they never listened to Abraham Lincoln (being Japanese, they probably never heard of him -- well, maybe just the younger kids).

In the meantime, this curmudgeon will retreat to the kitchen where I'm processing a roll of Arista Ultra 100 that I shot last week.
 
"Photographers who pine for the good old-fashioned metal-bodied, mechanical-shutter manual focus compact rangefinders of the 1960s and 1970s will doubtless love it [...] Existing Leica users will undoubtably feel right at home."

Yeah right... Who do they think they're fooling?

Vincent

Well, outside of manual focus, they are mostly right.
 
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