M9 vs GXR : which is better for street photography

VS

I own both the system and since Street photography is what i enjoyed doing, here is my personal review on the suitability and claims of these cameras for this genre.

Instead of going thru the specs of each system, i will just cut to the chase.

M9 - what users claim as the ultimate street photography tool

- small size and not intrusive like a typical Canon/Nikon DSLR

- mostly coupled with fast 50mm or 35mm and the discreet shutter mode

- full frame and 18 mp allows generous cropping and high IQ

GXR - what users claim as very suitable for street photography tool

- 28 mm at 2.5 lens

- small compact size

- APS-C sensor and 12 mp has good IQ and high ISO

Do note that Street photography i am referring to going close, say 2-5 meters away from the subject and shooting it. Those who shoot using zoom lens is not street photography, its voyeurism. I had the same misconception once and thought i was doing great street photography using the Canon SX30IS, after looking at much images i realized that its different and missing the main ingredient of street photography, getting close.

The other factor to take note is that, unless you are shooting from the hip, Street photography will be very limited. Shooting from the hip allows near zero visual hint that you are aiming a shot and hence minimizes any posing shots.

The main reason of using M9 in street photography as you can see in various Leica Forum and popular sites like Steve Huff Photo site boils down to it being discreet and the ability to cock shutter at a later time after taking a shot and smaller than DSLR size.

The GXR totally surpasses the M9 in this main point.  The leaf shutter on the GXR is so quiet that snapping it like a distance of 1 meter away in a normal environment and even a bookstore is easy. The LCD on the GXR can be turned off so that it doesn't even appear to anyone near or behind u that you are shooting anything. 

I find the M9 shutter loud in comparison and the discreet mode of cocking the shutter later is only suitable requires further effort in masquerading (you need to pretend to turn and face something else then release the shutter). The GXR could take multiple shot discreetly given the same time. The only thing you need to set on the GXR is "snap focus" and select 5 meter (or 3 if u prefer much closer shots).

When it comes to size and weight, the GXR is significantly lighter and smaller. 

What the M9 is better is the ability to have significant faster lens and the full-frame allows much better cropping and IQ. So i would think that if you want high quality shots, the M9 will deliver them and when you are not doing 100% street photography cause u saw something that you can aim at and shoot, the M9 gives you the shot that you can be happy with. 

The other advantage of M9 is the ability to change distance/zone quickly in the event you notice something else interesting and you want to quickly capture the shot. 

So in conclusion :

GXR is the ultimate street photography tool, if you are looking at discreet and size/form being the main factor. 

M9 is decent in street photography but performs much better in IQ in any situation.

The other camera that could be of interest are the Sony SLT (DSLR replacement) and NEX. If you handled a Sony SLT apsc, you notice one thing, that its very light and comparatively smaller than a Canikon, so coupled with a 35 mm 1.8 lens, it could do wonders in Street photography since the shutter is also very quiet. In fact its more quiet than the M9. 

Updated : jafleming3 (dpreview, leica forum) pointed out that X1 is an even better tool if one were to consider package sized and discreet. The claim is that X1 can set manual focus to 3 or 5 m and the LCD turned off while shooting from the hip. So there you go. 

There is also now the M-Module A12 for GXR. Early users report indicates that not only you can use any M-mount lens but the shutter is SUPER quiet. X1 vs GXR ? That i will leave to those who are lucky enough to own both the system to provide comparison. 

Updated : Harold66 (dpreview nick) have offered other views in support of M9. You can find his posts here : http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1013&message=39433937

Sample images of shooting from the hip :

Here is a shot i took using M9 today, from the hip at F2.0 and 5 meter. The ISO is high though cause this is indoor. 

Also on the M9, but using F/1.7, shot from the hip, indoor.

---

Here are some using GXR, 5m snap focus.

Buying cameras online, is it worth it?

My favourite shop is ylcamera.com.my a shop in pudu plaza where i can find anything i want at a good price. The guy running the show, Desmond, is smart young guy that pretty much knows what he is doing and have recently expanded another outlet in PJ.

