The Leica X1 - Something retrofresh for the camera industry.

via dpreview.com

Leica releasing this little camera is doing something which I quite adore, they are creating, perhaps the first, actual high end digital portable. The interesting point here is that several years ago this camera category was quite popular, especially in japan, with products like the Minolta TC1 (probably my favorite camera of all time), the Nikon 28 and 35 Ti, and Leica CM and Minilux lines among several others form other brands. In any case, these were a great bread of camera and until recently nobody had invested in putting something like them together for digital. The X1 is not exactly suited for this product category but seems to have some nice compromises. In comparison to it's nearest competition, Canon S90, Richo RD1 and 2, Lumix and Sigma DP1, this product seems to be way more likely to be a real camera.

The one thing I think could do with some work is for them to have included a better lens. This one is not too bright with only F2.8 and perhaps a more Leica style fixed barrel lens would look and last better while giving them a platform to include better glass. If that was the case however, I think the X1 would be competing too strongly with the M8 for their liking.

Posted via web from Mark Whiting's posterous