I wanted to wrap up my thoughts on this camera for anyone who might be interested. Nothing earth-shaking here. Bottom line: I didn’t buy one and won’t be buying one. Below are a few pros and cons, some of which may repeat my earlier post, and all of them are my opinion only:
Pros:
Excellent image quality – RAW files processed efficiently in Lightroom using the Adobe camera profiles. The “Auto” function in the Develop Module worked amazingly well. I could be comfortable with the results and seldom feel like I am compromising quality if this were my only camera.
Lightweight and Compact – The camera was very well-constructed and has a certain “heft” to it that speaks of quality, but is very light. I use a thin strap on my Fuji cameras, and it would easily accommodate the Leica. Although the Leica probably deserves a fancy custom leather job…. 😉
Good battery life – this is not fully tested since I made a point of recharging it daily. I only had one battery with the rental so I didn’t want to chance running out.
Cons:
Size – I don’t have large hands, but it is a small camera and seemed to be a little small for me. I never felt like I was going to drop it, but some of the controls were a little touchy.
Manual zoom & focus – The primary zoom mechanism is a toggle switch that surrounds the shutter button. Many camera have that but I just never feel like it is very precise. In addition, there is a lens ring that can be set up to function as a zoom control. I actually prefer that, except that the zoom ring is right next to the aperture ring and I kept inadvertently changing the aperture!
Other:
Menus – people complain about menus on all cameras. This one was fine – I was able to figure out just about anything I needed easily. I think I went to the manual a few times but it was mostly out of curiosity.
The “Only Camera” Question – I could see myself having a camera like this as my travel camera. The photos are good enough that I don’t think I would worry about having the “wrong” camera with me if I left the Fuji at home. The zoom range is a little limiting for me, mostly on the long end as I like to get close to my subjects and frame tightly. That isn’t a big deal and there are plenty of pixels for a little cropping if necessary.
Lens Choice – I’ve gotten used to the ability to put together a kit of lenses for a particular trip. Going out the door with a Fuji body and a single prime lens is a great way for me to simplify and narrow my seeing. Traveling with a lens or two or the whole bag gives me endless choices. That can work both ways, but I’ve gotten comfortable with the idea of making a choice and living with it.
What’s Next? – I have a rental Fuji XT3 coming today for an upcoming trip. I can’t wait to try it out and compare it to my aging XT1. I’m not in the market for a new camera, but with a price point very similar to the Leica, it feels to me like the better option when and if the time comes to upgrade.
More words and photos to follow – stay tuned!
The versatility of the interchangeability of lenses on a camera suits me because I also like the option of a kit of lenses. I bet you will like the X-T3!
And you would win that bet, Monte! I’m still sorting through the photos but it is a pretty sweet camera. I’m not yet ready to take the plunge but will post about it soon! 🙂
Tom: Like we talked about, I have the Panasonic version of that camera and I really like it. In fact, I rented it a few years ago and decided that it was a “keeper”.
When I travel, I find that I usually take that one; however, it is a bit small sometimes and I find myself inadvertently changing some settings. A few times, I had a little trouble getting back to the settings that I had. As for the aperture, the DoF is so deep, that I don’t even worry about that much, anymore, unless I’m zoomed in tight and trying to get the background out of focus.
It’s been a few years since I bought a new camera. I was looking at my EXIF data and thought: Wow! It’s been quite a while since UPS has delivered a new camera, but the desire for one is simply not there. Things come. Things go.
Part of me is still tempted to pull the trigger on the Leica or possibly the Panasonic. I just finished a rental of the Fuji XT3 and liked it a lot, but as much as I like my lens collection I’m still drawn to the idea of a small travel camera that doesn’t require a backpack. Canon also recently announced updated versions of a couple of their compact cameras. We’ll see what develops! 😉