Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/09/21

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Subject: [Leica] Zen paradox camera lust
From: pklein at threshinc.com (Peter Klein)
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2012 01:05:35 -0700

Whenever I think about the current camera situation, my brain goes into 
an endless loop.

I love my M8.  Except for the fact that I'd like it to render at ISO 
3200 or 6400 the way it does at 640. So I keep thinking about getting 
another camera to use for low light.  And I'd like a better "other 
camera" than my current Panny G1, which is still viable but showing its 
age. The problem is, everything else out there would require me to 
sacrifice things I don't want to give up, or has a deal-breaker aspect. 
I'm really not an SLR person except for occasional long-lens work, so 
that simplifies things a bit. But the other things I want are 
distributed among several cameras.

Now Leica comes out with the "M," which checks most of the boxes. That 
is, assuming the sensor is on par with the other cameras with that 
wonderful current Sony sensor.  And that there are no major problems 
discovered once it meets the real world.  But it costs more than I can 
reasonably spend, and that's without the EVF and adapters that would 
make it a one-camera solution.

Now, I gotta tell you.  I did an informal shootout with a friend who has 
an Olympus OM-D EM-5, and I am *very* impressed with that little Oly. At 
ISO 200, using the Panny 20/1.7, the image quality is in the same 
ballpark as the M8 with 35/1.4 ASPH. I know that sounds like heresy, but 
that's what my eyes are telling me. At ISO 3200, the OM-D's IQ is not 
much less than the M8 at 640.  And it, too is a camera that checks most 
of my boxes. I put some Olympus OM and Leica lenses on it via adapters.  
Me like.  Image stabilization... gooooood.

On the bad side, it's too tiny for my big paws, and the user interface 
is menu purgatory. Though it does have enough discrete controls to set 
it up to operate like a real camera. But it isn't a rangefinder, it's a 
computer with Japanese Zen paradox soft buttons. Still, it autofocuses 
fast, and a 20/1.7 plus 45/1.8 makes a small, sweet package with very 
good IQ.

And now the Fuji X-Pro-1 got a firmware fix which might just merit a 
second look. And some of the work I've seen with the MM makes me lust 
for that.

I'm confused again.  I think I'll go practice my bassoon. At least it's 
paid for.

(Am I making any sense at all?)

--Peter





Replies: Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Zen paradox camera lust)