[jon404]

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It is a joy to use...

That's what it's all about! Sounds like you've got a winner.

[kshapero]

My Pimped MX-1

[MX1_fanboy]

Until Adobe gets a camera profile for the MX1 would highly recommend all owners check out the trial version of DxO Optics 8 if they haven't already.

It'll auto-correct all your distortion and whatnot. Plus it's a great processor to boot - able to recover shadows/highlights with very little noise, best sharpening tool I've ever used and the film simulation packs are fantastic. I'm actually now using it in place of Lightroom now as my first (and often only) stop workflow stop.

Absolutely LOVE the MX1. First time I've been free of the DSLR bulk in years and it's a great feeling.

Got a cheap Chinese knock off case on eBay to hang it around the neck with side mounted straps. Works fine, looks great and can't complain about the price.

[JohnTaylor]

There are a lot of harsh opinions about the MX-1. I really think many of you are just naysayers, negative people.

There's a lot of variety in this enthusiatic compact camera class. Many say the Sony RX100 is very good, and from opinions, it is. But no one seems to mention the much faster glass the MX-1 has- at 110mm (35mm equiv)- it's f4.9 for the Sony, for the Canon s95/100/110, but it's just 2.5 for the MX-1. For so called self proclamed experts with big bruising opinions, why didn't you notice this? It's a big difference in low light! When I take it hiking one minute it's bright sun, the next it's all shadows and sunlight is cut by 50% even though it's still 4pm as the light is cut off by the overhead canopy! f4.9 at 100-112mm means slow shutter speed. f2.5 means---> great normal sharp photos!

And as for the Olympus, let me say that in my hands I find Pentax ergonomics far superior to the XZ-2 or the OM-D EM-5 which I own- Olympus seems to love tiny teeny weeny buttons with ledges right next to them which makes them harder to press. The LCD is also more fiddly to tilt out than the Pentax. Did anyone else notice the Olympus is also more expensive?

And what is it with you people going on about no viewfinder and flash hotshoes? When you walk out into the real world, how many people have dlsr flashes on compact cameras? Besides some hobbiests....zip, nada,zero. The fact you know one person who might hook up a flash unit which is larger than the camera itself does not mean the other 7.8 billion potential customers would really be interested in such a feature.

In fact, are you people aware that it's the 21st century now? If a viewfinder was so incredibly important, why do more than 1000,000,000 people use the screens of their mobile phones and digital cameras to take photos-without complaint! Now I like using a viewfinder- but don't try to point it out and by self important.

I love my MX-1. The vintage style is great and the lens really saves the day in many situations where light is less than optimal. I'd love a larger sensor but it has so many features that if you're not getting the results you want, you probably aren't holding it steady enough, or haven't found the right function, or you've forgotten to turn off the previous function (Like how I tried to take hiking photos of my friends last weekend while still set in macro mode!)

The only quibbles I have are that there's not enough buttons to customise functions (I'm used to the dslr's and even the X-5 has more customization- it's 60% cheaper!) and the lens cap really cheapens the classy retro/vintage look.

Ok- I've written a slightly more ranting type message than I intended, but I wanted to defend my camera and attack the attackers. Let the unlikes begin.

[jon404]

@JohnTaylor ... good point about the 110mm f/2.5 as compared to my RX100's f/4.9. You are absolutely right about this... as you said, in low light, it really helps. On the RX100, you can can get it down to f/1.8 wide-open... and then just pray you can crop to simulate what the MX-1 can do at 110mm f/2.5. That was Sony's design tradeoff in order to have a very small shirt-pocket camera.

As for a viewfinder. Must say, that for sports, for action photography like airplanes -- get one of Pentax's fine DSLRs, like my K-30, or the new K-500 (what a deal!). That OVF makes all the difference in the world. The MX-1, just like the RX100 or even the Pentax K-01, just won't work well for tracking fast action in bright daylight. You can work around this by using a Hoodman loupe... but it's just not as good as a DSLR. On the positive side, if you like baseball, take that MX-1 to a night game, and spend the money to buy seats close to home plate. You'll be able to anticipate the action well enough, and you can see the screen perfectly at night.

As for the flash hotshoe... you're right about that also. On a pocket camera, you just don't need it. Want an off-camera flash? Get a Yong-Nuo 560 II and trigger it with the little flash on the camera. Works indoors but not in outside daylight where the sun washes out the IR reception. But for serious flash work, you'd use a DSLR anyway, with PocketWizards. Best tool for the job... just like your MX-1 is a great tool for low-light street photography!

Nothing wrong with your rant. Funny how each camera is a design compromise. If people just took a few minutes to think why their camera has a certain set of features... to get inside the intentions of the camera designers... they would probably appreciate what they have a lot more. And also appreciate the choices made by others!

[kshapero]

@JohnTaylor ... good point about the 110mm f/2.5 as compared to my RX100's f/4.9. You are absolutely right about this... as you said, in low light, it really helps. On the RX100, you can can get it down to f/1.8 wide-open... and then just pray you can crop to simulate what the MX-1 can do at 110mm f/2.5. That was Sony's design tradeoff in order to have a very small shirt-pocket camera.

