peterb
Member
Vivek, true dat.
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Leica X1 has new competition
- Thread starter sven
- Start date
Vivek, true dat.
tom in mpls
Active member
Ooh, we're getting closer towards my dream camera (a smallish FF with 35/1.4 or f/2 lens)! If this one performs well - both in handling and image quality - I'll probably get one when the prices have gone down a bit. Maybe next fall? Love that it has an optical VF and 10cm MFD, and 35mm is my favorite focal length. That it looks good doesn't hurt. 
Zlatko Batistich
New member
But don't forget that the name "Finepix" covers not just point & shoots but also Fuji's S1, S3 and S5 which were based on Nikon DSLRs. I believe the S3 and S5 were highly regarded by some photographers, and some would like Fuji to continue making Nikon-based DSLRs. Some wedding & portrait photographers chose the Fuji versions over their Nikon siblings because of image quality. So it seems that this little X100 is promising better image quality than even some very good Fuji Finepix predecessors.
peterb
Member
While I was aware that their 'flagships' were Nikon-friendly they seemed to be rarely supported. They made a body for sure. And I don't know of any lenses of note. The last major camera they did seemed to be years ago and I'm not sure it was received all that well (although it's possible that people in their demographics probably thought, "well if it's like a Nikon why not get a Nikon?") Judging by their offerings it seemed like they pulled back from anything really substantial like a DSLR. Most of the time they seemed to be cranking out moderately priced 'bridge' cameras. As a result I just never got the sense that they were not a major player in digital beyond the P/S cameras. If anything they're the ones who make processing equipment and special applications.
Again, my whole impression is based on a sense of the discussions (or lack) on various forums on the net. They seem to be in the 'other' category on this forum. And not much presence at that.
C
Coms37
Guest
The S5 is a remarkable camera .... I still use it, not frequently though.
Musn't forget that fuji also did quite a few Hassleblad lenses, which were optically top lenses in my perception anyway
Musn't forget that fuji also did quite a few Hassleblad lenses, which were optically top lenses in my perception anyway
robertwright
New member
what is interesting about this camera for me is that it has a lot of the features that many wanted in the M8, features which Leica omitted- for example, side loading card slot, usb port, instead of the removable baseplate--an evf overlay instead of the trd. leica framelines, more dedicated buttons on the back vs. leica's somewhat minimal approach--and I think you look at the whole package and I can see why leica left off some of that stuff- it is starting to trend the camera away from object to "gadget".
surprising how little you have to add before it gets that way in comparison to the classic camera design statements of the last century.
Fuji will sell a boat load of these tho-it seems to be very well thought out.
surprising how little you have to add before it gets that way in comparison to the classic camera design statements of the last century.
Fuji will sell a boat load of these tho-it seems to be very well thought out.
peterb
Member
I saw a few mentions of that. Didn't realize Fuji was making lenses for Hassy. That's good to know. Thanks (and also thanks to other posters who'd also mentioned that).
ashwinrao1
Active member
Fascinating camera. Will certainly push the envelope for large sensor compacts. To me, the biggest issue will be quick and quiet AF, good ISO, and hopefully no anti-aliasing filter to get in the way of sharpness. If it can accomplish strong IQ in the current incarnation, I can't see how this wouldn't be a winner. The X1 is lovely in the IQ department, but this camera should force others (Leica, Zeiss, ? Canon, ?Nikon, Sony) to step up their game and advance the technology to then benefit all of us....gosh, I'd love a compact with a summilux
Erik Five
Member
Last time I checked the X1 was as big as a brick compared to other compacts. Small compared to a pro dslr or a M9, but not Small. I would not put it In the compact category.
But it lacks one very important feature … interchangeable lenses.
This camera is very interesting to me...I'm not in the market for anything like this but am still intrigued by Fuji's announcement
It's always been my contention that Fuji should focus on competing with Leica. My understanding is that Leica Germany has a 3-tiered approach towards cameras aimed at their customer base. They chose this approach in order to weather trends in the market that might shift from one era to another. They basically broke it down into 3 rough categories...enthusiasts, pro-sumers, and professionals.