But there are times when something i wanted just can't be found here. I very much prefers to buy locally anything i want even if the price is 10-15% more but gears like Sigma SD15 and Leica are not one of those. Sigma cameras are unknown to the public in malaysia and no marketing activities are done, so when i wanted Sigma SD15 (a DSLR with foveon sensor), i had to import from BHphoto.com.

The other gears whose pricing don't make sense here are the Leica's. I am referring to new gears, used gears you can pretty much source around. I love the Leica outlet in Ampang, its a beautiful outlet and i also met a veteran there, an elderly guy who have the patience to explain to people what are rangefinders. But i can't say the same for the pricing. I made a call to the Leica outlet but i felt the routine and mediocre response i get in negotiation for a good buy is pointless.

If you check shashinki, a local online shop, you will find the leica's are around 16% cheaper than the Ampang outlet, that translates to a whopping RM 3.5k, enough to be used to buy a decent lens. (i dont buy from shashinki, just a comparison example)

Sometimes you just have to risk and act as a vote against the local prices by buying online.
When the price of what you pay online + priority shipping is still 20% cheaper than what you get here, the option is clear. I do suggest that you negotiate with your local shops first, if the price higher but acceptable, by all means buy locally.

This is an example of transcript from FEDEX, a typical route u can expect to see if you track your online order via BHphoto and priority delivery (USD  270). UPS priority is cheaper, around USD 200, but the items travels to 2-3 more countries before reaching Malaysia.

There are no tax for cameras, but you can be taxed for batteries and filter kit, that is what i assumed since even if you order something around RM 6k, u get only RM 87 tax.

There are times when you need to jump to the next level

As in all things in life, once a while u wake up and decides that you need to do something very different. Do something u really like.

So what is it that i like in photography.

Answer : Street photography.

What camera is good for street photography, my GXR.

What camera is the ultimate for street photography?

Hmm.. a fullframe camera with a fast 50 mm lens? (update : there are other basic requirements and after those are considered, it comes to this)

Ok. That is exactly what i am talking about. I am gonna break my bank (so to speak) and get a camera that if fullframe and a fast 50mm lens.

This site will then be wholly re-dedicated to that objective in mind.

No more Nokia edof, DP2, GXR. Just street photography and hopefully images that will inspire many and transfer meaning that i see in daily life.

Nokia EDOF : Crap camera in the hands of a hobbyist (but nice models :-))

Using the Nokia EDOF but with the intention of capturing images solely for blogspots and facebook. How did it fared? Judge the samples yourself.

Loneliness

Some images taken at The Loaf. The business at this cafe here is kind of lukewarm and often i find it empty. So yesterday i decided to use that to capture the "loneliness" feeling of a person dining alone.

All taken using the GXR 28mm.

GXR The 28 mm

Well folks, recently i just came back from Phuket @ Panwa near Makham Bay. Guess which camera
i bring this time around?

Frankly, i have not been using the DP2 ever since i got the SD15, this is because the SD15 with OS lens could take far more indoor shots than possible with DP2 without a gorilla pod.

However for this round, i decided to bring the GXR :-) upon returning back to Malaysia, i have decided that the GXR is indeed a system WORTH investing in. I did make one mistake though, i tried using the "Toy cam" on the new UI on the GXR, while it looked great on the LCD, it sucks terribly when viewed on larger screen, the "purple" outline is everywhere.

I also tried both 16:9 format and 1:1. This was the reason i bought the 28 mm after some consideration when i returned back from Thailand, the 16:9 lacks DSLR quality when applied, the 1:1 however rocks!
Hence for wider angle, i need the 28 mm.

The P10 performed very well too! There was this tornado/cyclone that was visible from the ship we were on near Pipi Island and needless to say, that kindla freaked out some folks on board. The p10 managed to zoom in to capture some shots which the 50mm nor the 28 mm could.

