Leica Why I like my X1

Aha, I see - thanks christilou. Interesting about Lightroom - one of these days I guess I will give it another try myself. I know that many love it and Don AKA Streetshooter is always lecturing me on its superior qualities, especially with Silver Effex Pro.;)
 
Those colors remind me of some of the buildings in Sao Paulo Brazil. Brings back warm memories. Thanks for sharing....those are what I would call Happy photos!
 
Rescue operation

I was walking through the market this morning and I came across a photo shoot. I hauled out my X1 and took a quick picture completely forgetting that the the last time I had used it was in very bright sunshine and not a shady courtyard. The result was a woefully underexposed image.

photoshoot1.jpg


Can this image be saved? After playing around with it in lightroom this is what I ended up with.

photoshoot.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


In the raw image you can see noise in the dark areas and overall I find it rather flat. But, I was pretty pleased with the results.
 
Things to like about the X1

Lots to like about the X1. The hardest part for me is getting used to the 35mm equivalent lens. I'm astounded by the image quality, particularly in low light but of course there are a few drawbacks! I'm not bothered by the slow focus. It's not really that bad and in fact I've known it to be quite fast in a good light. I think the problem is that it's the focus distance that causes the problem. I'm nearly always just too close to the subject I'm trying to photograph and have to keep on moving back. Just a case of getting used to that.

I think that a viewfinder is a must. It's difficult to see the screen in bright light although not impossible. A viewfinder certainly helps. I have the Helios multifinder mainly because of the price! I need to use it much more so that the framing becomes second nature. It's also really tiny and light in use.

I find that I feel much less conspicuous when using the X1 because it just is so easy to carry along. I have a wrist strap and can carry it in my right hand holding down by my side, just raising it to take a picture. It can be set so that it's silent.

I also have the EP2, a Nikon D40, a Sigma DP1 and a Panasonic LX3. The LX3 is certainly very portable but the menus are much more fiddly and of course the IQ is not as good in low light, however I have a fondness for it anyway:)

I would say that overall it's the image quality of the X1 that makes it such a winner for me (I'm a terrible pixel peeper!).
 
I like what you've done with the palm tree. I haven't done loaded LR3 yet. Is it a lot better than 2.7?

I've only ever used the trial of LR2 and probably not for long enough to get to know it that well. Pretty soon, LR3 beta came along and I've been using it ever since. I'm now using the 30 day trial of the released version still waiting to see if/when it will be possible to download LR3 instead of the LR2 that the X1 comes with. I've been assured by Leica UK that it will be possible! I believe that the new version deals much better with noise and of course there are lots more presets to play with too.;)
 
I've only ever used the trial of LR2 and probably not for long enough to get to know it that well. Pretty soon, LR3 beta came along and I've been using it ever since. I'm now using the 30 day trial of the released version still waiting to see if/when it will be possible to download LR3 instead of the LR2 that the X1 comes with. I've been assured by Leica UK that it will be possible! I believe that the new version deals much better with noise and of course there are lots more presets to play with too.;)

Christilou, "leica rumors" site today announced that x1 owners who have not yet done so may now download lightroom 3 from the "Owners area" of the leica home pages. I have not been there to see yet but that is the word!
 
I love my X1 for all the same reasons you do ... what I like about it is that the OOF (out od focus) can be limited pretty easily, all this former major OOF stuff has become pretty boring and the example of a nice image, one should be able to control the OOF up untill an extent that the seperative values of focussed and unfocussed (bokeh I think it's called, I hate this word/description!) can be controlled rather nicely. I like images with a slight OOF background, but still enough to be able to define the content ... if you know what I mean. This requires practice obviously but is very well possible with the X1
 
I completely agree with you. I get very tired of hearing how well this or that camera does 'bokeh'. I like my photos to be in focus on the main subject but recognizable throughout (except in very special circumstances). The X1 does this really well with, as you say, a little bit of practice.
 
Kathy, forgive me if you've already mentioned this here...I'm still getting going this morning... Do you tend to use the X1 at a preset distance setting and f stop if you're using it "on the street" so to speak? I read an interesting discussion of how to do this on another forum and have been meaning to ask you about your methods.
 
When I want to use manual focus that's exactly what I do. I usually choose an object say 10 feet away and focus on it and then note where the marker is on the focus scale and keep it there. I tend to keep the same f stop so that I know that at f8 for instance everything between about 5 ft and 60 ft will be in acceptable focus if what I'm shooting is about 10 ft away. The first problem is that if the camera goes into auto power off to save the battery, the focus point reverts to infinity when you wake it up. The second problem is you have to be reasonably good a judging distances. The up side is that the camera takes the picture instantly so that you can 'catch the moment'.
 
The X1 dressed in a new outfit

Since we don't have a dedicated Leica X1 discussion thread, I figured I'd use yours, Kathy, to note that Photokina has brought out a minimally different version of the X1 - which appears to have a black finish on it somewhat akin to the E-P2's and a built in grip. Photos here courtesy of Engadget: Leica's redesigned X1 on display at Photokina 2010 - Engadget Galleries

If I'm being honest, I'm relieved. I like my version of Lady X in her silver outfit sans grip.;)
 
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