From M8 to XP1?!

I really loved my X100 and eventually sold it to fund the purchase of an X-Pro1 which I have on pre-order. While waiting for the camera I ended up buying an M8 and am now shooting with a 35mm Cron ASPH & CV 15mm II. I've never shot a rangefinder before and the X100 was my first experience shooting a "window" camera where you could see outside of the framelines.

The X100 produced some absolutely fantastic images both for personal work (street, family, etc) and professional (fashion & editorial mostly). I will say that the manual focus really pissed me off a lot especially when shooting my 1 year old. Shooting on the street and using zone focus it was a great camera. The one thing that I miss with the X100 now that I'm shooting the M8 is that it can focus very close. I used to get really close to subjects on the street to capture facial expressions and spontaneous portraits and can no longer do so with the M8 as I can't be any closer than the MFD of the lenses.

I will have to say that shooting the X100 at 3200 ISO during sunset and indoors the sensor and lens were a fantastic combination. The image quality of the X100 was very, very good and is what sold me on the X-Pro1 even before it was available for pre-order.

I've got the Kipon M-mount adapter coming and hopefully the X-Pro1 and 35mm 1.4 as well. I'm looking forward to shooting with it as much as possible when it arrives and will let you know what it's like.

My recommendation to you is to try shooting with one or even an X100 for a bit. It's definitely nothing like a Leica M camera and the focusing will never be as good. I'm going to keep my M8 regardless now that I've fallen in love with shooting a rangefinder and will use the X-Pro1 as my low light camera. The video will be an ok feature since it still has the jello-effect that most of these cameras have. Unfortunately there's no peaking function so focusing with the M mount adapter and an M-mount lens will be zone focus only using magnification with static subjects.

Hope my two cents were helpful in some way! Cheers!
 
This depends on what you like about rangefinder cameras. Is it the discrete, small size?Low light shots and incredible microdetail? Or the pleasure of using a handling a well built camera and having 100% control of exposure and focus?

IMO I say pick up the x100 instead and keep the M8, it's much cheaper and after having tried both the x100 and XP1, I think they are equal in photo quality. XP1 is slightly better in usability due to the menu improvement, but I don't really think it's worth that money. Perhaps wait a while more for the camera to be readily available, price will definitely drop to a more reasonable amount.

If you get the x100 at a good price, you could always resell it again with little loss. Same with M8. If you get the XP1, you will lose at least 10-20% the moment you walk out the store.
 
We all have different different experiences with Leica's digital offerings. My opinions are based on my experience.

That said, it was an easy decision for me. I let my M8 kit go last year. For many reasons, it basically wore out its welcome with me. Poor reliability. Poor ISO performance, poor customer service. The only thing it had going for it was ability to use Leica lenses without an adaptor.
But frankly, the Leica advantage in the lens category just isn't what it once was. Technological advances have allowed other lens makers to get very close to Leica at a fraction of the cost.

If you don't consider manual focus to be the single most important factor in your photography (personally, I'm more concerned with the final image 🙂) then an Xpro1 may be just perfect for you.

Keep the M2 for your "Leica experience" and look elsewhere for your digital needs.
 
riceman,

The digital world is a very volatile world; today’s marvel tomorrow’s usual. How about experiencing various aspects of digital, testing different waters, not needing to stick to old or traditional concepts? Shooting under any low light condition, ISO 6400, 12800, experience auto focusing, focus-tracking, live view, sensors turning out JPEGS better than some of us do with RAW.. Following the trend through a more affordable path where you can have easier reach to the new cameras bringing real innovations, solutions to issues, lenses and accessories, enabling you develop your capabilities. So that you can experience the wider boundaries of photography than what you could do so far...

Digital has its own rules… it’s far more related to the state of the science and technology than your M2 or even today’s MP.. Keep film as film, it’s a different chapter; however try to stay in touch with the trend of digital similar to the trend in your profession.

Just my two cents..
 
I let my M8 go a couple of years ago, went the DSLR route (5DII) didn't bond with it and then bit the bullet and went with M9. I played with Xpro1 a couple of weeks ago and thought it felt very lightweight compared to M9. Even felt a little more plasticy than my X100. Made me happier I had M9 which was the desired result for me. If it is about image quality and not necessarily the tactile experience of using the camera then I think you can't go wrong with XPro1. For me I love the feel of the heavy metal body of the Leica M, be it my M9 or M6. But IR filters used to drive me crazy on M8.
 
Petteri Sulonen said:
There's been a bunch of griping around the Net that the camera feels "light." Well, it does, but only in the way a nice bicycle feels light. It's made of aluminum and magnesium rather than brass like Leica M's, but it is in no shape or form "cheap" or "flimsy." I think you'll only be disappointed if you expect the weight and massively overengineered feel of a Leica. Compared to anything else, it feels great.
Click to expand...

