Should I be looking at Contax T3, Leica X1 .. or .. ?

Like you, Matus, I struggled between the different option. Finally, I ordered a Nex-3, because I like the small body, the option to adapt all possible lenses, the ("only") 1,5x crop factor and the possibility to make some nice films. Hopefully the camera will arrive soon... Btw, without one of the original lenses. However, it seems like that new lenses by Sony will be announced soon.
 
I doubt you can go wrong with any of the options you have, if the X1 is a real option, then money isn't going to be the deciding factor. I'd almost encourage you to forget the X1, get yourself that X100 (you know you'll be able to resell it if you hate it) and spring for a great little film shooter to compliment it, ricoh and contax keep their resale value quite nicely if you decide you don't like them either.

The X1 bothers me a bit. It seems like the Scotty Cameron of digital point and shoots. 😉
 
No idea why Scotty is bad, but the X1 is a decent camera. However, the idea to get a X100 and a high end film P&S (for the same price or less than the X1) is a great idea.
 
thanks. I indeed keep many options open. X1 does cost more than I would like to spend, but should it turn to become the very best candidate I would try to persuade my lovely wife that divorce is not necessary 😛

I do not hurry to get the camera and as it seems that news could be coming in the next few months I would not jump on one too fast.

X100 is not on the market yet (in Germany), but the Fuji quotes price of 999 € what would promise less than that in retail. That would be a substantial difference compared to X1.

- pacco -
I really hope that NEX will get some nice small lenses soon - it is indeed a good platform. But also the m4/3 looks promising as there are Voigtlaender lenses coming. Hopefully smaller than the 25/0.95 (70 mm, 400g) But I will check the M lenses that could be paired with the NEX-5 maybe I will find some nice combination. It just seems that all 24/25 mm lenses are rather slow when compact.
- What do you plan to use with your NEX?
 
jsrockit said:
No idea why Scotty is bad, but the X1 is a decent camera. However, the idea to get a X100 and a high end film P&S (for the same price or less than the X1) is a great idea.
Click to expand...

Getting 2 cameras instead of two is always a good idea 😀

No, but actually that is correct. I could, for example, get something like S95 and accomplish it with a fixed lens compact (for BW) ... will think about it.
 
Matus, just one thought here on film vs. digital. (I prefer film in general, for my photography.)

I too have been traveling alot for work lately, to Asia and the USA mostly. I got tired of carrying film with me, asking it to be hand inspected instead of X-rayed (not always possible). My trips often involved short multiple stops in several cities, so many airport security checks, etc. Plus I often carry more film with me than I use (because I don't have time to shop for film in the cities i visit), so some film gets brought alot on more than one trip. I also like ASA 1600 films...

In the end I got tired abotu worrying about X-Ray fogging, and bought a Panasonic LX-5 AND a Canon S90. I am going to sell one of them, but I haven't decided which yet. So far, I see quite similar image quality between the two.

I use the S90 MUCH more because it is sooo small. The 24mm vs. 28mm equiv. zoom doesn't matter so much to me, as I'm not a very wide-angle kinda guy.

The Lx-5 clearly wins with regards to multiformat (1:1, 3:4, 2:3, 16:9). It's nice for me, because I like 1:1. I much prefer the user interface on the Canon compared to the Panasonic, but this can be a matter of taste.

Enjoy whichever camera, film or digital, you decide to go for!
 
Matus said:
Getting 2 cameras instead of two is always a good idea 😀

No, but actually that is correct. I could, for example, get something like S95 and accomplish it with a fixed lens compact (for BW) ... will think about it.
Click to expand...

Today I'm carrying with me my Canon S90, and a Zeiss Super Ikonta B (6x6). What more could a person want?
 
sleepyhead said:
Today I'm carrying with me my Canon S90, and a Zeiss Super Ikonta B (6x6). What more could a person want?
Click to expand...

You are right about the film being carried around and so on, although I do not need faster than ISO 400.

If Voigtlaender would have managed to make the Bessa III thinner when closed (and in general a bit smaller) it would be a no brainer for me - probably accompanied with S95 or so.

I did consider a lot the MF options (I just like the 120 film) but there just is nothing considerably smaller than Mamiya 6 (which I have and really like), which is too large for the purpose intended.

Or at least a Hexar AF with collapsible lens 😉
 
I have both the s90 and G12, both are outstanding cameras. The s90 being very compact while the G12 seems slightly more user friendly and a bit cooler to me.

Todd
 
js,

Sorry that was entirely meant to be tongue in cheek. I didn't say that Scotty's are bad, nor was I implying that the X1 is bad either. I own a Scotty, and can only say that despite all of it's features and craftsmanship, my game is still my game. Pride of ownership counts for a lot though, and I truly have more fun playing with that club than I do any other.
It's a personal opinion that I'm just sharing, if I had 2g's to throw into a compact camera right now I'd honestly do what I said earlier, but if finding an X100 is even harder in Europe than here in N.A. I wouldn't throw a fit if my only other option was an X1.
 
