you have to admit, though, that flash is mighty cute! and i like that they made it manual (i.e., pop up with the finger) because i turn off the flash on all my cams that have one. in the one instance where i may be forced to, gasp, use it, i can never find the darn thing as it's buried so deep in the menu structure.Target market for the X1,Id say it was probably me........not that Im egotistical at all.... however,leica didnt you notice that I nearly always use a 50mm summicron!!..I dont use flash and object to carrying one around.I thought the leica axiom had some connection with truth and fidelity;...well flash blasts that to hell and back,,.....take it off and make it a viewfinder and Ill buy one,even if its a 35mm lens.
and i don't think taking it out would have given them enough room for a VF -- at least not a decent one, so i'm not really bothered by it. on my GRD and Sigma, i enjoyed using external VF's even as i often chose to compose on the screen. for a small camera, i actually like the option to shoot either way (i have an ancient VIDOM VF i plan to take with me when i try out the X1 next week -- talk about making the camera look retro!) when i'm using it in the street.
as i said in the other thread, i have an issue with the speed of the lens -- rather than the focal length. i know you're kind of wedded to your 50mm, but the 35mm might not be as bad as you think... i've found myself drawn to different focal lengths depending on the size of the camera.i love love love 28 FOV on the Ricoh, but really don't care for it much on the larger M8. i honestly think choosing to make this 35mm is the sweet spot for this size camera.
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on the other subject that wblynch has brought up, i could personally care less. that is the last thing i care about or want them to spend their time on. but that's me, personally, though i do understand were he's coming from.
i've said it a million times before and i'll say it again here. the original Ricoh GRD is the only camera i was ever happy with the JPEGs -- and then, it was only when i tweaked their b/w settings. part of it, probably, was that RAW took so dang long to process that i actually took the time to figure this out.
i also found the Epson R-D1 pretty luscious (again b/w as that is my preference) and the Sigma DP1, miserable camera that it is to operate, had the capability of gorgeous JPEGs as well. the only reason i know any of this is because i prefer to shoot RAW (to work on) but also include a tweaked b/w JPEG in case i chose to chimp (which is rare) -- knowing that this will be closer to the finished product. i honestly can't judge a photo i see on the screen in colour
cameras that can do JPEGs well are out there. i don't think i would hold my breath, thinking that Leica will be the ONE because the price point is so much higher. that isn't what you're paying for, IMO. and that definitely isn't what i want to be paying for.