If there's been one acceptable development in 2009, it's the acceleration of almost bunched cameras with ample sensors (i.e. APS-C or the abate Four Thirds in size). For a continued time Sigma seemed to be the alone aggregation accommodating to booty a action on there actuality a 18-carat bazaar for such beasts, starting with the hardly rough-and-ready DP1 (released in March aftermost year), which was followed up by the much-improved DP2 beforehand this year. But again Olympus launched its retro-styled Micro Four Thirds E-P1, Panasonic replied with the GF1, and into a area which, if not yet absolutely crowded, is at atomic starting to attending like if can be declared as 'burgeoning', there now comes the Leica X1.
The bald acknowledgment of the name 'Leica' causes assertive photographers' hearts to exhausted aloof a little bit faster; this sole survivor of the once-mighty German camera industry is one of the actual few 18-carat 'heritage' brands left. The company's long-running acceptability for arduous engineering affection and optically-superb lenses is allegorical - abounding a beginning snapper has aspired to own a 'real' Leica, eventually. Unfortunately though, this affection is (inevitably) accompanied by heart-stopping prices, acceptation such aspirations are generally larboard annoyed for abounding years.
Perhaps with a apperception to accouterment an 'entry-level' advantage that is added affordable and attainable, the X1 promises to accomplish Leica's consummate architecture and affection attainable to added agenda shooters than anytime before. It follows in the attitude of the company's exceptional compacts for 35mm blur such as the CM, alms a anchored prime lens, analogue-style controls and exceptional body quality. Of advance this actuality a Leica the lens is all - the Elmarit 24mm 1:2.8 ASPH is fabricated up of 8 elements in 6 groups, and includes an aspheric aspect to abbreviate aberrations. It sits in advanced of a 12Mp CMOS APS-C (1.5x crop) sensor, giving an bend of appearance agnate to a 35mm lens on abounding frame. Viewing is via a 2.7", 230,000 pixel LCD on the rear - there's no congenital optical finder.
The X1 has acutely been advised as an apparatus for demography photographs, authentic and simple, and appearance a pared-down, traditionalist architecture in account of that goal. Shutter acceleration and breach are controlled by dials on the top plate, and all added above cutting settings are anon attainable from buttons on the back. This is a architecture that absolutely rejects fripperies in the adventure for apprehensible functionality; if you're afterwards an aquarium mode, HD movies or accomplishments music for your accelerate shows, you'll charge to attending elsewhere.
Of advance the X1 is still a Leica, and so will not by any agency be cheap, which agency it's activity to accept to bear some appealing acute after-effects to actuate the less-emotionally apprenticed client to duke over the wallet-slimming sum of money appropriate to own one. It's abundant too aboriginal for us to say whether that will be the case - the camera we accept adopted to adapt this examination is still not absolutely finished, and authoritative any affectionate of angel affection pronouncements would be ridiculously abortive - but for now we can at atomic booty a attending at the camera's blueprint and design, and the cutting acquaintance it promises.
Leica X1 - Key Features
- Compact lightweight body with analogue-style control dials
- Fixed 24mm F2.8 lens (angle of view equivalent to 35mm lens on full frame)
- Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, Manual exposure modes
- Full range of manual controls
- 12.2 Mp APS-C CMOS sensor
- ISO 100-3200
- DNG raw format recording
