Fuji { Fuji Is The New Leica } | Things.That.Make.You.Go.Hmmm.

First off they're different cameras, they do have some aesthetic similarities but it's pretty much apples and oranges, one isn't necessarily better than the other it's just different. I've come across various forums calling the Fuji X as a 'Poor man's Leica', if this is the case can we then call a Leica a 'Rich man's Fuji X'?....I am truly happy with my XP-1 and plan to use it for years to come, however I am also saving up for my first Leica not because I want to shoot with a better camera, but because I also want to shoot with a different camera.

I couldn't agree more...I love the your quote about "Rich man's Fuji X", though. It brought a smile to my face. B-) Thank you for leaving your thoughts, Phoenix.
 
I use both for a reason - a different experience and a different purpose in each case. One does not in any way replace the other.

Sent from another Galaxy

Ah, Bill...someday I hope to be able to say the same. Alas, to purchase a Leica would just not be in any of my budgetary plan in the foreseeable future. But I see what you mean...I still love my EM-5 an EP-3...just as much as my X's...I just use them differently and for a different purpose. Thank you for stopping by and leaving your thoughts. B-)
 
I agree completely with thise who say parallels between Leica and Fuji aren't really apppropriate beyond an initial traditional camera style.

Leica - and I don't mean to put them down in any way - really had no choice but to become what it now is. With the commoditization of photography in the last half of the 20th century (a trend accelerated by the digitial era) and growing competition from Asia, there was a strong likelihood that Leica would have ended up like so many other storied camera brands that exist only on paper or are gone completely. Leica could have moved production to Asia or sold the brand to private equity. In that case, me might see "Leicas" the way one can still see "Rolleis" in Europe.

Instead, Leica - which was never a cheap brand - went the full-tilt retro-luxury route (not unlike Harley-Davidson). In this way, Leica could preserve and enhance the brand's cachet, thrive as a company, and no longer have to compete head-on with the unrelenting technical progress out of Asia.

Fuji, while sharing some traditional sensibilities with Leica, is meant to be an affordable brand - affordable as in roughly the same price as mainstream prosumer cameras and lenses. And, if one thinks about it, perhaps Fuji had no choice either. Before the appearance of the X line, Fuji seemed well on its way to becoming a foonote in the still camera industry.

I truly appreciated your insight...and completely see what you meant by this. I love the fact that both brands managed to remain relevant despite the digital revolution in photography that could have rendered them obsolete. The fact that both are here today is a testament of their foresight into what was needed for them to survive as a company...both of which deserved to be respected in their own right. Thanks for leaving your thoughts. B-)
 
...Until then, I'm thinking they both have their place, with Fuji getting the nod for functionality (and affordability) and Leica for optical performance, though Fuji's optics are so good one could well forego any advantage Leica might offer there without any regrets. I'm so in love with the hybrid viewfinder in my X100 that Leica's X's are going to have really to perform to win me over.

I truly agree with you, Lawrence. I think I'll be keeping my X's for a long time. Thanks for your thoughts and for leaving a comment. B-)
 
I get the comparison, and for sure he meant it in a good way, but in reality Fuji isn't the new anything. Fuji is nearly 80 years old, and their history is filled with greatness.

Amin - Couldn't agree with you more...I appreciated the fact that they "dared" to stay relevant...maybe it was a gamble...maybe it was a calculated risk...but the fact that they did what they did when they decided to stay on course, developed and released the X100 is a testament to how great and innovative the people leading this company really is. Then they followed up on their own act with another "innovation" - a non-AA-filtered-X-Trans-sensor - supposedly inspired by their roots in film...sure it's got its own issues from post-processing perspective in the beginning (until C1 caught up and Adobe caught up), but a disruptive move to the industry nonetheless, even to the DSLR giants. Kudos to Fuji's management and engineering team! I truly hope they continue to innovate for the future, while continuing to honor and be inspired by their long legacy as a photography company.

By the way, this is my first comment from you...yay! Cheers from the Bay. B-)
 
I don't know the Leica comparison, but finally X100s af speed is competitive with the other mirrorless cameras, which should help on sales.

I've been waiting for Fuji to really get caught up and address the focus issue. It's ashamed that such a great line of camera couldn't compete with my M43 cameras. I am waiting impatiently to get my hands on the X100S to see just how much it improved compared to the EM-5, especially for a low light shooter like me. B-) Even if it can't autofocus as fast, the digital split image manual focus reminiscent of my Pentax and Minolta is enough to get me excited. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts on this thread. B-)
 
...having someone say to an audience that "Fuji is the new Leica" is surely a good way to grab attention. Advertising dollars well spent, I'd say.

