jafleming3
Leading Member
Yesterday, five of us attended the Leica X1 workshop in Manhattan’s SVA (School for Visual Arts) on West 21 St., in the Chelsea / Flatiron District. The instructor was a Leica representative. The day before he conducted a similar workshop for the Leica M9.
Let me say from the outset – if you have an opportunity to attend these workshops, do so! The experience was amazing for me.
I don’t do street photography – I never tried it, the entire approach seems off-putting, and I don’t think I have the personality to pull it off. Of course, my favorite photographer is Henri Cartier-Bresson, the Father of Street Photography. Furthermore, I didn’t believe my Leica X1 was particularly well suited to that task because of the slowish focusing (done in the sensor not the lens!), and the absence of hyperfocal (zone) markings. On the other hand, the X1 is small, quiet to the point of silence, and totally unobtrusive.
Well, the instructor gave us some tips: Set the ISO to 1600; set the aperture to 5.6; set the speed to A (auto); set the focusing to manual and move the focus marker to 6’. Everything 6’ and beyond will be in focus and the X1 will not waste time focusing automatically. This is zone focusing with the X1. One can experiment with the ISO setting, depending on the brightness of the day and the movement of the subjects. The photos I’ve posted were not framed or composed, the X1 was held at either chest level or straight down along my side. It takes practice to angle the camera properly on the fly, and there is some post processing work of cropping necessary. You’ll immediately see what I mean from the posted photos. In any event, I am extremely pleased with the results, and so was the instructor.
Without any question in my mind, the X1 is a phenomenal and amazing camera and I’m completely satisfied with it. There are some quirks and weaknesses. My biggest disappointment is the inability to do macro photography. There are valid reasons for this; hopefully one will be able to attach macro filters eventually. The focusing speed is not an issue for me since one can use zone focusing and I don’t really have a problem with the auto focusing speed to begin with. The firmware update, tentatively projected for November, may add a hyperfocal feature (along with DNG-only photos, and speedier focusing).
Not only were we taught the finer points of the X1, went on 1.5 hour shoot nearby, returned to critique the results, but were given a number of useful tips on how to hand hold the camera at slow speeds, a Lightroom 3 primer (and, go to Adobe TV – there are scores of instructional videos), do not buy a printer unless you print a lot everyday (send it to Costco or Adorama or any number of professional print shops), calibrate your monitor often (x-rite: colormunki), etc.
If you’re contemplating buying an M9 or an X1, do go to the Leica workshop for those models. They’ll provide the cameras for you to use for several hours, all you need is your own SD card. The entry fee is completely rebated should you purchase a camera or buy accessories. It’s a five-star experience, without a doubt!
The photos posted here are purely street photography (a first for me), all unframed, shot from the hip or chest. I'll post a second set, that were framed.
Cheers,
john
Let me say from the outset – if you have an opportunity to attend these workshops, do so! The experience was amazing for me.
I don’t do street photography – I never tried it, the entire approach seems off-putting, and I don’t think I have the personality to pull it off. Of course, my favorite photographer is Henri Cartier-Bresson, the Father of Street Photography. Furthermore, I didn’t believe my Leica X1 was particularly well suited to that task because of the slowish focusing (done in the sensor not the lens!), and the absence of hyperfocal (zone) markings. On the other hand, the X1 is small, quiet to the point of silence, and totally unobtrusive.
Well, the instructor gave us some tips: Set the ISO to 1600; set the aperture to 5.6; set the speed to A (auto); set the focusing to manual and move the focus marker to 6’. Everything 6’ and beyond will be in focus and the X1 will not waste time focusing automatically. This is zone focusing with the X1. One can experiment with the ISO setting, depending on the brightness of the day and the movement of the subjects. The photos I’ve posted were not framed or composed, the X1 was held at either chest level or straight down along my side. It takes practice to angle the camera properly on the fly, and there is some post processing work of cropping necessary. You’ll immediately see what I mean from the posted photos. In any event, I am extremely pleased with the results, and so was the instructor.
Without any question in my mind, the X1 is a phenomenal and amazing camera and I’m completely satisfied with it. There are some quirks and weaknesses. My biggest disappointment is the inability to do macro photography. There are valid reasons for this; hopefully one will be able to attach macro filters eventually. The focusing speed is not an issue for me since one can use zone focusing and I don’t really have a problem with the auto focusing speed to begin with. The firmware update, tentatively projected for November, may add a hyperfocal feature (along with DNG-only photos, and speedier focusing).
Not only were we taught the finer points of the X1, went on 1.5 hour shoot nearby, returned to critique the results, but were given a number of useful tips on how to hand hold the camera at slow speeds, a Lightroom 3 primer (and, go to Adobe TV – there are scores of instructional videos), do not buy a printer unless you print a lot everyday (send it to Costco or Adorama or any number of professional print shops), calibrate your monitor often (x-rite: colormunki), etc.
If you’re contemplating buying an M9 or an X1, do go to the Leica workshop for those models. They’ll provide the cameras for you to use for several hours, all you need is your own SD card. The entry fee is completely rebated should you purchase a camera or buy accessories. It’s a five-star experience, without a doubt!
The photos posted here are purely street photography (a first for me), all unframed, shot from the hip or chest. I'll post a second set, that were framed.
Cheers,
john
