Which would you buy?

James J

James J

James J

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I'm going to a lighter camera system and have a good budget but don't know what to buy. It has to be fun to use and very tactile and require me to think! My choices are any of the fuji x cameras including lenses, or a leica M9 with a 35mm summicron f2 lens?

Obviously the leica costs far more than the Fuji cameras, but the budget covers it (just!)

What would you do in my position?
 
Well unless you feel the need or pull for the Leica and love the brand image or something, I'd go with the Fuji setup.

Some see the value in Leica gear and that's fine, I personally think it's beyond being over priced and the stupid compromises that come with the system are simply unjustifiable, I wouldn't touch one even if my budget allowed.

The Fuji sensors are very very good and while the AF could be faster it's not bad by any stretch.
 
There will be at least one new full frame Sony NEX camera in the next 10 days, worth seeing what they bring out if you are switching systems.
 
Interesting, although I've never used a sony nex series before and require an optical viewfinder
 
Fuji, and I'm saying that as a Leica (film) shooter. There are too many drawbacks on the electronic side of the M9 to justify it. It's quite picky with SD cards, sometimes you get weird banding when the battery is low, colour work at high ISO isn't as nice as the Fuji's, and battery pull resets aren't uncommon. However, I really like manually focusing with a rangefinder (more so than an SLR). It's a very different experience and enforces a more meticulous approach compared to an AF camera.

The Fuji's AF (X-Pro1/XE1) isn't great, but it's very usable now. With the XP1 you have to be aware of the parallax present at closer distances due to its separate VF, it's quite jarring if all you're used to are SLRs, but you get used to it quickly. But in terms of the shooting process, it's not too different from a DSLR really. Point it, get the AF locked, trip the shutter. However, in terms of viewing a scene the M9 and XP1 are very similar.
 
I had an M9 and now have an X100s. I miss my M9, a lot. I didn't think it would be too bad, I thought I'd love the change but I'm looking to get back to the M9 next year. Luckily I held on to my glass (35mm Cron and 50mm Cron).

The X100s is a brilliant camera, the quality is excellent but the M9 just lets you get on with taking photos. You'd have to use both for an extended amount of time to get what I mean. I know the X100s inside out and have it custom set up to get as close as I can to my ideal setup but it's still not enough.
 
i had a NEX F3, NEX 6 and now got a Fuji XE1. (had nikon, and fuji s5 pro in the past)

while NEX series is smaller, i found Fuji to be abit more.....serious.

Funny i got the XE1 since it was launched and i still dont have a single fuji lens. it has always been about bring myself back to the basic no AF, no fancy features, just take it slow and re-learn everything. so i always use my old nikon lens and leica lens. to be honest, in the original X pro 1 promo video, thats how they pitch it, they want to user to take it slow and think twice before pressing the button. but unfortunately a lot of people start comparing the fuji range to other high speed camera system. that's something to consider if you plan to get into the fuji system.

my eyes are quite bad so i actually prefer evf as opposed to ovf. thats part fo the reason why i went with xe1 rather than x-pro 1.

x-pro 1 is quite massive, so it's worth playing around with it in the shop before buying it.

(new fuji camera is just round the corner, i beleive third week of oct, so might worth wait and see what they have on offer. alteratively, NEX full frame is also due before xmas, so keep an eye on that too)
 
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Thanks for providing more opinions guys, seems to be a pattern emerging with the fuji having a better sensor but the leica having a nicer shooting experience. Keep the opinions coming!
 
James J said:
Interesting, although I've never used a sony nex series before and require an optical viewfinder
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I would discount a camera just because it doesn't have an OVF, you'll be severely limiting your options.
The 2.44m dot EVF that Sony produce is on another level compared to most 1.4m dot units.

I honestly wouldn't be without mine and now I've come to rely on it, OVF's feel like they are out of the stoneage.

Also it looks like the 24mp FF NEX (A7) is going to be cheaper than either the 6D or D600 which may be of interest to you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-a7-price-lower-than-current-canon-and-nikon-ff-cameras/
 
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ManCuBuS said:
I would discount a camera just because it doesn't have an OVF, you'll be severely limiting your options.
The 2.44m dot EVF that Sony produce is on another level compared to most 1.4m dot units.

I honestly wouldn't be without mine and now I've come to rely on it, OVF's feel like they are out of the stoneage.

Also it looks like the 24mp FF NEX (A7) is going to be cheaper than either the 6D or D600 which may be of interest to you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-a7-price-lower-than-current-canon-and-nikon-ff-cameras/
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Not a fan of how slow Evfs are though as they never seem truly fluid. Had a play with a fuji x100s and wasn't that impressed with the evf even though it's meant to be good. I also hate the fact it freezes when you activate autofocus.

Still not sold on this Sony camera though. I want a fun and testing shooting style more than a sensors raw performance. I'd have kept my d600 if I wanted the later.
 
ManCuBuS said:
Why couldn't the D600 have given you that?

The EVF on my A77 doesn't freeze at all and I've used a NEX 7 which didnt either.
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Because its almost like a point and shoot in terms of shooting style. I want to play with manual focus that is 100% usable for a start. The EVF on the fuji camera's freezes when focusing. I've not used a sony camera so couldn't comment on theres.
 
Andy90 said:
What about the Olympus PEN E-P5 or even a Sony R1XR?
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Wouldn't touch the sony RX1 as it doesn't have any viewfinder and you have to pay extra for an external one, which is pointless. Also can't change the rather bulky lens for something smaller, which is a negative for me.

Not had a look at the PEN but I've done some reading into the OMD instead, which isn't that bad but not really what I'm after.
 
Fair enough that you don't want an RX1 but you do realise that a Leica viewfinder works in a similar way don't you? In that you are not looking through the lens when using it.
 
ManCuBuS said:
Fair enough that you don't want an RX1 but you do realise that a Leica viewfinder works in a similar way don't you? In that you are not looking through the lens when using it.
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Yeah of course I know that. I also know how they focus and the quirks of the body. I know the same of the other camera's I've had a look at also. I'm not going into this blind mate, I have actually read around for a few weeks first lol.
 
James J said:
Because its almost like a point and shoot in terms of shooting style. I want to play with manual focus that is 100% usable for a start. The EVF on the fuji camera's freezes when focusing. I've not used a sony camera so couldn't comment on theres.
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hmmm my xe1 doesnt freeze when i focus...well... manual focus with leica lens.... might be the firmware on the x100 that you tried.

but if you are keen on an OVF then your choices are limited. X-pro 1 is pretty much the only one with OVF and interchangable lens. otherwise, it would be x100s or x20
 
XE11 said:
hmmm my xe1 doesnt freeze when i focus...well... manual focus with leica lens.... might be the firmware on the x100 that you tried.

but if you are keen on an OVF then your choices are limited. X-pro 1 is pretty much the only one with OVF and interchangable lens. otherwise, it would be x100s or x20
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It was in the dixons store in manchester airport, so you are probably right about the firmware, so thanks for clarifying. Am I right in thinking that a proper 35mm focal length (in FF terms) doesn't exist yet on the fuji platform for the x pro 1 and x e1?
 
Decided on the leica after having a play with one. Extremely fun to use and a nice new learning curve.
 
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