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User comments btil June 2003

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Hello!

Could anyone who have used the new C3 comment on your views of this camera's performance? This would indeed help those who are considering buying it.

Thanks.

Sylvester
 
> > Could anyone who have used the new C3 comment on your views of this > camera's performance? This would indeed help those who are considering > buying it.

-------------------------------------------------------

Yes, I have a C3 and I really like it. I have had several similar focal length point and shoot cameras, including the Olympus Stylus 80W (28-80), the Rollei Prego 90 (28-90), Rollei Prego 100WA (28-100). I find the C3 to be every bit as good as the Prego 90, and far better than the others. The Prego 90 and C3 both have fantastic optics and make for beautiful images on negative or slide film. I think the Prego 90 has a slightly better focusing system, as it appears to make sharper pictures more often in lower light, but in bright light, or when the C3 gets the focus right, they are both equally outstanding. The C3 is a bit smaller and much more attractive than the Prego 90, and of course it is also in current production, whereas the Prego 90 has long since been discontinued. The C3 has become my favorite P&S when I do not need a really small camera, and the active focus is a real benefit to me for lower light situations - though it sacrifices the close-focus capabilities that most passive AF cameras have nowadays. The flash on the C3 is surprisingly powerful, even with ISO 200 film it carries quite a bit farther than my other cameras of similar size.

In summary, I think the C3 is a great camera, capable of fantastic images. It focuses fast, though it is not always as accurate as I would like, and it handles all of my point and shoot needs quite well. It looks great and works fast too, both important attributes to me. I think it is a bit overpriced for what it provides, and if money is an issue and looks are not, I would recommend the Rollei Prego 90 (with Schnieder lens) instead, if you can find a used in the $150 range. I have yet to try the famed Yashica T4 zoom, but as it has passive AF I am not so anxious - I have had bad experiences with passive AF on such tiny lenses... The C3 has a lot of stiff competition, and in Leica tradition it is not very competitively priced, however like other Leica cameras, it is excellent and a real pleasure to use.

I hope that this has been of some assistance, feel free to ask any specific questions!

- marc
 
Re: C3 focusing:
Marc Attinasi on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 8:35 am wrote:

"when the C3 gets the focus right... " and
"It focuses fast, though it is not always as accurate as I would like"

Marc, can you elaborate on your problems with the C3 autofocus? Is the AF center-weighted or multi-point? Thanks.
- John McCormack
 
> Re: C3 focusing: > Marc Attinasi on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 8:35 am wrote: > > "when the C3 gets the focus right... " and > "It focuses fast, though it is not always as accurate as I would like" > > Marc, can you elaborate on your problems with the C3 autofocus? Is the > AF center-weighted or multi-point? Thanks. > - John McCormack

I believe that it is center-weighted, or maybe a spot AF system. I just use the little area in the middle as the focus point, lock focus (and AE), recompose and shoot. The process is simple, and what I use with all of my P&S cameras that offer AF / AE lock. The problem is, the C3 seems to miss focus sometimes. Maybe I am not positioning the focus point correctly, or maybe I am not letting it 'lock' focus - heck I guess it is possible I am somehow releasing focus lock when I recompose - but I am inclined to think that the focus area is not where it says it is in all cases. The result, for me, is a few shots per roll that are less sharp than I would like.

Don't get me wrong, the camera is really good, but I am very picky about AF cameras because, well, I have to be - I don't get the opportunity to focus for myself so the camera has to do it right (not every time, just the times that count!). The good part about the C3 is that it focuses very fast, even in low light, and has NEVER made me miss a shot because it had not focused quickly enough. This is in contrast to some other cameras (with passive AF) that forbid exposure without focus lock and while they lazily try to focus my moment passes by... that really irritates me.

I wonder if anyone else has seen the less than stellar AF performance that I have seen. I wonder if it is due to the fact that I use slow film and hence tend to use the lens wide-open (I presume)? Anyway, that is what I experience.

- marc
 
Re:" I am inclined to think that the [C3] focus area is not where it says it is in all cases."

This may be the case. T3 users have reported the same situation with the AF on some T3s - the AF point is actually a point to the right and lower than the framing lines.

You could test your C3 for this error by pointing the camera to an area about 5 meters distant that contains only one vertical object, a sign post or light pole, for ex&le. See if the AF locks when pointed directly at the subject/object or whether it locks when you point the camera slightly to the left or right of the object. Worth a shot, so to speak.
 
I wonder if the C3 actually has a spot autofocus? On the leica website, the C2 is stated to have multi-spot AF, spot AF, and manual infinity. While the C3 is only stated to have Autofocus and manual infinity.
If that is really the case, then that may explain Marc's problems with locking focus and repositioning shots?
 
I'm a bit confused by this discussion - could someone enlighten me please. I have a C3 and find the focus to work well. The manual suggests that you put your subject in the frame in the centre and then lock this focus if necessary. This implies spot AF (it certainly does not have the wide area AF like the C2). I suppose the debate could be whether this frame is correctly aligned with the AF sensor and how well it copes with different focus points within the small frame.

Is this the issue under discussion? If so I'm not sure how the latest comment relates to this.
 
> (snip) > I suppose the debate could be > whether this frame is correctly aligned with the AF sensor and how > well it copes with different focus points within the small frame.

Yes, my original issue with the C3 AF was that the focus was sometimes off - not often, but enough to make me notice. I am extremely picky about AF performance on P&S cameras, and I just hate it when a pic is ruined because the subject is not sharp. Now, to be fair, I have to add an obvious statement: it could be that I am not pre-focusing correctly sometimes, that I fail to depress the shutter far enough to lock AF, or that I mistakenly release AF while recomposing, but it is equally (more) likely that the AF sensor is slightly off from the markings in the viewfinder (in fact it has to be off by some amount, how much I do not know). I have not really conducted any scientific tests to see how the AF sensor and frame correlate at the various focal lengths - I'm not really into that aspect of photography ;-) I like to take and look at pictures.

I have had many more experiences with the C3 since my last posting, and I must say they are very positive. I have found that 400 speed film is a blessing with the camera, and I particularly like Agfa Vista 400 lately, and my old standby Fuji NPH. It has become my most-used P&S... the Rollei has scarcely left the closet in the last few months.

Cheers! - marc
 
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