Erwin Puts on the X100

[Paul T.]

For lawd's sake...

Can we just, from now on, distinguish between AF and shutter lag? They are entirely different things!

If anyone claims that shutter lag is significant, please post details, otherwise let's move on. (I'm marginally disappointed by the AF delay on the X100, but that's an annoyance rather than a deal-killer, which shutter lag would be).

Anyone who simply points a camera at an object, then presses the button expecting it to focus and release the shutter simultaneously, must have been asleep for the last 30 years!

 

[Brian Mosley]

So you're saying that an iPod nano, an F-22 Raptor, and an FEI Titan are all consumer devices. Thanks for clearing that up.

Well, I could use a 70 year old Leica today quite happily. I very much doubt that I'd be able to fly an F-22 Raptor in 70 years 😀

Cheers

Brian

 

[semilog]

^--- but the 70 year old Leica is a consumer device and has no electronics at all. So confused. 🙁

 

[semilog]

I was talking about expectations of the camera, and that those expectations are driven to higher levels by the retro street shooter Leica beating hype that preceeded it, caused largely by the way it looks, not functions.

Piffle.

Anyone who is capable of reading a spec sheet pretty much knew what to expect, months before this camera hit the streets. The real questions were: (1) is the lens really that good? [Yes]; (2) is the sensor capable? [Yes]; and (3) how's the hybrid viewfinder? [Amazingly good].

It's a unique and pretty neat camera that incorporates a lot of good ideas including an absolutely superb OVF (IMO, better than the one in the M9), as well as a good manual control layout. And as I said above, the results speak for themselves: people using this camera are doing a lot of really good work with it.

 

[Jeff Charles]

For lawd's sake...

Can we just, from now on, distinguish between AF and shutter lag? They are entirely different things!

If anyone claims that shutter lag is significant, please post details, otherwise let's move on. (I'm marginally disappointed by the AF delay on the X100, but that's an annoyance rather than a deal-killer, which shutter lag would be).

Anyone who simply points a camera at an object, then presses the button expecting it to focus and release the shutter simultaneously, must have been asleep for the last 30 years!

AF and shutter lag certainly are not the same thing. What is unusual about the X100 is that as light levels increase, its AF is quicker, but its shutter lag is longer.

I have measured my X100's shutter lag in bright light. First, I photographed a digital stopwatch indoors, taking a shot at specific intervals, with manual focus. That was to set a baseline for my reaction time and low-light shutter lag. I then photographed the stopwatch in bright daylight. After averaging the results from multiple shots, I calculated that the X100 has an additional shutter lag of about 0.7 seconds in bright light.

I wasn't interested enough to do extensive testing, so I only took about 10 shots in each environment, but the results I got are consistent with my subjective impression.

For me, the lag in bright light is actually more disconcerting than the somewhat slow AF in low light. I expect slower AF when light levels drop. (The X100's AF is accurate and pretty reliable in low light.)

The only way to avoid the bright-light lag is to half press in anticipation of the shot. Then there is virtually no lag. It is the technique that I use with rare exceptions.

Edit: The bright-light lag might better be called "getting-the-camera-ready-to-shoot-lag", since the actual shutter lag after a half press is very very short.

Regarding snap shots, with a modern DSLR, even a mid-range DSLR, you can pretty much press the button and expect it to focus and release the shutter almost instantly in good light. It may not always be good technique, but it does work.

Jeff

 

[Brian Mosley]

^--- but the 70 year old Leica is a consumer device and has no electronics at all. So confused. 🙁

You certainly are :bang:

Never mind 😉

Brian