I bought this camera in May 2010. Given the retail price, it took some time for me to make the leap (I am not rich). Prior purchasing this camera, I had been using DSLRs including Nikon D40, D90, Pentax K100D Super among others. Needed something light and small with out sacrificing image quality. While M4/3 format has plenty of capable offerings (Panasonic GF1, Olympus Pen) I was/am less than convinced that the is a thing Need be to purchase. With Sony Nex, garden of small cameras with DSLR like image quality has increased of which this will last each of us.

Now onto the Leica X1:

I purchased this camera heavily in the last four months and have absolutely bought out 4,000 shots. Inside recent holiday to Europe I took over 2,000 pictures in 8 days. To stop reading at this moment and obtain to your in a nutshell, here you go: This camera's image quality is stunning. The important points, sharpness, colors and tonality is astounding. It surpasses my Nikon D40/ + Nikon 35mm f/1.8D combination because of a wide margin (yes, I realize that D40 is 4 5 times cheaper). The output of one's X1 easily matches Nikon D300/D300S.

Details:

Now that we all have covered image quality, i want to speak about alternative activities.

Away from camera JPGs: Usable, such as the reflect what this camera is in a position of. If you are a JPG shooter, never bother with this camera.

DNG (RAW) Quality: The X1 is king kong here. Processed properly in Lightroom (which is certainly contained in the price of X1), the resultant output of your DNGs is solely breathtaking. It would not even be a stretch to imply that X1 can certainly stand upto companies Canon 5D Mk II at lower ISO (100 400). A person of mine, that's a professional photographer remarked the fact that outout within the X1 boasts a cinema like feel.

AF Accuracy: Very accurate. Accumulate, the spot focus mode is rather impressive and allows you to have a pin point concentration on a dot if you would like.

Color Accuracy: Spot on. When participating in Germany, I stopped in the camera dealer. These were demonstrating comparison shots (actual prints, not on screen) taken with the X1, G11, D90 and the like taken under same conditions. The image was a a building across the street and so i often see in the real world exactly what the subject looks like. X1 had essentially the most accurate output: it's just one camera to experience captured accurately very light pink tinge of color the wall of your building. Average been there all white.

Metering: The same as AF, very precise. Spot metering means that you can meter based on a microscopic area.

Shutter Noise: Very quiet. Perfect for shooting in church, museums or other places where shutter click sounds are frowned upon. So quiet believe it or not that X1 behaves as a "false" acoustic signal to simulate shutter click I save this disabled.

High ISO Quality: Upto ISO 800 is perfect. ISO 1600 from X1 is better than ISO 800 output of amateur DSLRs as well as the latest M4/3s. I've got taken some okay ISO 1600, long exposure (4sec, 8 sec even more) shots of Niagara Falls during the nighttime using the X1: this camera just doesn't get noisy. X1 maxes out at ISO 3200 the industry bit noisy but usable and far much better than manufacturers GF1 or Olympus Pen M4/3rs. With the compact camera world, Sony Nex will be the only real challenger towards X1 in high ISO output quality right now.

Zoom this really to check if you will be reading carefully. X1 does not have any zoom.

Usability / weight: X1 really shines here this combined with the image quality would be the most essential reason to access the X1. Dedicated buttons for speed, aperture, ISO, AF, WB, etc make changing settings extremely fast. Grip is fine and I haven't felt the necessity of the separate hand grip that Leica sells separately. One handed operation set up. I have got done endless hours of shooting with one hand when it absolutely was raining about the recent trip and I had an umbrella in one hand and also the X1 in other. Try by using a DSLR. I merely cannot imagine seeing much DSLR and lenses now (unless I became a professional and did wedding shoots or other paid assignments that require a lot of gear).

AF Speed / Writing speed: As covered in various reviews on numerous websites, the AF speed is slow. There may be quite a lag once you press the shutter and also time that it takes to the camera to capture the shot and write it in to the Facts. If AF speed/writing speed is key it eventually, don't purchase this camera.

Writing mode: DNG (RAW) + JPG or JPG only. It is really quite strange you cannot choose DNG only mode. In my case, I capture both DNG and JPG. Which has a JPG allows me to experience a reference point when processing DNGs.

Image Stabilization (IS): Inferior along with cameras with optical stabilization. Take part in to work with. My Canon S90 contains a much superior IS. If IS is recommended for you, get a tripod and not counting on the X1's IS. I keep IS switched off.

Life of the battery: average. If you are hoping to carry out a full day's valuation on shooting, an alternate battery can be described as must. You are able to good non OEM batteries from eBay for $20 or possibly even longer. Whilst in pay over $90 for "original Leica" battery.

Flash power: Inadequate for shots that require it as a primary method to obtain illumination. Would not bother me when i rarely do shoots that rely on an excellent flash. X1's flash is adequate for fill purposes.

Quality: Good. Not stellar, but good.

Overall:

A camera's sole purpose is almost always to take photographs of course , if final image quality in a package certainly is the deciding factor then X1 may be the king on the hill to date. Strange as it might sound, I find myself that this main contender with this space is a Sony Nex Assuming that Sony may come at the top of the best lens that basically does justice towards excellent sensor belonging to the Nex series. X1 shouldn't be for your needs if you would like tons of "features" in a camera: Panasonic and Sony would have been a better fit you if you wish "features".

Buy the X1 if you happen to must have a small camera with top quality image quality currently. On the contrary, for people with a half way decent camera already, then wait till the christmas season I'm expecting/hoping that Sony or another sort of independent lens maker happens track of a good lens selection in the Nex that would narrow the gap while using the X1. In any case, my X1 is a keeper mainly because of fantastic images it consists of allowed me to capture which is to be treasured for evere ?. Personally i think liberated by absence to be concerned about changing lenses, zooming or "features". I just now take my X1 you have to shooting.