Leica X1, new camera in Paris

I bought a new camera on Thursday. A Leica x1. I'd like to say that I know better than to do this, buy a camera in the middle of an assignment and immediately start using it. I'm shooting in some clubs and needed a camera that is more discrete than my Canon 5D MK II. It is small -about the size of an M6- but has a big cmso sensor, 24mm lens (36mm equivalent) manual focus, auto focus, manual settings, iso to 3200. 

Like all cameras it has issues -in particular above iso 800- and it certainly is no match for the 5D MK II in low light but for a camera that weighs less than my canon flash and disappears into a coat pocket it is pretty good.

It will never be the only camera that I carry around, but for days when it helps to look less professional, the X1 is the ticket. 

Leica's track record on electronic cameras has been pretty dismal and only time will tell if the X1 will be durable enough for professional use. I hope so.

-Stephen Alvarez

Paris

Comments

[Stephen Alvarez]

Carsten,
I bought the next to the last one in Paris. I'm using the voightlander 35mm finder. It isn't quite perfect, but the leica finder is impossible to find in Paris.

[Carsten Bockermann]

Hi Stephen,

the X1 seems to be absolutely unavailable here in Germany (it was announced for a January delivery...).

Are you using the optional finder or do you shoot using the LCD? To me, holding a camera in front of my body and looking at an LCD screen is somewhat unnatural.

Cheers

Carsten