It took a year to do this comparison, but I’m glad I returned the Leica and stuck with the Fuji X-T1. Here’s the original post of the Leica X Type 113.
The Leica costs $2,000, has a 35mm equivalent lens, and shoots the majority of the time at f/2.8. That’s the camera I shot with at the NW Chocolate Festival in 2014. Here are some photos from that event (out of camera JPEGS) — reposted from the review above:
By comparison, the X-T1 costs $1,299. However, the lenses that I shot with cost $999 for the 16mm f/1.4 and $599 for the 35mm f/1.4. If you were to just buy the camera and one lens, it’s not too far off of the price from the Leica. Here are the out of camera JPEGs from 2015’s NW Chocolate Festival. The chocolate festival was in the same location as last year, and thus the lighting for the interior shots should be darn near the same. The outdoor shots are also around the same area, same time of day, and similar weather.
Which set of images do you like better? I prefer the Fuji colors, although I do like the contrast of the Leica too. The Fuji lenses are truly f/1.4 which allows for great bokeh. Also, I really like the way the 16mm f/1.4 allows you to get close to the action. More than half of these images were truly shot at f/1.4. Take that Leica!
From a camera feel and usability standpoint, the X-T1 feels much more solid in the hand, the lenses are made better, it has an integrated EVF, and is much more responsive. The Leica feels cheap by comparison, the lens isn’t a constant f/1.7, and it’s no where’s near as user friendly.
I’m mad at Leica, but I still like their optical formulas. Even though, I might not be buying a Leica anytime soon, I am very happy with their Panasonic branded / Leica designed lenses for the GX8.
