[Leica] Fuji choice and Leica

[pklein at threshinc.com (Peter Klein)]

You're welcome, Tina. Part of writing this was to "think out loud" for 
myself, too. Your key phrase here is "for my Leica M lenses." The Fuji 
X-Pro1 is a wonderful camera, and we've seen wonderful work out of it in 
the hands of people like B.D. Colen, Howard Cummer and Gerry Walden.

I'm in a bit of a quandry with the larger issue myself. I've got some 
wonderful Leica and Leica-mount lenses.  But the OM-D is better at ISO 
1600 than my M8 is at 640. Mix-and-match between the other camera and 
Leica lenses is only good in special cases like the theater, concert 
hall, macro or static-subject telephoto. On the other hand, the Fuji and 
the OM-D are giving Leica quality a run for its money with their native 
lenses.

The ability to do mix-and-match Leica lenses with somebody else's body 
puts the emphasis on the things you might do sometimes, not what you'll 
do most of the time. I've got no regrets buying into micro 4/3, but I 
have to accept that it is what it is, not what I'd like it to be. There 
is still nothing like a skilled photographer with an RF and a window 
finder for decisive moment work.

So for the kind of people photography that you, I and many of us like to 
do, Leica M still wins--if there's enough light. So my now-ancient M8 is 
often still my camera of choice.  I love the 35/1.4 ASPH as a 
47mm-equivalent normal lens, but I do wish I could use my 50mm lenses as 
50mm lenses.  For that reason, I might upgrade to an M9 when the price 
goes down a bit more. But I also realize that the M9 won't be much of a 
high-ISO improvement. So there's a good chance I'll be an M-240 customer 
eventually. God help me and my wallet.  :-)

--Peter


 > Thanks for your very reasoned review.  Those are exactly the reasons I
 > would hesitate buying the Fuji just for my Leica M lenses.  I HATE 
EVF and
 > shutter delay!  I think I will wait.  Leica seems to be working on any
 > problems and I have every confidence that they will fix them before they
 > resume sending out cameras.  I'd love to have the M240 tomorrow but I'm
 > willing to wait for perfection.
 >
 > Tina
 >
 >
 > On Sun, May 19, 2013 at 5:16 PM, Peter Klein <pklein at 
threshinc.com> wrote:
 >
 > > I looked seriously at the X-Pro1 some time ago.  I wanted a replacement
 > > for my aging Panny G1, which was my "other than Leica" camera.
 > >
 > > I liked the feel of the X-Pro1, the discrete control buttons, the image
 > > quality, especially at high ISO (as seen in other's pictures). I 
was put
 > > off by the autofocus slowness and problems with RAW support (now 
somewhat
 > > mitigated by firmware and RAW processor upgrades), and the lack of 
diopter
 > > adjustment in the viewfinder. Eventually micro 4/3 won out. I 
already had a
 > > couple of lenses, so the cost to upgrade to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 
was less.
 > > The high-ISO image quality was slightly less than the Fuji, but quite
 > > usable. (I've since grown to love the B&W conversions I'm getting 
out of
 > > the OM-D at ISO 1600).
 > >
 > > My one real disappointment with the OM-D is that it is not a decisive
 > > moment camera for fleeting expressions. (I suspect the same holds 
for the
 > > XE-1) There is a bit of delay between what happens in life and when 
you see
 > > it in the viewfinder. And, there is a little-known issue in micro-4/3
 > > called Shutter Shock, which prevents you from getting the sharpest 
pictures
 > > at the most-used shutter speeds unless you program in an additional 1/8
 > > second shutter delay.
 > >
 > > Viewfinder delay is the Achilles heel of all EVF cameras. Add the 
delay in
 > > focusing a manual focus lens, and you get a combination that is 
fine for
 > > posed and static subjects, but not for action.
 > >
 > > I've done much playing around with manual lenses (both Leica and OM) on
 > > DSLR and micro-4/3 bodies. For telephoto and macro, it's fine. For the
 > > theater or classical music concerts where the performers don't move 
around
 > > much, it's quite usable.  I did well with a 90 Summicron on the OM-D,
 > > acting as a 180mm f/2.  But the native lenses are just much more 
convenient
 > > and faster to work with. For anything that moves, you want the native
 > > lenses. Not to mention that they were designed with the camera 
format and
 > > sensor in mind.  And that Leica wide-angle lenses on anything but a 
Leica
 > > are always going to be a problem due to the steep angle of light 
hitting
 > > the sensor.
 > >
 > > This is why, if I were to get a Fuji, I would get the X-Pro1. It 
gives you
 > > EVF when you need precise framing and can deal with slow manual 
focus, but
 > > an optical viewfinder when you are dealing with anything moving. And I
 > > would certainly get the Fuji lenses, just as I got the micro-4/3 
primes.
 > >
 > > B&W conversions from the OM-D:
 > > <http://www.flickr.com/photos/**24844563 at
 > > N04/8739819257/**lightbox<http://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at
 > > N04/8739819257/lightbox>>,
 > > and the next 3 "Older"
 > > and this one: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/**24844563 at 
N04/8656429757/**
 > > lightbox <http://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at
 > > N04/8656429757/lightbox>>
 > >
 > > 90 Summicron on OM-D in a concert hall:
 > > <http://www.flickr.com/photos/**24844563 at
 > > N04/8590916253/**lightbox/<http://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at
 > > N04/8590916253/lightbox/>>
 > > and then next 2 "Older"
 > >
 > > The best I could do with my cousins' relatively slow tennis game. 
And this
 > > the best of about 30 tries, with the shutter shock delay turned 
*off*, and
 > > keeping my non-viewfinder eye open to watch the ball, and and 
hitting the
 > > shutter when the ball crossed the net. Using the EVF, the ball was 
almost
 > > never even in the frame.
 > > <http://gallery.leica-users.**org/v/pklein/family/gladys80/**
 > > 
P4150047.jpg.html<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/family/gladys80/P4150047.jpg.html>
 > > >
 > >
 > > I suspect you'd get similar results from an EVF-only XE-1.
 > >
 > > --Peter
 > >
 > >
 > > > Steve sorry if you have posted this before and I missed the 
information.
 > > I'm
 > > > trying to decide between the x pro 1 to use with their 18-55 and one
 > > other
 > > > lens for now, maybe the 35 1.4.
 > > > As well as as my Leica glass with the Fuji adapter.
 > > > Or the XE-1.
 > > > I'm having a hard time making a decision for some reason on which 
body.
 > > Have
 > > > you both or have you used both that you can provide your thoughts?
 > > > Thanks very much,
 > > > And Nathan what model did you order?
 > > > Thanks,
 > > >
 > > > Scott
 > >
 > > >
 > >
 > >
 > > ______________________________**_________________
 > > Leica Users Group.
 > > See
 > > 
http://leica-users.org/**mailman/listinfo/lug<http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug>for
 > >  more information
 > >
 > >
 >
 >
 > --
 > Tina Manley, ASMP
 > www.tinamanley.com
 >