Tag: camera

Why I think the M6 is the best Leica rangefinder

Japan Camera Hunter (aka Bellamy Hunt) tells us why he think the M6 is the best Leica RF (digital shooters will disapprove).

I have been through a lot of cameras in my time, and I have owned a few different Leica bodies. I have also got the enviable position of being able to try out more cameras than you can shake a stick at, and I have come to a conclusion that may put a few noses out of joint.

I think that the Leica M6 is the best M-series analogue rangefinder camera that Leica ever made! Now that I have your attention let me explain myself.

Cultivating my Leica envy I have to agree with that specific point, now that we can get them for less than 1400$ on the used market (body only !), even though I am an aperture priority kind of guy. I wish I actually had one.

Leica M6 TTL Summicron 50mm f2
Leica M6 TTL Summicron 50mm f2 by Xavier León — Some rights reserved

Fujifilm X-E1 and al.

Fujifilm just announced the X-E1. Simply put, it is a cheaper version of the X-Pro1, without the optical-hybrid viewfinder, slightly shrunk down, albeit with a very similar design. In addition it has a popup flash next to the EVF. Engadget has a preview of the X-E1. The camera body only will be around $1000. Comes in silver or black.

As previously announced in the XF lens roadmap, the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS zoom for the X- series will be available at the same time in November, standalone for $900 or as a kit with the X-E1 for $1400. The 14mm f/2.8 will also be available in November for $700.

The speed improvements in the X-E1 seems to have been rolled into the firmware 2.0 update that will be released September 18 for the X-Pro1 ; DPReview had the privilege to get their hands on the update.

While the X-E1 isn’t really for me, as I own a X-Pro1, it is very nice to see that Fujifilm seems to be committed to the system and release more than just one camera. By lowering the price point of the body, and catering to zoom users, they really want to expand their market. And this is good news.

Fujifilm X-Pro1 8000 frame user review

Prophotonut: Fujifilm X-Pro 1 ~ 8000 frame user review, by Damien Lovegrove, where he took the camera on a trip.

The X-Pro1 is a camera that I believe is best suited for street, travel and portrait photography. It’s not at home in a flash lit studio and it’s not fast enough for any sort of action photography. It’s definitely a niche camera and one I will love using on a daily basis.

“Some Thoughts on Digital Camera Lifespan”

Minh Thein on Petapixel has some thoughts on digital camera lifespan”

In the film days, the camera body and lenses lasted a long time; you invested in glass, got a decent body — one that fulfilled your personal needs as a photographer — and then picked the right film for the job. In that sense, image quality differences between brands were down to the lenses and the photographer.
[…]
Bottom line: the camera body now plays a much more critical role in the imaging chain because it also contains the “film”, and this isn’t something you can change when the equivalent of a new emulsion is released.

Before you increased the technical image quality with better lenses and better film. A 1950 Leica M can use modern Leica glass and modern film. Still the same camera body.

Also another point Thein raise is how digital camera are obsoleted by unavailability of things like batteries, and the risk of losing ones archive with file format incompatibilities, *cough* RAW *cough* , as well as storage solutions.

This is something to be thought about with our society being more and more throw away. I wonder if the amount of e-waste isn’t worse than the chemicals used for film processing and printing.

“I Am NOT Saying the Fuji X-Pro1 Sucks…”

Ctein at The Online Photographer is not saying the Fuji X-Pro1 sucks, but he is saying that several of the flaws from the camera make it a bad choice for him.

The eye level viewfinder is a letdown. I’m left-eyed, which means whenever I use that viewfinder I put a great big greasy nose print in the middle of the LCD screen. LCD screens are my preferred way to work.

Same problem with rangefinder – and actually most cameras since they are all designed for right handed and right eyed people. But what make the Fujifilm X-Pro1 attractive is the optical viewfinder. Given that his preferred way is the LCD screen, it is already moot.

There’s no way to zoom in by more than a factor of two when reviewing RAW photographs. That won’t tell me if my focus is correct, if there’s subject movement, or how noisy the photograph might be. It’s barely enough to judge facial expressions.
[…]
If I capture RAW plus JPEG, I can zoom all the way in. It’s kind of dumb, and I just waste time later throwing away the JPEGs (I have no use for them), but it works.

That’s unfortunate and I indeed wish Fujifilm would fix these.

Mirrorless: what is the right price?

Sansmirror raise the question What’s the Right Price? when it comes to mirrorless cameras.

Most of the new higher-end mirrorless cameras are more expensive than low-end DSLRs.

Also he mention that the Olympus E-PL1 is still on sale for much less. Not sure whether it is because of stocks (ie over production) or just Olympus trying to drag new customers in with a cheaper model, as Panasonic hasn’t really done that. This lead us to believe that these cameras don’t sell as well as they might have wished.