Leica C or other recommendation for street pic

[christopher_diao1]

<p>I need a compact good quality for discreet and quick street photography. Shutter lag is a concern on P/S compact camera. <br>

I am looking at the Leica C. <br>

Can anyone recommend a good quality compact with good shutter lag?</p>

[memphis1]

<p>ricoh grd series</p>

 

[tom_higgins3]

To go a bit further with what Blake said- I'd very much recommend the new Ricoh GR (with a 28mm OVF if composing on a screen isn't

your thing). It's an exceptional camera.

[Uhooru]

<p>I use the GRD too. Still love it. On version 4 now.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>For quick, compact digicams for, literally, snapshooting for candid/street photography, I can recommend only what I've actually used (and please 'scuse the non-Leica digression):</p>

<ul>

<li>The Ricoh GRD4. According to folks who've owned the GRD4 and now own the GR D with APS-C sensor, they're entirely comparable in quickness. Quick AF, quick shutter response.</li>

<li>The Nikon 1 System. In some ways it's even better than the Ricoh GRD4 at the same game for which the GRD is prized: candid street photography and, literally, snapshooting.</li>

</ul>

<p>What makes the tiny sensor digicams like the Ricoh GRD1-4 appealing is, in addition to the quick overall response, the 1/1.7" teensy sensor makes it possible to get good DOF at relatively fast apertures. Depending on the anticipated subject distance, set the aperture to f/2.8-f/4, snap focus to 1m or 1.5m, and let the DOF handle minor focus errors. If you literally snap the shutter, without giving the AF time to acquire, no problem.</p>

<p>Any teensy sensor digicam with quicker shutter response and ability to preset focus can accomplish the same thing as the Ricoh. So if you like the Leica C, just check with owners to be sure it has quick shutter response and the ability to preset or zone focus.</p>

<p>That advantage disappears with larger sensors, which is why I'm a bit leery of switching to an APS-C sensor compact like the Ricoh GRD, Nikon Coolpix A or Canon EOS M, for snapshooting. I know from using my APS-C sensor dSLR for candid snaps in public that I'd need to stop down to f/8 with my wide angle lenses to get the same DOF advantages as the 1/1.7" sensor digicams used at f/2.8-f/4. (Note that if you take time to actually let the AF do its job, this is a non-issue. I'm referring only to snapshooting, usually with preset or zone focus.) I seldom rely on shallow DOF to isolate subjects from busy backgrounds and don't care much about "bokeh". To me, the surroundings, the milieu, are desirable parts of the photo, not "distractions" to be blurred out. Not everyone shares that aesthetic, so the teensy sensor DOF advantage becomes a disadvantage to folks who like shallow DOF.</p>

<p>But... here's why I love the Nikon V1, and would enthusiastically recommend any good one-inch sensor camera like the Sony RX100. The one-inch or CX sensor offers a nice compromise between the DOF advantages of the 1/1.7" and smaller teensy sensor digicams, and the better high ISO/low noise performance of APS-C sensor cameras. Stopping down to f/4-f/5.6 usually does the trick with the V1 so that if I snap the shot without waiting for AF to acquire, no problem. It's acceptably sharp. I typically use the 10-30/3.5-5.6 kit zoom at 10mm-14mm (comparable to 28mm-35mm on 35mm film or full frame), and set the aperture to f/4. I let the smart autoexposure mode handle the rest.</p>

<p>*Almost* everything the Ricoh GRD4 does well, the <em>Nikon 1 cameras do better</em>:</p>

<ul>

<li>The EVF is excellent. Really helps to have an alternative to the arm's-length hold while trying to peer at the rear screen in bright daylight.</li>

<li>AF is quicker and more accurate even in dim lighting.</li>

<li>The shutter response is quicker.</li>

<li>The shutter release button feel is much better - the Ricoh's oblong shutter release button and mushy two-stage feel always annoy me slightly.</li>

<li>Shot-to-shot speed is quicker. The GRD4 is pretty quick, but the Nikon 1 cameras are quicker in single frame shot-to-shot speed. And in continuous shooting there's no contest - the Nikon 1 cameras offer ridiculously high framerates in electronic shutter mode (with some limitations).</li>