The X1 fits in with the enthusiast amateur market
The M9 fits in with the prosumer type of market
THe s2 fits in with the professional market.
Just because a camera is designed for a certain market doesn't mean that it can't be adopted by another market. In other words, there will be plenty of professionals shooting with M9s and lots of hobbyists shooting with S2s. But the business strategy is to aim the camera systems at those 3 basic categories of consumers.
The reason that I'm bringing this up is because if Fuji is styling themselves in the manner of Leica then we might expect them to share a similar strategy towards the consumer. This new X100 camera fits solidly into Leica Germany's enthusiast/amateur category. I wonder if Fuji has any other camera offerings up their sleeve that might fit better in with the prosumer and professional categories? Bottom line: It might not be too crazy to expect something like a high quality 35mm offering (ala R10, M9) and/or some kind of medium format offering (ala S2) associated with Fuji in the not-too-distant future...
It's always been my contention that Fuji should focus on competing with Leica. My understanding is that Leica Germany has a 3-tiered approach towards cameras aimed at their customer base. They chose this approach in order to weather trends in the market that might shift from one era to another. They basically broke it down into 3 rough categories...enthusiasts, pro-sumers, and professionals.
The X1 fits in with the enthusiast amateur market
The M9 fits in with the prosumer type of market
THe s2 fits in with the professional market.
Just because a camera is designed for a certain market doesn't mean that it can't be adopted by another market. In other words, there will be plenty of professionals shooting with M9s and lots of hobbyists shooting with S2s. But the business strategy is to aim the camera systems at those 3 basic categories of consumers.
The reason that I'm bringing this up is because if Fuji is styling themselves in the manner of Leica then we might expect them to share a similar strategy towards the consumer. This new X100 camera fits solidly into Leica Germany's enthusiast/amateur category. I wonder if Fuji has any other camera offerings up their sleeve that might fit better in with the prosumer and professional categories? Bottom line: It might not be too crazy to expect something like a high quality 35mm offering (ala R10, M9) and/or some kind of medium format offering (ala S2) associated with Fuji in the not-too-distant future...
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Peter Klein
New member
If the focusing is indeed done by sensor movement, how much ya wanna bet that an X200 with an interchangable lens mount will be introduced at next year's Photokina? Or maybe one with a 50mm equivalent for people like me who like "fifties?" Once they've sold all the X100s that they can...
And does anyone besides me think that the camera evokes not just the Hexar RF, but also the M3? It's the raised thingie around the viewfinder, and the lever on the left.
Anyway, whoever designed the camera clearly had photographers in mind, not just gadget freaks and digiterati. The major controls are in the right places. That's good. Now let's see what the IQ and speed is.
--Peter
And does anyone besides me think that the camera evokes not just the Hexar RF, but also the M3? It's the raised thingie around the viewfinder, and the lever on the left.
Anyway, whoever designed the camera clearly had photographers in mind, not just gadget freaks and digiterati. The major controls are in the right places. That's good. Now let's see what the IQ and speed is.
--Peter
charlesphoto
New member
Fuji lenses are legendary. Lets not forget their line of rangefinders, the current MF670, the 690 and 645 lines (some of the sharpest glass ever made) and the 680 medium/large format hybrid. Not to mention lenses for cinema and TV. And when I was doing darkroom I used their pro enlarging lenses which easily bested any of the German APO's for about a 1/10th the price (when one could find them).
Will be interesting. All hinges on AF speed imo and keeping the interface/menus simple.
Will be interesting. All hinges on AF speed imo and keeping the interface/menus simple.
Show Performance
Member
Very nice indeed. Has anyone else noticed how clean the viewfinder interface looks - gorgeous! The typography, both on the LCD and viewfinder, is perfect.
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2010/09/20/Photokina-12_540x383.jpg
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2010/09/20/Photokina-9_540x341.jpg
For some reason that alone gives me a measure of confidence in this product...
Show Performance
Member
Also excited about the LCD...800x600 @ 2.8 diagonal, compare to iPhone 4's amazing Retina Display at 960x640 @ 3.5 diagonal. Whoa!
Who knows if it will really be as nice but the numbers look promising.
Who knows if it will really be as nice but the numbers look promising.