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jwcane;4910 wrote: Could not reproduce Garydmorris's reported behavior (blanking of manual-focus-assist window when pressing D/F). Could you share more details about how/when this happens? For me, pressing D/F, before or after focusing, works fine, without any blanking of the EVF or LCD display (whichever is in use).
I have S/N 4707874, purchased in Germany in early July, in case that matters.
Only complaint is that the MFA window goes out a bit too soon. Would love to have a setting for lifetime of the MFA window. This would be especially useful when setting range, then moving camera until image is sharp, etc.
Re:/ tipping forward, you're right, that is due to bottom-thickness of carrying case. I guess the tipping is caused by the combination of light body weight + multi-element zoom lens. Bare camera has true-upright support from both the lens and bottom of case, and cannot tip. I keep mine in a custom-made, padded, felt-lined leather container, removing it only for use, etc.
Actually, this has nothing to do with manual focus. First, you've got to have the EVF (Leica or Olympus) installed. Then, set both of the dials on top of the camera to “A” (or in my case I usually have the speed to A and the f to 8 or 11). Then press and hold the Delete/Focus button until the small box in the center (or wherever you've place the box previously) acquires the four red directional arrows.
On my X2 if the EVF is active the EVF display will show the small box with the red arrows. However, on my XV, the EVF display will become black and the image transferred to the LCD display so that one can move the little box around.
After moving the little box around and then pressing the shutter button to accept the movement, the LCD goes black and the information is now displayed on the EVF.
I noticed this on the XV I tried in the Leica store as well as the XV I bought. I've tried a few X2s and they all work as I've described how mine does; which is different than the XV for the same operation. I like how the X2 works and would like to see a firmware update so the XV works as the X2 does in this situation.
Jack MacD;4901 wrote: Gary,
Having tried your D-Lux 6 I agree with you that it is a very nice handling camera.
Thanks for letting me try it.Any time!
I have a D-Lux 6 (for about 3 months as of this writing). I recently took it with me as a third camera on a trip to Paris with the wife. I say third camera because I had my M9 and X2 as primary cameras. Anyway, I was shooting with the DL6 inside the Louvre and in the space of about one hour, on four separate occasions other people roaming the galleries stopped me, each one holding up a DL6. That was a total surprise! I've had people on the street carrying M9s stop me for a moment to compare notes and lenses (I keep my Noctilux on my M9 almost 100% of the time and this seems to be the big attraction). But four times in an hour in a museum with a little point-and-shoot? That was pretty cool. Parenthetically, I ended up using the DL6 for about 30% of the shots I took on that nine day trip. It's a wonderfully capable little camera. I bought it because I had read that Leica “cleaned up” the Panasonic menus. My experience with Panasonic menus convinced me that that alone was worth the extra $300 the DL6 cost vs. the Panasonic LX7.
I have had my XV for a week now. I was interested in this camera from the time of announcement. The reason is simple: Leica quality glass in a modest zoom and not a shoulder crushing camera body. I was a little disappointed in the zoom range… I'd have liked 90mm instead of the 70mm but that's just me.
I tried this camera out at the new Leica store in L.A. They were very helpful in letting me take one of the floor cameras out for about a half-hour around the store. I put in an SD card I'd taken with me. When I got home I was very impressed with the image quality of the jpgs. I shot fully auto with whatever settings were in the camera. I did not change anything. The images were the first out of camera I've ever shot where I did not feel compelled to tinker even a little in Photoshop.
As for positives of using this camera…
1 AUTOFOCUS! Need I say more? I like my M9 and Leica lenses but sometimes it's really nice not to have to be so methodical when taking a picture;
2 despite it being a little heavier than my X2 and certainly not heavier than my M9 (with either a 28mm Summicron or 75mm Summicron on the M9 to get the same range as the XV) this camera is very comfortable in the hand. I also bought the black leather protector and found it makes holding the camera better (the little extra size and grip improved my holding the camera);
3 this camera has to weigh around a pound and using my Canon 5DM2 and a similar lens the weight would be around four pounds… BIG DIFFERENCE! When traveling this is the difference between taking a single camera along or taking two cameras along. My M9 with Noctilux plus the XV are still lighter than the Canon 5DM2 and similar lenses (50 1.2L and 24-70 f4 L);
4 the lens speed has not been an issue AT ALL! ISO up to 1600 is the same as ISO at 200; I see no difference. Even at ISO 3200 the grain is almost unnoticeable;
5 finally, the EVF is a perfect substitute for me vs. using the viewfinder of a dSLR. I've read some people complain about the low dot-count of the Leica/Olympus EVF but I've not had any kind of issue with the EVF display.
There are a few negatives…
1 this camera is a little front-heavy. When I put it down on a table and particularly since I've put the black leather protector on, the camera tips forward. I have not felt this too much when holding the camera taking pictures but I am aware of it when holding it (if that makes sense);
2 the zoom ring should be the ring closest to the camera body. why? because most of the time this camera will be used with auto focus and not manual focus and using the zoom will likely be used much more than focusing; the ergonomics are more natural with the zoom ring closet to where one holds the camera. at least this is how I use the camera;
3 if the camera autofocus misses then it seems like the camera just tunes out. One has to let go of the focus/shutter button and start the autofocus process all over again. Typically on an autofocus camera such as my X2 you only have to move the camera a little left or right while still holding the button partially down to lock onto something. I find the XV behavior a little annoying;
4 i like to move the focus square around and I do this by pressing the Focus/Delete button. On my X2 with the EVF attached if I press this button, then in the EVF I see the focus square with the little red arrows and I can move the square around while still looking through the EVF. However, on the XV with the EVF attached and I press the Focus/Delete button to move the focus square around, the EVF goes dark and all the activity has to take place on the LCD, thus causing me to take the camera away from my eye and transition into futz-mode. Very distracting! Can we say firmware upgrade issue?!
5 Finally, here's my #1 complaint… on my lowly (at least for Leica and not counting their Panasonic clones) X2 the ISO is displayed on the screen when I look through the EVF. On the XV it is not. It's a freaking computer! I don't like it when the programmers take something away! I can say this because I've been a programmer since 1974 and I know how users react when they don't get what they expected. This is clearly a firmware upgrade issue.
All told, this is a pretty cool little camera. It's Leica so price shouldn't even be taken into consideration and all the internet commenters who focus on price and red dots and their aversion to luxury goods and other misinformed objections can curl up with a good Fuji manual and read themselves to sleep. Buy this camera and enjoy it or buy something else, but stop complaining about the camera.