Nokia EDOF

Nokia released N8 which is the “king” of mobile phone cameras. Although for practical use it does not perform as good as a normal compact despite having a larger sensor, it is still the King of mobile camera.
Now for some reason, in Nokia’s new line-up E7, C7, instead of using the N8 camera, nokia came out with a new one of which is known as “EDOF” or “full focus” camera. The idea is that it takes sharp pictures where everything is in focus from 50cm to infinity. Some argue that this is similar to those old crappy fix lens camera with small apertures.

From my experience, 50cm is kinda low, i still can't get clear images but 100 cm is more like it. Also do note that the next generation of EDOF is already available in DXO that could shoot 10cm - infinity with twice the performance of this one, but no news on Nokia yet as to when they might use this new generation of edof sensors.

Now back to the existing Edof as in C7,E7,C6...
Is there more to it than just marketing gimmick? See the samples below, u tell me!
Taken on Nokia C7-00 EDOF.

Nokia N8 Zealot - A case of over zealous

Today i saw a weird reply on facebook about how "N8 have the biggest sensor and better than all compacts". I replied by correcting his assumption that there are other compacts like S95,S90,LX3,LX5,Oly XZ having similar sized sensors and yet performs much better. Apparently he
thought his N8 is smaller than S95 as well -.- and that N8 performs like an entry-level dslr.

As the discussion went on...he claims :-
- compacts are dead
- Image stabilization are only for telephoto
- Canon/nikon/digital photography school description of Image stabilization usefulness in lowlight is bogus and misleading

Well, once the zealot starts getting personal and giving me labels, i decided to stop wasting my time.

Now for any readers here who is thinking of getting the N8 to replace a compact, just bear in mind the following :-

1. Sensor size is just part of an equation. Lens, processing engine, UI matters.
2. N8 have no image stabilization and the f is around 2.8, so low-light shooting it would not be able to compare to compacts that have IS. That basically means almost any compact today.
3. N8 have no variable aperture, so basically ur stuck with that 2.8, now use that on a group photo with that and see how others are blurred.
4. N8 is nowhere near entry level dslr. Read this : http://www.nokiaviews.com/2010/06/about-nokia-n8-image-sensor.html
Basically any entry level dslr even the old ones produces 10x image quality than the N8.
5. N8 have quirky interfaces, eg getting to the scene mode needs 5 taps. Zzzz
6. No optical zoom, yada. While most compacts optical zoom are no big deal either but it does
helps ALOT when all u needed is that extra reach.

Having said that, is the N8 a crappy camera? No, its the best mobile camera we have to-date but just don't let those fanboyish fever screws up your head. Nokia new line-up decides to go with the EDOF camera instead of N8, so we are left to see if there will be a good succession to N8 and hopefully iron out some of the issues above.

Perhaps in the near future, all compacts will be like DSLR and mobile cameras will be like a good compact and all DSLRs will like medium format kinda resolution or maybe SD1 change the world and it doesn't matter.

Here is a portrait taken using a compact with 1/2.33 in a Nikon roadshow @ midvalley today.

GXR update 1.33 Firmware

Wow, the X100 sure is hot nowadays. My friend sold off his D90 and bought one. Just the other day he was showing me how good it was in  Subang Empire. We passed by Boeing Photo and saw 2 units there and was surprised it was selling at below retail price.
I posted this news on Dpreview and guess what...next day both unit was sold off.

Now surely Ricoh didn't just sit quietly while all the news focuses on the 4/3rds and X100 right? They added some fun stuff to the firmware for creative shooting and the update was released on 28th March.
Btw, the sensor in X100 is the same in GXR 50/28 mm A12, so its not a wonder that they all produce nice sharp output. Although it can never be as sharp as a Sigma/Foveon but they also have much less limitation in using it, esp in high iso.

So how did the new firmware perform? Check out some of the images taken with some of those new modes (mini, toy).

Toy mode - as seen on iphone/android fun cameras


Mini mode - taken thru a tinted glass (hence the dark colors)


Mini mode - taken thru a tinted glass (hence the dark colors)


Normal standard mode

Street Photography

Street photography shows a lot about the people around us.
In the most natural way, you get to see people in their relaxed expression and antics.