I like the Klasse because it's available new under warranty (I've used that warranty, too). It's also a superb camera to use, I whilst I've never used a Contax T3, I've used a T, and did not rate the lens at all really.

I also like the idea of buying a new film camera, just to put my money where my mouth is about the future of film. But that's just me.
 
- thegman -
You make absolutely valid point. Getting a new film camera indeed supports the film industry more than a used one. The Klasse S seems to be a very nice camera - though a bit bulky compared to the T3. Just thinking loud - what it does better than T3?

Now I am going to turn what I said about the size limitation upside down, but after reading a bit more on the Ricoh GXR with the 28 and 50 modules - it really seems like a nice camera. The IQ seems really comparable to X1 (bit more noise though). But indeed the size is a problem - event the modules taken off the camera are a bit bulky. But I must get my hands one one to try out.
 
Just got a DP1s. Slow AF, but the files are, to me, far superior to M43 files in terms of color, detail, and DR. More film like, one might say (or more M8 like). Yes, in some ways a 4+ megapixel camera, but in practice more or less equivalent to a 10 megapixel DSLR.

I'm thinking of getting the DP2, to have a 28/40mm set; probably takes less space than a GXR with two modules. Rather have a rangefinder, and will again at some point, but buying used the 2 DP's will have only cost about $600-700...
 
Matus said:
- pacco -
I really hope that NEX will get some nice small lenses soon - it is indeed a good platform. But also the m4/3 looks promising as there are Voigtlaender lenses coming. Hopefully smaller than the 25/0.95 (70 mm, 400g) But I will check the M lenses that could be paired with the NEX-5 maybe I will find some nice combination. It just seems that all 24/25 mm lenses are rather slow when compact.
- What do you plan to use with your NEX?
Click to expand...

Hi Matus, I have posted an entry here in RFF about my new Nex. There are also a couple of photos that may interest you. Currently, I have a Minolta MD adapter, but planning to order a Leica M one.
 
- tomtofa -
The sigma DP cameras are indeed interesting. The Foveon sensor by definition does not need Bayer interpolation so the per pixel detail is excellent and looks very natural. However the total pixel count is indeed on the low side. Not so long ago Sigma announced SD1 with larger sensor and much large (maybe even too large) amount of pixels. So I would expect that DP models will get updated at some point too. Also - the lens (given the size of the camera) could be f/2.0 instead of f/2.8.

- pacco -
thank you for heads-up. The photos you show indeed have plenty of character. While such a combo (NEX + m lens) would probably be too large for me. Still - I would be very interested about your opinion on the manual focusing - there is still no EVF available as far as I know.
 
I guess you need to consider how you like to work. Are you comfortable with AF? If not, you are going to want something with a real manual focus ring. Do you want to use full AE, aperture priority or manual exposure? This dictates what physical controls must be available.

I have a GRD-III. It is small, well made, has a fast high-quality lens. It has excellent controls for a small-sensor compact, but shooting in full manual is never as fluid as with a "full-sized" camera like a 35mm SLR. The GRD has good aids for zone focussing but not for real MF. Most of the time I use AF (not lightning fast but accurate) and aperture priority AE with on the fly exposure compensation. This is the GRD at its most intuitive, IMO.

On the other hand - as long as we are talking about pocket cameras - did anyone mention Rollei 35? 😀
 
I am indeed fine with AF. Actually - it does not even need to be blazingly fast for my type of work (travel with little time for serious photography, but still trying to get as good IQ as possible). The camera should allow me to do what I did with Olympus XA (which I sold)

After checking more on GRX and X1 I found out that while to GRX got a AF speed boost the X1 did not (yet). Also - the X1 is more compact. The GRX with 50 mm is too deep. Both produce great files though. My personal preference for single lens is 35 mm, but 28 & 50 could do the job too. if there were a 35/2.5 lens for GRX it could win me over.

To me - the Ricoh with their announcement of M-mount module could in the near future separate their own lens modules into sensor-module and lens-module what would decrease the cost for multi-lens setups and would allow to update only the sensors in the future. Let's see. They obviously have the potential to do that.

I am first trying to figure out whether some of the cameras with APS-C sensor would suit my needs. I am eagerly waiting for the X100 to come out. Also it is about the time for Leica to think about X2 (keep the size, faster lens and faster AF 😉 ). I would even be willing to pay that much if the camera would bring some improvements and (finally) updated sensor. I mean - it looks like all APS-C compact cameras introduced over last 2 years all use the (nearly) identical sensors - rumors say that even the X100. I know it is a good one but the development goes on I guess.

Rollei 35 - you first ask me whether I can handle cameras with poor MF capabilities and then propose one that has none at all! Hey! 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom