Leica X1 revisited

29. September 2010 WSpekner Keine Kommentare

When I first published my comparison of the Sony Nex-3, The Olympus E-PL1 and the Leica X1 I stated, that the Leica is my personal favorite (you can read the full comparison here). This verdict comes actually out of personal taste and not out of scientific findings. I just liked the handling of the camera.

Now, 2 months later, I got the chance to give the X1 another try. (Read on after the break.)

The story is still pretty much the same: AF is too slow most of the time, image quality is good and the camera, especially with the additional viewfinder attached, feels great in my hands. I constantly found myself wanting to use it, even if there was no worthwhile photo object around.

The fate of the Leica X1 will maybe change forever, when Fuji introduces its X100 – an APS-C sensor camera with a fixed lens, but this time with a f2, which is something, many people hoped for in the X1. I personally can’t wait to get my hands on the new Fuji. From what they say, it has not only a faster lens, it’s also half the price (at least in the US) with an integrated viewfinder. I personally think Leica’s X1 looks much better, but the real important things are image quality, high iso performance, speed and the lacking fast lenses by other APS-C mirrorless camera manufacturers in the 35mm range. If you’re happy with your Micro Four Thirds camera and your Panasonic 20/1.7, you’re served quite well anyway and neither the Leica nor the Fuji will be of real interest for you.

So let’s wait what Fuji throws on the market in a couple of months.

For now I’d like to share with you a couple shots with the X1, some impressions out of my daily life (nothing special, no great images, just some ordinary moments): getting into my car in the morning, trying to catch a glimpse on the sunrise, driving 100km into the city, doing my work, having lunch, doing work again and driving home – this time of the year mostly after sunset. BTW, the church isn’t really part of my daily life – I normally go there, when I need some darkness and glamour to test cameras with high iso or fast lenses And I don’t sit around in bars and restaurants all day, this is just my sepcial photography time.