As for a viewfinder. Must say, that for sports, for action photography like airplanes -- get one of Pentax's fine DSLRs, like my K-30, or the new K-500 (what a deal!). That OVF makes all the difference in the world. The MX-1, just like the RX100 or even the Pentax K-01, just won't work well for tracking fast action in bright daylight. You can work around this by using a Hoodman loupe... but it's just not as good as a DSLR. On the positive side, if you like baseball, take that MX-1 to a night game, and spend the money to buy seats close to home plate. You'll be able to anticipate the action well enough, and you can see the screen perfectly at night.

As for the flash hotshoe... you're right about that also. On a pocket camera, you just don't need it. Want an off-camera flash? Get a Yong-Nuo 560 II and trigger it with the little flash on the camera. Works indoors but not in outside daylight where the sun washes out the IR reception. But for serious flash work, you'd use a DSLR anyway, with PocketWizards. Best tool for the job... just like your MX-1 is a great tool for low-light street photography!

Nothing wrong with your rant. Funny how each camera is a design compromise. If people just took a few minutes to think why their camera has a certain set of features... to get inside the intentions of the camera designers... they would probably appreciate what they have a lot more. And also appreciate the choices made by others!

Agree with both of you. I might add that an anti glare screen on the LCD makes outdoor shooting excellent. Now if I could just make it physically larger for those time when folks don't take me seriously. LOL

[Shawn67]

I think the HDR section in the review may be mistaken. Looks like the HDR mode takes three exposures (maybe with the electronic shutter) and merges them. This can be seen in a high motion picture such as this one...



Shawn

[Richjac]

Despite the decidedly mixed reaction to the MX-1 on this forum, I ordered one on Black Friday to go along with my K-30 / 18-135 kit. For $249 and using the same battery, why not? After lugging the DSLR to the family Thanksgiving dinner to take snapshots, I needed something a bit more portable that will still exceed the quality of everyone else's iPhone pictures. I have owned and used several compacts - S90, XZ-1, LX7... but none were as satisfying to handle and use as a DSLR. I'm hoping that the MX-1 will complement the K-30 very nicely.

[mrNewt]

@Richjac... you will love it!

I received mine last night and here is some sacrilege... I love it a little more than the K-01... and a "little, little more" than my K-5 that I've recently parted with.

One thing I discovered is that while it doesn't have a hot shoe for the external flashes, you CAN use the small flash to trigger external flashes. Been playing with the settings last night and it just works beautifully with my cheap Yongnuo speedlights.
I've put camera in aperture priority, popped the flash and reduced it to -2 then turned the speedlights on and set them on S1.

Only issue I had (and I am guessing is the fault of the speedlights!?) is when using the flashes at full strength they didn't sync with the camera... not sure how to explain it but the Yongnuo speedlights I have are the first generation and is showing the power of the flash with a certain number of LED lights. When they were set on the last two LED lights, they don't sync with the camera (same shutter speed - 125) - not sure of the reason why.

And for an extra kick... turn the ND filter and highlight corrections on while playing with the speedlights. My eyes went "WOOOOT!?".
Yes, I am very excited with this little camera !

So, considering the above, no hot shoe makes complete sense to me on the MX-1!

The writing speeds while using RAW+ are not as bad as some people are mentioning... I didn't find the extra second I had to wait disturbing.
As a matter of fact, I'm getting the message only when trying to fiddle with the settings right after I take the picture. Once is set and I do not touch the settings, it works without pauses between shoots.

Oh and that IQ on the MX-1... to die for... very pleasantly surprised and I've been testing it in low light conditions only so far!
I'll take it out for a stroll today and see what it can do in daylight.

My advice, don't dismiss this camera until you actually played with it properly... it CAN perform.
Is not perfect... but this little thing can perform.

So, today I am the proud owner of "two ugly ducklings" that perform very well from my point of view... and the third one is on its way (can't wait to see what it can do).
I will come back in a few weeks to post some pics once I get to know the camera better and I also get the extra stuff I've ordered to add a touch of personality to it.
So far, the camera is A+ in my books...

[Steve.Ledger]

Mine [with free FLU card] is on a truck pointing my way...
This completes my PENTAX family....

[Richjac]

Well I was wrong on one point - the battery is not the same as the K-30. One more clunky charger, but I can live with that.

[Mooey]

Love the camera, ideal for walking around with.

[Steve.Ledger]

Very happy with my Silver MX-1
To the point that my K-01 is up for sale.

[cali92rs]

Now that it is $199, I am seriously tempted. Is it really a "go everywhere" camera?

[Adam]

Now that it is $199, I am seriously tempted. Is it really a "go everywhere" camera?

It's not quite as pocketable as the GR, but it's quite small when the lens is collapsed. At $199 it's definitely a steal (don't miss the Adorama deal!).