New Leica M may cause me to buy X-Pro1

[jsrockit]

It's funny how much of a polarizing camera the X-Pro1 is.

 

[dcsang]

It's funny how much of a polarizing camera the X-Pro1 is.

I disagree.. it's NOT a polarizing camera !!! :bang::bang::bang::bang::bang:


*smirk*
😀

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Joosep]

Leica has never been a bang for the buck company.
Every sensible person would get a Fuji or Nex over a digital Leica.

Some things cannot be quantified. There is just some things you cannot put on paper. Like the joy I get using a rangefinder camera.

PS. Eleskin, you have created almost half of the last 50 topics you have participated on this forum. And alot of them are very related....

 

[AusDLK]

I sold my XP1 kit a couple of months after I bought it. I had focusing problems, most annoying was images that were inexplicably WAY out of focus for no apparent reason. Another issue was just the nuisance of working the OVF vs. EVF vs. the LCD and the setting of these not correct at the decisive moment for whatever reason and hence no picture. And manual focus of ANY lens simply not a option.

I did sell before the major firmware update that I suspect resolved lot of the things that bugged me.

Bottom line, I like M cameras. I like the minimalism of the digital aspect of the Leica cameras to the point that I'm not even thinking about button pushing at all. From the standpoint, using a digital M gives me almost 100% of the same picture taking experience as a film camera.

No other camera comes close to this (digital) simplicity. Therefore, for me, there is only one choice.

 

[borge]

I had a complete x-pro1 kit since launch, all three lenses and the x20 flash. I sold it all a few weeks after firmware 2.00 was released and got a MM and 50 lux and couldn't be happier.

Sure the Fuji is a good camera with excellent high iso performance. But the AF is highly unreliable, the OVF is extremely inaccurate, the EVF is unusable during bright and harsh contrasty daylight. The lenses makes a lot of noise, and there are so many small annoyances that I hoped was fixed in 2.00 that wasn't, so I was fed up and sold it all.

Being in complete control with the rangefinder focusing and having a camera that gets out of my way and performs when I need it to is worth it for me. The leica does this, the Fuji didn't.

 

[dcsang]

Re the subtle nuance of Leica lenses on a full frame sensor, I'm afraid my effort to express it would be ridiculed for the use of metaphor, hyperbole, and other elements of speech by the techno-scientifically enabled folks that spend time here.

What the hell, I'll say it anyway. On another forum, I made mention of my perception that certain Leica lenses at times seem to "lift" the light, creating a kind of ethereal quality, a kind of sparkle that I don't see from my other (mostly ZM) lenses. A visual kiss of light. Lovely, to my eye. So, I try to find the $$ to afford them, and the camera(s) on which they best perform.

To each one's own, of course.

Mike,

I'm not "denying" that there is a "subtle nuance" - heck I own two summiluxes (Summiluxi?) myself as well as a pre-ASPH cron and I know what these lenses are capable of - my point is, that this "thing" (for lack of better wording) is not quantifiable, will mean different things to different people and therefore shouldn't be used as a "smackdown" (again, better wording could be used) against someone who actually may not mind tossing a whole whack of $$$ down on a lens to mount on a less than full frame non Leica body.

It really comes down to a matter of personal preference that's all 🙂

Cheers,
Dave

 

[MCTuomey]

Well put, Dave. Fully agree.

 

[douglasf13]

Leica has never been a bang for the buck company.
Every sensible person would get a Fuji or Nex over a digital Leica.

Some things cannot be quantified. There is just some things you cannot put on paper. Like the joy I get using a rangefinder camera.

PS. Eleskin, you have created almost half of the last 50 topics you have participated on this forum. And alot of them are very related....

Bingo! I totally agree. Outside of the "magic" IQ properties that my M9 may or may not have over my Fuji and NEX cameras, it's really about the enjoyment of shooting a well-built, rangefinder camera. Unfortunately for me, this enjoyment comes at a price, buy I still think it is worth it.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Leica has never been a bang for the buck company.
Every sensible person would get a Fuji or Nex over a digital Leica.

Some things cannot be quantified. There is just some things you cannot put on paper. Like the joy I get using a rangefinder camera.

PS. Eleskin, you have created almost half of the last 50 topics you have participated on this forum. And alot of them are very related....

Really? Even a sensible person who has been using Leicas since 1969; has a lot of Leica and Leica-fit lenses from 15mm to 135mm, plus an adapter for Nikon-fit lenses from 14mm upwards; is completely at home with the ergonomics of Leicas...

In such a case, any sensible person might think that an M9 was a pretty good idea.

Concerning eleskin: when someone starts that many related threads, you have to wonder whether they are trying to persuade other participants in the thread, or themselves. And with whom they have more success.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

So there is no quantifiable figure for "subtle nuance" as it relates to Leica lenses (or any lenses for that matter).