You are right, Nic. I think both Zack and The Strobist were "paid" to be at the X100S launch event in Middle East. But I think - for Zack, anyways - he would have said what he said regardless of whether he is being paid or not. Nonetheless, it's great advertising like you mentioned...and just another reason, I suppose, to respect Fuji as a great company and their marketing genius. B-)
 
I'm guessing that ZA meant Fujifilm (in his case, the x100s) was the 'new Leica' as it's like the 'old Leica': The best all-around instrument for candid photography, of course with the caveat that Leica in those days was affordable to a larger group of guys than the Black American Express card crowd it now caters to.

That's not an altogether bad comparison. But Fuji has always marched to its own drummer: The 'Texas Rangefinders', the GX680's, etc. As we speak, you can still buy the GF670, a brand-new 120/220 folding camera (I WANT one!). Marketing retro products is not exactly a new concept, but they have REALLY struck a nerve with these metal-bodied cameras and wonderful lenses. Amazing that Nikon, who instantly sold every SP and S3 re-issue they built (and still build the fabulous F6) didn't read the tea leaves and reach a similar answer.

I agree with Biro with Leica's current strategy, probably the only rational one they had before them. But of course, Fujifilm almost was the new Leica: When they were in money trouble several years back, one of the prospective buyers? Fujifilm.

I love your insight, Wilson. Especially the one about Nikon - it's a shame that they didn't "read the tea leaves and reach a similar answer." Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts. Cheers from the Bay. B-)
 
I couldn't agree more...I love the your quote about "Rich man's Fuji X", though. It brought a smile to my face. B-) Thank you for leaving your thoughts, Phoenix.

Hehehe :biggrin_old:, I usually use that line when I'm out with my local photography meet up group for photo walks, unfortunately some of them have the "I gotta have the best camera" and "my camera is better than yours" mentality while I maintain the view that different cameras are suited for different purposes with one not necessarily better than the other, indeed with some people using Holga cameras with light leaks in the housing and a lens that is unsharp at any speed (which is terrible by any camera standard) and yet some people still use them because they like the images it produces.

I'll share a story that's somewhat relevant but a bit off topic, when the Sony NEX-7 was first released there was a lot of "ooh's" and "aah's" from the people in my group when they saw that I was shooting with my NEX-7, though unknown to them I started shooting with my camera phone during the photowalk. I deliberately hid my exif data when I shared my images and a couple of people commented on "How good the images from the NEX-7 are" and some were really impressed with the NEX-7's "jpg ooc output", I guess I broke some hearts when I told them that the images I submitted was taken by my phone.
 
Thanks, HC.

Ironically, a friend (with deep pockets!) came by Sunday with his new camera: A Monokrom with a mounted 50mm f1.4 Asph. Sheesh . . . . interestingly he was astounded at everything the x10 did that his rig wouldn't, was struck by the LCD on the x. What a camera. But on the other hand, for TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS . . . . I mean, it's just pointless to compare products that are 9 grand apart in price. Wonder what an X-Pro would be like if Fuji was in THAT price range ?

I could not imagine walking around casually taking snaps with something that expensive, unless I had the 92 Beretta in a hideout holster !
 
I use a Leica MP; not quite in the same price-bracket as the Monochrom, but up there. I have never bothered about walking around with it - but then I am 6'3" and solidly built... :D A friend of mine is ex- special forces; he hefted my camera one day and commented about its' potential usefulness in, as he put it "settling an argument". He went on to show me how he would hold it and wield it in order to break an assailant's concentration - and nose.

I must make a video of it someday; self defence for photographers...
 
He went on to show me how he would hold it and wield it in order to break an assailant's concentration - and nose.

I must make a video of it someday; self defence for photographers...

Just curious: he did not try it on you, did he? (ok, bad joke).
 
I deliberately hid my exif data when I shared my images and a couple of people commented on "How good the images from the NEX-7 are" and some were really impressed with the NEX-7's "jpg ooc output", I guess I broke some hearts when I told them that the images I submitted was taken by my phone.

Oh my...I should do that sometime. ;) I'm simply blown away with the fact that my iPhone has got an eight megapixel camera, which is two megapixels more than my first DSLR, the beloved Nikon D100. :) What you did just goes to show that it isn't the camera necessarily, but the artist behind the lens that really make the image. ;)
 
Back
Top