Redesigned X1

gilpen123

gilpen123

Gil
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In Photokina, Leica presented the black Leica supposedly redesigned. Does anyone know if this is aesthetics only or some firmware/sensor/AF adjustments.
 
Dear Gil,

Sorry: no links, because that was from conversation on the Leica stand at photokina. I've asked for one for review. Put it this way: there are enough non-cosmetic changes that George Schaub, the editor of Shutterbug, has agreed to a road test, which he doesn't normally do for repaints.

Cheers,

R.
 
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Roger Hicks said:
Significantly faster AF, as far as I recall.

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

I fiddled with it on photokina, and I do not recall the AF being faster than on the silver model. A spokesperson also mentioned that the black X1 would not have an improved firmware. Rather, a firmware update was to be expected in the future, but of course they couldn't tell me when and what.

So, not faster AF, just a different colour and more textured leathering.

EDIT: Roger, just read your second post. Interesting that two different spokespersons should give such diverging information. Well, let's wait for that review ...
 
Not that they're likely in a current position to do much about it but surely they're aware of the Fuji looming on the horizon.

A coat of black paint and a bit of fancy trim isn't going to sway too many buyers who may be waiting it out for the X100 I wouldn't think.

Damn ... I swore to myself I'd never think about or mention that camera! :p
 
The X100 threads are calmer now. Wait until more news are announced through sources like dpreview.com and the firestorm will start again.

The X1 is dead unless you must have a Leica no matter what.
 
Frankie said:
The X1 is dead unless you must have a Leica no matter what.
Click to expand...

It's funny that you say that, but people are still buying them... it's only dead if you aren't interested in it.

Sure, if the X100 delivers, I should like it more than my X1. However, I'll take my X1 over the Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, and Olympus stuff any day. Despite the slow AF, the camera just feels like a camera should feel and delivers the quality a Leica should. The price tag (coupled with slow AF) makes it a very polarizing camera. The ones that love it, love it ... but there are many haters out there.
 
Thanks Roger. I also think there are some difference as Leica still has not release the black version yet supposedly October. Maybe the firmware is under construction now to come with the black version.

Roger Hicks said:
Dear Gil,

Sorry: no links, because that was from conversation on the Leica stand at photokina. I've asked for one for review. Put it this way: there are enough non-cosmetic changes that George Schaub, the editor of Shutterbug, has agreed to a road test, which he doesn't normally do for repaints.

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...
 
jsrockit said:
It's funny that you say that, but people are still buying them... it's only dead if you aren't interested in it.
Click to expand...

The X100 immediately killed my M digital retrofit project, even for TOTALLY private own use. It also killed my interests in GF-1, EP's, NEX, X1, G12...and any digital camera that has no better VF.

Others buy whatever for their own reasons...I can't and don't care.
 
Leica made a rather poor showing at Photokina, so if the X1 overcame some of the criticism, such as slow autofocus, why would they have kept it such a secret? They would not and we would not have had this post should it have been improved. I suspect that like the Ricoh GXR, new firmware will improve the specs of all models. This was probably why one Leica rep suggested an improvement and another did not. All will be improved a bit by a firmware upgrade.
 
The new firmware wasn't there at photokina on the public stands, but I seem to recall being told (by Christian Erhardt, US VP Marketing) that the new firmware was installed on the camera I handled, but not in its final form. Not being familiar with the first version, and not having one for comparison, I couldn't tell. Sorry: have to wait for the camera, and to hear the Party Line when I get it. Not that I always believe the Party Line.

As you might be able to tell from my vagueness, I was a bit overloaded with information (Frances and I were coverting the whole show, with no other Shutterbug reporters present), and as others have pointed out, the X1 wasn't that important an introduction. I'd not say they'd made a 'poor showing', though: more that they're working flat out to meet demand on the M9 and S2, and that more innovations too soon would only overload them still further.

Cheers,

R.
 
Frankie said:
The X1 is dead unless you must have a Leica no matter what.
Click to expand...

I doubt it. The X1 is remarkably compact and light, and I carry mine with m e everywhere in my jacket pocket, something I did not do when I still had a GF1. The few extra millimeters of bulk and grams of weight were enough to tip the GF1 out of "every day carry" territory, and thus the X1 as well.

The new Panasonic GF2 is more likely to be a threat to the X1 than the X100.
 
I've been shooting an X1 I got from the classifieds here and loving it. I had bought it to play with/test and then sell, but I'm thinking about keeping it and selling something else to do so. I don't need fast AF 99.9% of the time, so don't notice if it is slow. My only quibble is it doesn;t focus close enough sometimes...
 
I know that the X100 is 100 X better than the X1 (it's says so in the name), but the ignorant, shallow, wealthy folks that buy that inferior camera sure take nice pictures.

On average, quite a bit better than last year's X100 and Leica-killer, the Ricoh GXR. Or, was it called the GRX or RD-1? ...I can't remember.
 
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