Panasonic L1 & Leica Vario-Elmarit 14-50mm

[photobizzz]

I was looking for one of these for a while and found a fleabay seller that has the kits brand new for $799. They go for $1200 on BH Photo so I though I would share this great deal with ya'll. Hell the lens by its self goes for $899 on BH Photo.

I wont link to the actual auction but if you search for ebay seller:

"wegotbetterdeals" they have 2 left. I just purchased one last night and it is already on the way by UPS.

They have a 99.3 pos rating so I didnt hesitate.

It is an "evil DLSR" but has a real shutter speed dial and apature ring. It uses the Olympus 4/3 rds mount and lenses.

 

[yanidel]

I own one of these but since I bought a Epson RD1, I do not use it anymore except for long exposure night shots. I guess I am converted to the rangefinder style of photography. Ergonomy on the L1 is great and the lens of very good value. For $799, this is a great deal as it is almost what the lens retails for alone. I liked a lot too the fact that the aperture ring is on the lens, this was a great way to shoot.

 

[naos]

I've shot one of these before, but the ergonomics aren't right; after spending a year with my M. It's a good camera, but feels too breakable.

 

[photobizzz]

I have yet to recieve mine, it was trans-shipped by my wife last week to me so I should have it late this week. I already have a M42- 4/3rds adapter and plan on using a Pentax SMC 50/1.4 (100/1.4) and Jupiter-9 85/2 (170/2) on it along with the Leica Vario Elmarit and I also picked up the older 40-150mm 3.5-4.5 for $100 on the bay in like new shape. I think that will be it for a while for the L1 kit. I hope I like it, but if not I am sure it will retain alot of its value since I got such a good deal.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

I own one of these and I simply love the camera. It is a bit awkward at first, but it is like anything else, once you learn how things are placed and learn the little quirks the camera has, it becomes a joy to shoot. I got mine from Amazon for 800.00 with the Leica zoom, and the lens alone is well worth the price. I added an Olympus 40-150 zoom and I too, have the new pancake 25 2.8 lens on order. That will definately shrink the size a bit and make it a little bit more discreet for street shooting.

 

[M. Valdemar]

I've had one for almost a year. Great camera.

I dabbled in putting various manual focus lenses on it with mount adapters, but I concluded that this is not really a strength of this camera.

With a few good 4/3 lenses, and especially the Leica lens that comes with it, it's a fantastic camera.

I'll be looking to pick up a small, lightweight 4/3 prime for it eventually.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

I've had one for almost a year. Great camera.

I dabbled in putting various manual focus lenses on it with mount adapters, but I concluded that this is not really a strength of this camera.

With a few good 4/3 lenses, and especially the Leica lens that comes with it, it's a fantastic camera.

I'll be looking to pick up a small, lightweight 4/3 prime for it eventually.

I thought about trying some manual focus lenses on it, too. I had several people who tried that, tell me that it was difficult to focus the camera and slowed things down.

When I first got the camera, I had planned on getting the Leica 25 1.4, but I have had little luck finding one. I actually bought one from a guy in Canada and it was lost in the mail.😱 Since then, I have had bad luck on finding one at a reasonable price.

 

[hipTrip]

I thought about trying some manual focus lenses on it, too. I had several people who tried that, tell me that it was difficult to focus the camera and slowed things down.

Funny thing , but manual focus is precisely why I love the L1. I'm not referring to focus confirmation in the viewfinder though. While helpful, it's tricky to use because of the size of the viewfinder and its general sensitivity - a slight twitch in the wrong direction and I end up starting from scratch just to get the indicator to light up again.

My favorite method is the reason why I now appreciate the L1's liveview mode: Manual Focus Assist. This particular feature is invaluable (to me at least) because once I've more or less composed the shot using the LCD, I simply hit the MFA button and voila!, instant 4X (or 10X) digital zoom which is perfect for fine-tuning my focus point.

Try it. It may just change your mind.

 

[M. Valdemar]

That's fine for tripod shots or something that you want to take a long time to deliberately compose, but nightmarish for most of the things I usually use the camera for.

For example, I've been using it for taking photos of my baby with the Leica zoom lens.

Pretty much impossible with manual lenses with the L1. I had fun trying them as "proof of concept", but I don't do much still life.

I do use manual lenses more successfully with a Canon 5D. Full frame and AF-confirm adapters make it pretty viable.

Funny thing , but manual focus is precisely why I love the L1. I'm not referring to focus confirmation in the viewfinder though. While helpful, it's tricky to use because of the size of the viewfinder and its general sensitivity - a slight twitch in the wrong direction and I end up starting from scratch just to get the indicator to light up again.

My favorite method is the reason why I now appreciate the L1's liveview mode: Manual Focus Assist. This particular feature is invaluable (to me at least) because once I've more or less composed the shot using the LCD, I simply hit the MFA button and voila!, instant 4X (or 10X) digital zoom which is perfect for fine-tuning my focus point.

Try it. It may just change your mind.

 

[M. Valdemar]

PS: You can get the 25mm Summilux from Shashinki for about grand. In stock.

Here's a blog with pix about a guy who ordered one:

http://denniswoo.fotopages.com/?entry=1420156&back=http://denniswoo.fotopages.com/?page=0

I think it's a silly price for this Panasonic lens, but if you want one, you want one.

 

[dee]

More and more , I am using my Leica Dig 3 and Panasonic L 1 .
Quite simply , I can change from aperture priority to manual instantly , it's as familiar to use as my Minolta SRT , and I even like using my Rokkors in manual , or aperture priority .
At first , I was not sure whether I would turn back to my Pentax K 10d with manual 50mm and 28mm , because they couple with the camera, but the handling of the Dig3 / L1 means everything to me , much more than the ultimate resolution etc .
An added bonus is that the files are smaller for my overloaded mac !
It shows that I am out there with M 8 and Dig 3 taking pictures though !
dee