RX1 for $1400.

Cowboom, also known as Best Buy, is selling the RX1 for half off, $1400. I think it's a part of their 50% off Sony that started last month. They started off selling the used ones a week ago for that, then when they ran out of used they switched over to new. It's been going in and out of stock. The question I have is the RX1 still worth it for $1400?

rx1.jpg
 
i dont understand the word 'still' in this context. when exactly was it in the technology timeline and the evolution of digital photography that a 24mp sensor coupled with superb zeiss optics got left behind?
 
arghl :) the one camera that could still defeat my best intentions of not buying a new camera...
(un)fortunately the deal is dead, but now I'll keep checking if it comes back. "Thank you" ;)
 
Drat. I knew as soon as I bought the X100T something like this would happen.

I'd take an X100T over the RX1 at the same price anyday. The fuji is just more my kind of tool. Sensor size isn't THAT much bigger, and as good as the Zeiss glass is, the Fuji's is close enough. A million little smiles in everyday use vs. less frequent moments of "Oh my god look at that file."
 
for a 35mm fixed lens camera, thus making it ideal for landscape, i personally find the xtrans sensor a muddled mess. i was an original x100 pre xtrans owner and i loved that camera and its output. i love fuji and what theyre doing on a customer service level. their glass is great. i couldnt wait to get an xp1 and was overwhelingly disappointed in the sensor, the general softness (correctible) and the muddled greens (not correctible).

as much as i loved the x100 both respecting the user experience and the results, i sold mine after trying out the rx1. there is just no comparison in focusing speed, focusing accuracy, resolution, high iso ability and the amazing amount of headroom in the files for dynamic range manipulation. imo, as good as the fuji glass is, the zeiss 35/2 is epic, and that is not hyperbole. the sony evf is industry leading. the only thing i miss from the fuji is the ovf and the distance scale.
 
I'd take an X100T over the RX1 at the same price anyday. The fuji is just more my kind of tool. Sensor size isn't THAT much bigger, and as good as the Zeiss glass is, the Fuji's is close enough. A million little smiles in everyday use vs. less frequent moments of "Oh my god look at that file."

I suspect that the RX1 would win over more people than the X100T at the same price. Not 100% of course. For most folks, the X100 is a more usable camera and the RX1 produces better IQ, especially if you pixel peep. For better or worse, I think most would favor the perceived IQ advantage. Fortunately for Fuji, comparable iterations of these two cameras will rarely be close in price.
 
i dont understand the word 'still' in this context. when exactly was it in the technology timeline and the evolution of digital photography that a 24mp sensor coupled with superb zeiss optics got left behind?

Since cameras became technology. Now they are on the same cycle as technology. The days of film where keeping a camera for decades are gone. Film cameras didn't really change that much. You put in a new sensor every time you changed rolls. Digital does.

For example, since the RX1 the A7 came out. As part of the same Best Buy sale, A7 kits were/are going in the $800 range. So even in that limited comparison, would you rather have a A7 kit for $800 or a RX1 for $1400?
 
I'd take an X100T over the RX1 at the same price anyday. The fuji is just more my kind of tool. Sensor size isn't THAT much bigger, and as good as the Zeiss glass is, the Fuji's is close enough. A million little smiles in everyday use vs. less frequent moments of "Oh my god look at that file."

Well, we all have our own calculus, but having owned both, the ONLY thing I preferred about the X100 was the hybrid viewfinder and that the viewfinder was built in. Other than that, the RX1 was at least as user friendly (to THIS user at least), felt like the most premium product I've ever held in my hand, and produced files that were a whole lot more than a little bit better than the X100S and T - better than the original too, but not by as much. I sort of grew to dislike X-Trans also - it wasn't and wouldn't be a deal breaker by itself, but it was a factor.

On the newer Fuji models, I do much prefer the auto-ISO setup to anything Sony has ever come out with - they include shutter speed control. Early models had a top minimum shutter speed of 1/125, which was basically useless, but the new ones go up to 1/500, which is good for anything short of serious long lens action shooting. Not sure if the X100/S/T firmware contains this higher shutter speed or not. But if they do, I have to give Fuji props for that over Sony...

-Ray
 
''Since cameras became technology. Now they are on the same cycle as technology. The days of film where keeping a camera for decades are gone. Film cameras didn't really change that much. You put in a new sensor every time you changed rolls. Digital does.

For example, since the RX1 the A7 came out. As part of the same Best Buy sale, A7 kits were/are going in the $800 range. So even in that limited comparison, would you rather have a A7 kit for $800 or a RX1 for $1400?
''



i fully understand the tech process and the concept of 'planned obsolescence'. my comment was tongue in cheek, in that given that process, a 24mp sensor coupled to epic zeiss glass will not become obsolete, certainly not in a year or two. there is nothing out there comparable to this sensor/lens combination, so the word 'still' is still inapposite.

to your question, ive not seen an a7 for $800, in fact the cheapest ive seen was just below $1000. eventually i'm sure it will sell for $800, but: it does not come with any lens let alone the epic zeiss 35/2, which can only be had with the rx1. adding even the less adequate zeiss 35/2.8 makes the total cost of each equivalent; it is not a silent leaf shutter; i am uncertain whether it can match the high iso ability of the rx1. thus my answer without question is the rx1.
 
i fully understand the tech process and the concept of 'planned obsolescence'. my comment was tongue in cheek, in that given that process, a 24mp sensor coupled to epic zeiss glass will not become obsolete, certainly not in a year or two. there is nothing out there comparable to this sensor/lens combination, so the word 'still' is still inapposite.

to your question, ive not seen an a7 for $800, in fact the cheapest ive seen was just below $1000. eventually i'm sure it will sell for $800, but: it does not come with any lens let alone the epic zeiss 35/2, which can only be had with the rx1. adding even the less adequate zeiss 35/2.8 makes the total cost of each equivalent; it is not a silent leaf shutter; i am uncertain whether it can match the high iso ability of the rx1. thus my answer without question is the rx1.

