Which would you buy?

James J · 4 Oct 2013 at 08:36

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?

James J · 4 Oct 2013 at 10:40

Interesting, although I've never used a sony nex series before and require an optical viewfinder

James J · 4 Oct 2013 at 13:13

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 · 4 Oct 2013 at 16:12

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/

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.

James J · 4 Oct 2013 at 17:06

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.

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.

James J · 4 Oct 2013 at 20:01

Andy90 said:
What about the Olympus PEN E-P5 or even a Sony R1XR?

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.

James J · 4 Oct 2013 at 20:37

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.

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 · 5 Oct 2013 at 00:14

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

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?

James J · 5 Oct 2013 at 11:12

Decided on the leica after having a play with one. Extremely fun to use and a nice new learning curve.

James J · 8 Oct 2013 at 17:14

Yeah the m9 as the me is the same camera with less features and the M240 is 5100 quid.

James J · 8 Oct 2013 at 17:29

Interesting. Not sure how much I'll be using the screen for checking shots on this as I've turned against it over the last year. I'd only quickly Flickr through them on my D3 and d600 to check composition more than anything else.

James J · 10 Oct 2013 at 08:34

XE11 said:
you will be using the screen a lot at the begining to check focus on your new leica

Yeah noticed that yesterday. It's easier to focus though than people make out, even for a glasses wearer like me. Not had any issues getting extremely sharp photos at f2 with my 35mm summicron lens so far. I think after a few weeks I should be able to speed up how fast I can focus as well

James J · 10 Oct 2013 at 19:37

GTRacer said:
I found that this page helped me a lot when I first started shooting with an M (primarily written from a film users' POV, but many points apply): http://www.cameraquest.com/leicaMtips.htm

Thanks I'll check it out. Looking forward to the weekend as I'll try put it through its paces on a few outings, although I'll be confined to barnsley... lol