For this purpose i got myself a Canon SX30IS so that i can take these shots from far away without getting anyone uncomfortable or alerted. The last thing you want is to have someone posing for you.

Although the IQ of this superzoom compact sucks, nevertheless it allows me to take photos which otherwise would have been impossible.

A letter to my friends....

Here is a letter i just wrote to 2 of my friends. I will be ditching out this advice to all my friends.


Hi,

Try not to assume anything and read until finish as much as some content here is nothing new.

I wrote this with one intention in mind. Help my buddies save money and get the best camera.
As you all know i have acquired some cameras and finalize on the Foveon which i deemed as providing the sharpest
and most satisfactory image. But as some of you are also aware, it have some limitations on low light scenarios although i find
them not such an issue.

On the other hand having a great sensor is just 30% of the real story. That is what this writeup is about.
Yes, sensors are only 30% of the equation to a great camera, not even 50%.
What are the other factors that i find very important?

First of all, let us agree on one thing, none of us here are professional photographers and most likely will never be one. This writeup
is not for professional of which u have no choice but to use a full frame dslr.

- sensor
30%. As mentioned having dslr quality sensor is important as "physics" make things like "bokeh" and other qualities impossible if you use a
small sensor. There is an exception to this though...which i will mention later.

- lens
Yup this is another 30% of the equation. No matter how good your sensor or camera seems to be, the Lens will be your limiting
factor. How important is this? If your lens is not meant for macro for eg, u will have crap macro shots no matter how good your camera is.
If your lens have no zoom capability you can forget about taking certain shots that a crap sensor with longer reach optical zoom could take.
And a slow lens makes low light usage sucks, a fast lens eg 1.8 or 1.4 makes low light usage much better.
This means if u got an DSLR sensor but a lousy lens, ur image will end up looking like a compact camera with a moderate lens.

- mobility
30%
This is where ilyas can smile all day long for sticking to this. As much as i hate to admit, carrying a DLSR around is not really productive
especially if the trip you have is on a same place (Eg a beach or a fix location). It is much better used if you move around diff locations which makes
the shot worthy of the dslr. On the other hand, shooting models or family portraits using dslr is a bliss but that is more like "shooting session" instead
of short trips or vacation. So Cy is right on this, carrying a dslr around if you go to Sg or some not so exotic place isn't really fun.

Now for the conclusion. If any of you jokers ever plan to get a camera. Get a 4/3 camera. Ilyas, u may argue that if u get something like 4/3 u might
as well get dlsr, well, that is not an accurate reasoning. This year alone, all the major glass makers, Carl Weiss, Sigma, M.Sch, Leica all pledge to support
4/3 lenses. 4/3 uses a sensor that is at least 3-4 times bigger than the best compact but smaller that a dslr, but since its smaller, smaller lenses can also
be made to fit it. I would say the output of a 4/3 is perfect for non-professional and the mobility factor is not much diff than a compact at all, minus
the limitations of any compact.

4/3 pledges : Sigma
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1102/11020915sigmacsclenses.asp

4/3 pledges : Carl Zeiss
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1102/11020718zeissjoinsmicrfourthirds.asp

4/3 pledges : Schneider
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1102/11020405schneiderkreuznachmicrofourthirds.asp

These cameras are now known as EVIL. I believe there are rumors that Nikon and Canon will be joining in soon.

So, if u ever going to get another camera, get a 4/3. As for me, its going to be a LONG wait since i Sigma won't be releasing
a 4/3 camera....maybe GXR might have hope for a 4/3 mount....

- cheers

Beautiful houses @ Puchong Sky Villa

Today i visited a new housing area @ puchong. Its called Sky Villa. It was around 1pm and i looked up the sky and for that fleeting instance i notice this view. There are no special effects applied to it. The pole on the left is a lightning pole, its located just behind one of these houses.

These new houses are just beautiful. Pricey but beautiful.







Here is a view from the back of one of the house. It can oversee some parts of Puchong.




The first photo was such a decisive moment shot that i will be submitting it to a contest.
Apparently there is a X100 contest.
Refer to here