The closest anyone has come so far has been Larmarv916. 🙂

The Leica lenses are what they are. They are not some sort of magical item made by "The Gods" from diamond dust and spun gold. One can easily say that it's a waste to buy an expensive lens to mount on an inexpensive body but then one could also say "If it's not your lens or your money; why should you care?" 😀 (I learned that as a corollary of sorts from Roger... I owe him some sort of royalty for using that I'm sure 😉 )

They are good - yes - but that should not disqualify their usage on any other camera body. Perish the thought anyone actually mounted a Leica lens on a body other than an Leica branded/made one lest the lens become soiled and/or "unclean" 🙄


Now..back to this M vs Fuji thing 😀

Cheers,
Dave

Dear Dave,

That's right. You buy the first round if ever we meet...

Cheers,

R.

 

[dcsang]

Roger..

You have a deal 🙂 And I will get back to France soon 🙂

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Roger Hicks]

Roger..

You have a deal 🙂 And I will get back to France soon 🙂

Cheers,
Dave

Dear Dave,

Done.

Peter Sellers as Harold Macmillan (the slightly quavering patrician voice is essential):

"When all is said and done, as most of us have been..."

Cheers,

R.

 

[Joosep]

Really? Even a sensible person who has been using Leicas since 1969; has a lot of Leica and Leica-fit lenses from 15mm to 135mm, plus an adapter for Nikon-fit lenses from 14mm upwards; is completely at home with the ergonomics of Leicas...

In such a case, any sensible person might think that an M9 was a pretty good idea.

Concerning eleskin: when someone starts that many related threads, you have to wonder whether they are trying to persuade other participants in the thread, or themselves. And with whom they have more success.

Cheers,

R.

Once again, you are correcto.
I was thinking of people getting into photography. Tabula rasa like...

 

[sepiareverb]

Bottom line, I like M cameras. I like the minimalism of the digital aspect of the Leica cameras to the point that I'm not even thinking about button pushing at all. From the standpoint, using a digital M gives me almost 100% of the same picture taking experience as a film camera.

My 2¢ as well.

Plus, I don't care about AF.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Once again, you are correcto.
I was thinking of people getting into photography. Tabula rasa like...

In which case, you may well be right. Even then, I'd prefer an M...

Cheers,

R.

 

[Joosep]

In which case, you may well be right. Even then, I'd prefer an M...

Cheers,

R.

Then we are in the same boat.
RF aint big around here. Everyone here thinks Im just crazy.

 

[SausalitoDog]

My problem is with the OVF/EVF combination. I have very good long vision, which means that I can look through an OVF without needing a diopter, but since I use reading glasses I need a diopter for the for using an EVF. If I get a diopter for the Fuji X-Pro 1, I'll see through the EVF fine but will have a blurred view looking through the OVF. That is what found when I tried out the X-Pro 1 in a store. The other thing I found was that view through the X-Pro 1 was too dim.

—Mitch/Paris
Bangkok Hysteria (download link for book project)

Mitch-

Something must have been set up wrong on that camera. I use the xp1 with a -2 diopter and it is equally good in both viewfinders. Admittedly, my eyesight problem is the opposite of yours, but I can see fine in both VFs.

You might just try one of the x100s since it has the built in diopter - if it works in the x100 in both VFs, it should be the same in the xp1... Just a thought

 

[semilog]

Re the subtle nuance of Leica lenses on a full frame sensor, I'm afraid my effort to express it would be ridiculed for the use of metaphor, hyperbole, and other elements of speech by the techno-scientifically enabled folks that spend time here.

What the hell, I'll say it anyway. On another forum, I made mention of my perception that certain Leica lenses at times seem to "lift" the light, creating a kind of ethereal quality, a kind of sparkle that I don't see from my other (mostly ZM) lenses. A visual kiss of light. Lovely, to my eye. So, I try to find the $$ to afford them, and the camera(s) on which they best perform.

To each one's own, of course.

I'll only say that I currently have three 35mm lenses: the Leica 35 Summilux ASPH, the Fujinon XF 35/1.4, and the ZM C-Biogon. The Zeiss is the best of the three at f/2.8 and smaller... and on the X-Pro, the Fujinon holds its own.

 

[rpsawin]

Bottom line, I like M cameras. I like the minimalism of the digital aspect of the Leica cameras to the point that I'm not even thinking about button pushing at all. From the standpoint, using a digital M gives me almost 100% of the same picture taking experience as a film camera.

No other camera comes close to this (digital) simplicity. Therefore, for me, there is only one choice.

Well stated. It comes down to what fits best for an individual...personal preferences.

Best regards,

Bob

 

[willie_901]

I for one thank my lucky stars I was born ignorant, uncultured, and indifferent to artistic and aesthetic achievement.

It seems these deficiencies have saved me thousands of dollars since I admire the results from my Fujinon lenses. I can spend these savings printing and enjoying my photographs and will never know what I'm missing.