Leica X1 - Is this for real?

John Camp said:
Well, yes, there are reasons it couldn't be a pop-up viewfinder, and it's the same reason there are little holes in the bodies -- these are faked by a Vietnamese guy with a long history of posting mock-ups. So untwist your knickers, get a G&T, and relax until 9-9-9. Or, even later than that.

JC
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Bzzzt. Thank you for playing.

:D
 
Everyone here and over at Leica Users Forum is (rightly) rattling on about EVF/OVF for this camera. And quite a lot of discussion about it apparently having a fixed lens. That would seem to be a negative when compared to the E-P1 and GF-1.
But I noticed something strange in one listing of X1 specs I saw. Yes, it has a fixed lens, but it has a 4x digital zoom according to that list. Could it possibly be that Leica have managed a Houdini act and designed a digital zoom of 4x that doesn't degrade the image quality to the point of non-acceptance? Could it be they've managed to use a fixed lens and get the same result digitally that a 4x optical zoom would previously have delivered?
 
Leigh Youdale said:
But I noticed something strange in one listing of X1 specs I saw. Yes, it has a fixed lens, but it has a 4x digital zoom according to that list. Could it possibly be that Leica have managed a Houdini act and designed a digital zoom of 4x that doesn't degrade the image quality to the point of non-acceptance? Could it be they've managed to use a fixed lens and get the same result digitally that a 4x optical zoom would previously have delivered?
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That is simply nonsense. there are a lot of fake specs out there.
this camera will not have any kind of zoom. the only thing one could imagine is that you will have 70mm as well but with half of the resolution.
so just a simple crop.
 
Leigh Youdale said:
Everyone here and over at Leica Users Forum is (rightly) rattling on about EVF/OVF for this camera. And quite a lot of discussion about it apparently having a fixed lens. That would seem to be a negative when compared to the E-P1 and GF-1.
But I noticed something strange in one listing of X1 specs I saw. Yes, it has a fixed lens, but it has a 4x digital zoom according to that list. Could it possibly be that Leica have managed a Houdini act and designed a digital zoom of 4x that doesn't degrade the image quality to the point of non-acceptance? Could it be they've managed to use a fixed lens and get the same result digitally that a 4x optical zoom would previously have delivered?
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Why would anyone spend good money for a camera and then intentionally degrade the image? There is no magic. You can't create resolution. The digital zoom is just nonsense. It may sell consumer cameras and so, perhaps it would be in the specs, but you would not use it and neither would I.

I will not buy an M9 in the near future, because I don't trust Leica to get it right and I don't want a $7500 regret. I might buy an X1 if it has good low light characteristics, has a viewfinder and not just a rear screen and is reasonably priced.
 
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I generally don't use "digital zoom", but is it really any different than severe cropping with the added benefit of seeing exactly what you're getting at the time of shooting> Better a degraded image of something important than no image at all.

I can think of more than one time where I saved an assignment with a heavy crop of something I was out of position to catch properly.
 
bwcolor said:
Why would anyone spend good money for a camera and then intentionally degrade the image? There is no magic. You can't create resolution. The digital zoom is just nonsense. It may sell consumer cameras and so, perhaps it would be in the specs, but you would not use it and neither would I.
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Well, I understand exactly what you're saying and it makes perfect sense in terms of conventional wisdom. But, in post production don't we often resize an image by allowing the software to interpolate pixels and isn't that a form of digital zoom but outside of the camera? I'm no technician but it seems there's not a lot of difference there. In principle, anyway.

My original question referred to "acceptable" and "quality", not to outright resolution. So what I'm wondering (and may find out tomorrow) is that if the 24mm fixed lens on the X1 is a really superior optic, and if the camera software allowed the image to be digitally zoomed in-camera, is it possible that Leica could provide an "acceptable" image that way instead of the expense, size and weight of an optical zoom?
Agreed that resolution would be less than best possible for the lens, but it might still be "acceptable" to all but the most critical or for super enlargements.
 
Leigh Youdale said:
So what I'm wondering (and may find out tomorrow) is that if the 24mm fixed lens on the X1 is a really superior optic, and if the camera software allowed the image to be digitally zoomed in-camera, is it possible that Leica could provide an "acceptable" image that way instead of the expense, size and weight of an optical zoom?
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Assuming a dual-resolution sensor chip, it might be technically feasible, at some point in the future. But given the cheapskate image of "digital zoom", Leica is about the last manufacturer I'd expect to pioneer there - I'd expect that from somebody with much less reputation to lose.
 
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