Thursday 16 February 2012

Fuji X Pro 1 - Leica M8

There are more samples emerging from the Fuji X Pro 1, including raw.


There does seem to be a pattern emerging, in that the camera seems to be very good at high ISO's but produces somewhat soft files. This is surprising for a camera with no AA filter, but I imagine is the result of the new sensor and software noise reduction. That softness is evident even on the raw files. To be honest those who have used DSLR's with pretty strong AA filters probably wouldn't notice the difference, but compared to cameras I have used without an AA filter or with a pretty weak one its noticeable to me.

Consequently it confirms to me that this isn't a camera for me. Its the wrong way round. I like cameras with great low ISO performance, very sharp with lots of colour "pop". I can see the X Pro 1 being snapped up by wedding photographers for example, but maybe not by the landscape community.

Leica M8

Yesterday I was working with some old Leica M8 files, and nothing could be more different. I've always regarded the M8 as producing the sharpest files I've ever seen, I always thought it was slightly crisper than the M9. Some odd colour occasionally without the use of AA filters, but the files have real impact on a screen. They are also capable of being blown up quite large. I compared some of these files yesterday blown up to Sony NEX-7 size, and they still looked sharper!!

These days you buy an S/H M8 and a couple of Voigtlander, or even old Leica, lenses for about the same price as an X Pro 1 outfit. Prices for used M8's have stayed the same for a long time now, and probably won't fall any more, so buying one, using it for a couple of years and selling it probably wouldn't result in a loss.

It is of course completely useless at high ISO's and you have to deal with some moire, dust spots and of course the odd colour. But for high impact, ultra sharp files, with the real benefit of an unfettered sensor, its difficult to beat.

Leica M8

Leica M8