Category Archives: Photography

Marco Arment on the Leica M9

Marco Arment on the Leica M9

It’s funny reading a legit tech guru like Marco on one of my areas of expertise. Not that he pretends to be something he’s not; he just doesn’t “get” why a serious professional photographer [with serious money] would invest in a Leica system, and it’s amusing to see him try.

It’s the glass, silly. (Not just the 35mm f/2, either. And it’s certainly not about landscape performance.) Oh.. and the full-frame sensor in that tiny body. But mostly, it’s the glass.

He does get one thing semi-right: the M9 sensor is “disappointing” at high ISO’s. Then again, “disappointing” is subjective; I reckon I’d settle for Leica high-ISO grain if I could find the money for a full Leica system.

I can’t say I’m unhappy with my “rangefinder”-EVF-hybrid Fujifilm X system, though. Its high-ISO performance is breathtaking, and its price point is as diminutive as its size.

You should rent an X-Pro1 next, Marco.

Why Canon’s EOS M sucks

A couple of days ago, Canon announced their first contribution to the mirrorless camera market.

They’re calling it the EOS M. As far as I can tell, the only good thing about it is the sensor size (APS-C, or 1.6 crop – in the same ballpark as Fujifilm’s X100 and X-Pro1, and significantly larger than micro-4/3’s). The new 22mm f/2 lens looks alright too.

Some photographers will love the compatibility with Canon’s EF and EF-S lenses (via a $200 adapter, mind you). Then again, all of those lenses dwarf the camera, and most of us expect mirrorless systems to be diminutive. Right?

The touch screen might eventually be a game changer for Canon (assuming it’s well-implemented), but on this camera, it comes at the expense of finger-friendly control dials and configurable buttons. I guess you don’t need those when there’s NO VIEWFINDER. (Oh sorry … were you hoping to use this camera outdoors? You’re going to need one of these. What touch screen?)

For $800-odd, you’d expect something smarter than this from Canon, especially given the maturity of mirrorless cameras by Fujifilm, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic.

(Not that Nikon have done any better so far.)