It's not a matter of planned obsolescence, unless it's an Apple product. It's a matter of technology advancing. I disagree that "a 24mp sensor coupled to epic zeiss glass will not become obsolete". It will most definitely become obsolete.

As I said, that A7 I was talking about was a A7 kit. So it did come with lens. If the price is the same after buying that 35mm lens you are talking, you still have the kit lens and the ability to change lenses.
 
clearly you feel one way and i another. i bet belaboring it will interest no one, including me. please remember to post when the market eclipses this product. we'll all be waiting on baited breath.

ps, if you find new a7's with lens for $800, my advice is to buy all you can find and re-sell them at a nice profit.
 
I prefer the ergos of the X100 (and the built-in viewfinder with no extra charge), but the files of the RX1 are pretty freaking ridiculous.

I regularly go back and forth between the two cameras. I love the output of the X100, but the RX1 is something a magnitude better. But then I start to compare used prices and what could I get if I needed to sell one of the cameras. When I think about resale and maybe getting around $1,400 for an RX1 or around $500 for an X100, I want to keep the X100. Maybe it's that the IQ is "close enough" when I think about real world "needs", but $1,100 is a big difference.

I guess I see it like the best APS-C cameras are great....and the RX1 is a real step up from those.....maybe huge if you're a pixel peeper geek (no malice intended), but still only a step up. The current APS-C cameras (including those going back 1-2 years) are more camera than I'll ever need. To suggest that the RX1 will ever be dated sounds frankly ridiculous. I've shot it at the top ISOs and have no issues with it. I will NEVER need better. The lens CAN NOT be improved upon.

So to the original question, yes, it is STILL worth paying half of it's retail price. There is no other camera that can do what it does. The A7 is a nice camera, but it's not the RX1.
 
What are you going to shoot with the RX1? Do you need portability vs exchanging lenses and using different lengths, etc? Do you want to keep as one camera/lens option?

RX1 lens is great, one of the best 35mm lenses ever built. However the camera af is on the slow side, maybe some due to the size of the lens. Also you need a grip/evf to get full performance which puts the camera size close to A7. RX1 has silent shutter so you can hand hold better then A7.

On the other side only af alternative lens is fe 35mm f2.8 lens which you loose a stop. Other option is adapting the manual focus lenses such as new Loxia 35mm which sells at the same price as RX1 alone and it does not match RX1's wide open performance. Other small and cheaper choices are CV 35mm/40mm 1.4, Contax g 35mm/45mm lenses, etc. Sony will be releasing a cheaper FE 28mm f2 lens in Feb/March, so you can wait and see if it will become close to RX1 performance. Sony has the capability eg both RX1/FE 55mm was designed by Sony, but the 28mm lens has the low rating/price (eg not a Zeiss or g lens). Maybe it will be a good lens since Sony is matching it with 21mm wide adapter and a fisheye. Sony FE 55mm is the equivalent of RX1 lens in A7 world and 28mm/55mm combo will make a good package. But then again price/size will add with more flexibility.

I use contax g lenses on A7R with af adapter and Contax g 45mm is one of the sharpest lenses with size of Oly 45mm 1.8. 45mm planar bokeh is not smooth as RX1 Sonnar, but sharp enough on A7R and the af speed is close with screw af adapter noise. RX1 is nearly silent in comparison, but I usually like to use other primes/ zoom lengths other then 35mm. So it depends more on your use, what you want to do with it. Other silent/fast af alternative is gm1+m43 primes which I use also. They don't match RX1 IQ, but af is much faster for street/family shots...
 
Huh, maybe why my winning bidder on eBay hasn't sent paymet on my RX1 yet. I think $1400 is a great deal for a good used RX1 and a no brainier for a new one! I think at this resale price I am just going to keep the camera.

I like my X100T, it is a fun camera to shoot and I am more comfortable throwing it in my coat pocket than I am the RX1. But, man, the RX1 files are just stunning.
 
To suggest that the RX1 will ever be dated sounds frankly ridiculous. I've shot it at the top ISOs and have no issues with it. I will NEVER need better. The lens CAN NOT be improved upon.

Frankly, statements like this have been made by people time and time again throughout history. They have always been wrong. Here's a few. I'll add yours to the list.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
"While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility."
"With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market."
"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau."
"To suggest that the RX1 will ever be dated sounds frankly ridiculous."
 
Huh, maybe why my winning bidder on eBay hasn't sent paymet on my RX1 yet. I think $1400 is a great deal for a good used RX1 and a no brainier for a new one! I think at this resale price I am just going to keep the camera.

There is at least one more to be sold. Someone returned his new one solely because it didn't come with a seal on the box. He wouldn't believe that they don't come with a seal. He didn't bother opening it to see if it was really new or not. So that one will be for sale on the website sooner or later.
 
I can imagine 2D images getting arbitrarily "better" than the RX1 files, and coming from a device that's maybe smaller and easier to use. Those would be improvements. They wouldn't render the old RX1 entirely worthless, though. Is the remaining value $1400 in that theoretical world? -shrug- Right now, that's the camera that exists, and it's a good price.
 
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