Cited from blogpost by Petteri Sulonen.

The weight difference between my M8 and my XP1 is substantial. What's really cool, for me, is that the XP1 essentially keeps the same form factor as the M8 (well, the same oblong size, but it is in fact slightly thinner, finally!). The low weight and substantial size is the perfect combination for my thick hands. Depends on how you define the parameters for "tactile experience", but in my case the Xpro1 is a clear winner over the M8/M9 for all-day event use.
 
tbarker13 said:
If you don't consider manual focus to be the single most important factor in your photography (personally, I'm more concerned with the final image 🙂) then an Xpro1 may be just perfect for you.
Click to expand...
I believe the photograph is what matters for most of us, and the best way to make it is to use tools that support one's way of working and get the job done. The exact requirements will vary among users.

In real-world use there is more to most things than a box the marketing guys check on their list of supported features.
 
If you can bear to wait a little while, I'd suggest that value of the X-Pro 1 will drop quicker than the M8, so you may be able to make a saving.

In all honestly, neither camera appeals to me, but if you feel that's what you want, just go with it. If it turns out to be a mistake after a couple of months, you can correct that mistake at minimal expense.
 
I keep both. M8 for low iso and wide lens, xpro1 for high iso and 35/1.4 XF lens.
huntjump said:
depends. Id say keep both, they can serve very different purposes. You under estimate the IQ of your M8 + M lenses in non-dark settings. x-pro 1 could satisfy all your low light shooting conditions, the m8 all other occasions and times when you want to really shoot a RF
Click to expand...
 
I handled an XPro for the first time yesterday, and came away feeling like it wouldn't give me the shooting experience Leica gives me. I didn't like the shutter wheel lock, and felt like it would inhibit me from making changes without taking my eye from the viewfinder.

It takes awesome pictures, from what I've seen. It's obvious to me that most every camera can take decent pictures, so for everyone, even the folks that hate gear-centered discussions, who claim "the final image is all that matters", that preference for one camera over another is influenced to some degree by the feel of the camera, the way it handles, and one's personal user experience with it. You can get good photos out of pretty much anything: so, do you prefer the feel of one over the other? Do you take the sort of pictures that one camera helps you with more than another? That's what matters.
 
hteasley said:
I handled an XPro for the first time yesterday, and came away feeling like it wouldn't give me the shooting experience Leica gives me. I didn't like the shutter wheel lock, and felt like it would inhibit me from making changes without taking my eye from the viewfinder.
Click to expand...

My shutter speed dial doesn't lock when I'm not in A mode.
 
jsrockit said:
My shutter speed dial doesn't lock when I'm not in A mode.
Click to expand...

Right, but spin it through A and it will lock, yes? Maybe I wouldn't end up doing that too often, but in situations where I expect it to be unlocked only to discover that it is, I would probably feel annoyance. And with it being probably fairly infrequent, I will never learn to instinctively cope with it. Normal use of the camera likely wouldn't educate me well enough to learn to avoid it.

Like I said, there's a lot that comes down to personal user experience, and a lot of that is informed by idiosyncratic things like personal annoyances and pain thresholds for various things.

As time has gone on with using rangefinders, I'm less and less enamoured of autofocus cameras. I just feel off my game when shooting them. I can get good results, but it just feels like I'm drawing with oven mitts on...
 
hteasley said:
Right, but spin it through A and it will lock, yes? Maybe I wouldn't end up doing that too often, but in situations where I expect it to be unlocked only to discover that it is, I would probably feel annoyance. And with it being probably fairly infrequent, I will never learn to instinctively cope with it. Normal use of the camera likely wouldn't educate me well enough to learn to avoid it.

Like I said, there's a lot that comes down to personal user experience, and a lot of that is informed by idiosyncratic things like personal annoyances and pain thresholds for various things.

As time has gone on with using rangefinders, I'm less and less enamoured of autofocus cameras. I just feel off my game when shooting them. I can get good results, but it just feels like I'm drawing with oven mitts on...
Click to expand...

While I don't get the shutter speed thing, I concede. I'm very picky too and if I replace the X-Pro1 in your scenario with any DSLR on the market, I also feel like I'm "I'm drawing with oven mitts on..."
 
Wait until Fuji release their adapter and see if they throw in any surprises (i.e a way to manually focus quickly and accurately with the OVF) with it. I've tried the XP1 and I quite like it, it's lighter than my M4 (not really a bad thing) and I can't really fault the IQ.
 
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