From Leica M to Sony RX1 - initial impressions

elverket said:
That last part made it hard for me to part with it, but regarding the simplicity, I found a paradox: The simplicity of the M made it too hard to take good pictures. Before I was done light metering, focusing, setting shutter, ISO and aperture the moment was too often gone and too often I didn't set everything right and missed anyway. In light of this I have a tremendous respect for those of you who focus by feel and see the right parameters to set before they happen. I'm sure everything is possible with lots of practice, but for me life is - at least at the moment - too short.
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i know we're all responding to a semi-necro thread but at the same time it was a great review thanks for taking the time to put it up. i'm glad that you got positive feedback for your review as i partially expected the ludites to come out and complain about technology taking over photography.
 
PKR said:
Hi Joe;

I know you are interested in this camera - me too.

www.johnvink.com/

In going to this URL it doesn't load. John is in Asia and there may be net trouble.

My site/server is in Hong Kong and it loads right up. I'll check this again in an hour or so.

best, pkr
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working for me now...
interesting read...the rx1 is clearly a flawed camera but can i live with those flaws? i think so.
 
my budget allows me to wait for a while;)

i actually don't mind using the lcd...it works just fine on the rx100 for me.
an interchangable lens body is just a dream i think...35mm lens suits me...

i think the fuji x-e1 with the 27 pancake might be a satisfying alternative for me...
 
Great review , I really enjoyed it and thought it was well balanced. Being an M9 user myself I wonder if you would have had similar thoughts if you had moved from the M9 ...

James
 
not sure how this may fit to the topic but...i have only seen one used rx1 for sale and it seems to be going nowhere fast...
 
I saw his ad at getdpi as well... No takers over there as well. Looks like market for used rx1 is pretty tough in terms of price point...even considering how new it still is.

Gary
 
You have to be enamored with full frame to go for the RX1 IMO. Better options are available if you like a VF and don;t mind APS-C.
 
jsrockit said:
You have to be enamored with full frame to go for the RX1 IMO. Better options are available if you like a VF and don;t mind APS-C.
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i think the aps-c vs ff is the thing here...when i first read the rx1 was going to be full frame i went gaga for it...thinking it would be 'the' camera for me...but now, i am quite pleased with the smaller format in the fujis...thus my anticipation for the 27 on the x-e1...
 
And what about an rx10 (if sony were to releaee a apsc version) for u now that the Nikon Coolpix A has been trotted out:D

Gary
 
John Vink's photos

John Vink's photos

back alley said:
working for me now...
interesting read...the rx1 is clearly a flawed camera but can i live with those flaws? i think so.
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Great photos; the black and white ones are beautiful - all taken with a 35mm lens! Pretty incredible... if you could only afford one camera to do documentary work, this could be it. I can't afford one either....!
Darya
 
Well, there is something to be said about a 35mm lens on FF. A 23mm on an APS-C starts to have weird perspective distortion issues IMO. That is where FF comes into play for me. This Sony is nicer than I thought it would be and is a bit different to the typical Sony stuff (which I'm not a fan of). It's still too expensive for my taste, but it's a nice sign of things to come.
 
jsrockit said:
Well, there is something to be said about a 35mm lens on FF. A 23mm on an APS-C starts to have weird perspective distortion issues IMO. That is where FF comes into play for me. This Sony is nicer than I thought it would be and is a bit different to the typical Sony stuff (which I'm not a fan of). It's still too expensive for my taste, but it's a nice sign of things to come.
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confused about this comment, 35mm-e does not look like 35mm?
what will the ricoh's 28mm-e look like then? :eek:
 
FA Limited said:
the link doesn't lead anywhere, but i get all that, i dunno i never noticed that to be a problem. like on a small sensor point and shoot that effect should be even worse but it looks normal.
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I was thinking about that too and it is there, but you would think it would be a lot more pronounced. I swear I see it though in the X100s... :D Maybe it's in my head.
 
I am very curious to hear more about the poor AF in low-light (contrast detection issues?). I would very much like to know how the manual focus overcomes this and if it is a suitable work around for taking pictures of things that are essentially still. For street work it sounds like it is usable, and there is always the zone-focus fallback. For close work of things (macro, low-light abstract images) poor AF could be a killer unless there is a suitable work around.
 
back alley said:
mine will have to wait...after buying into the fuji x family i am broke and currently off work...but in time i hope to add one to my bag.
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The real question is, "Which Bag?" ;-)

...

Great write up of user impressions. It sounds like the RX1 for the OP is very much like the Leica X2 is to me: a different take on "simplicity" compared to the Leica M9.

The additional sensitivity and more DoF control with the larger sensor and faster lens is appealing, but I don't think it's really worth the extra thousand dollars over the X2, and certainly not worth the time and cost of trading the X2 plus more money for the RX1. I handled the RX1 next to my X2 at the store ... they both feel nicely solid and "respectable". The X2 has the added bonus of a bit more body to lens in proportion, and with the lens collapsed it is slim enough to fit easily into a jacket pocket (although I don't do that). It's easy to wear around my neck with a Street Strap and tuck under my jacket too (because it's light and relatively flat), where the RX1 is a bit on the bulbous side with that large lens.

Lots of good choices these days, any single camera doesn't have to appeal to everyone.

G
 
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