<li>High ISO performance is better - but not as much as I'd expected. The GRD4 is pretty darned good up to ISO 1600. My Nikon V1 is acceptable up to 3200. But I have generous tolerances for luminance noise and usually only reduce chroma noise in editing.</li>

<li>Nikon's lens-based VR is much better than Ricoh's sensor-based anti-shake. I need this, so it's a priority. If you have steady hands it's not so much a priority.</li>

</ul>

<p>Here's what the GRD4 does better:</p>

<ul>

<li>The ergonomics are sweet. Best in the compact class, hands down, no competition. Every camera manufacturer should license Ricoh's physical controls interface - except for the shutter release button, which I'm not fond of.</li>

<li>The flash. I use flash a lot. Direct flash suits my Weegee-wannabe pretensions. The GRD4 flash is incredibly good. Use it right, and it's as subtle and flattering as you could want for candid portraits, including daylight fill flash with fast shutter speeds. Use it at full pop and it's remarkably powerful. Nikon 1 system flash is way behind. The built in pop-up flashes on the J-series and S1 are puny, not as "smart" as Ricoh's auto-flash, and the slow sync is ridiculous. The V1 needs a proprietary outboard flash, which I've never bothered with.</li>

<li>In-camera JPEGs. Ricoh's creative JPEGs look great - I shoot DNG/JPEG, but seldom need to tweak the Ricoh files in post. Some GRD4 in-camera image settings are JPEG only, but still look great. Nikon's JPEGs are just oh-kay. I mostly use the Nikon V1's in-camera b&w mode with orange filter setting to lighten skin. If I shoot color with the V1 I almost always prep in Lightroom.</li>

</ul>

<p>But... here's why I don't enthusiastically recommend the Nikon 1 System: it's not a great value, unless you can find one discounted or in good used condition. I bought my V1 and 10-30 kit zoom in December 2012 from B&H for $300. That's a phenomenal value for a P&S on steroids. The heavily discounted Canon EOS M is the next best thing.</p>

<p>If you plan to use flash, the Nikon 1 System isn't a great value. The V1 needs one of the two proprietary outboard flashes. The V2's built in flash is an atrocious wart on top of the camera, instead of being smoothly melded into the top plate like the new Sony RX10. The J-series and S1 have slowpoke flash sync speeds that make them useless for daylight fill flash.</p>

<p>But if you can find a good used V1 for $300 and don't need flash, it's terrific.</p>

<p>Other than that, consider the Sony RX100. At a price comparable to the Leica C, it offers much better specs and is highly recommended by some street/candid photographers whose work I know and respect. If I could have afforded one last year I'd have bought the RX100 instead of the V1 for candid pix.</p>

[christopher_diao1]

<p>wow.. rx100 mark ii... i love the specs!!!! I will marry her!!!</p>

[ofey_kalakar]

<p>Fuji has a couple. The new XM1 or the more compact XF1</p>

[ronni]

<p>Analog :<strong>Contax T3,G2</strong><br>

<strong><a href="/equipment/contax/t3">http://www.photo.net/equipment/contax/t3</a></strong><br>

<strong><a href="/equipment/contax/g2">http://www.photo.net/equipment/contax/g2</a></strong><br>

Digital: <strong>Sony A7R...:)</strong><br>

<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-alpha-7-7r">http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-alpha-7-7r</a></p>

<p> </p>

[christopher_diao1]

<p>i have both g1 and g2... absolutely beautiful camera... but film... it's for my museum collection )<br>

i am talking about digital. in fact, that's the digital is the default.<br>

It's like when i mention sedan, of course i meant sedan automobile!</p>

[anthony_brookes5]

I looked at the Ricoh GRD amongst others but the absence of a viewfinder and the Vario Summicron lens on the Leica made it no contest. Having now used the C for a couple of months I am very happy with it and the lens is superb. The viewfinder was essential for me even though it is only electronic with not too many pixels but it makes one a lot less obvious when taking snatched pictures in public.

[jim_horst1]

<p>I like the C as well,very compact and image quality is great for a camera of this size.</p>

[Troll]

<p>What is a Leica c? Re-branded Japanese something?</p>