I placed an order for the Pixii A1571 about 2 and half week ago but receive a message from David (I believe one of the founders) saying they have a new 64 bit processor upgrade and ask if I would like to take the advantage while the camera is being built, the cost of the upgrade was another 200 Euros and I took the upgrade path. So in theory, I should be receiving the latest A2572 version later this month.
The reason for me to purchase the Pixii is because I like the colour rendering from the reviews, I believe this will be another 'experience' as no two cameras will give you the same feel. I probably will treat this camera in the same camp as the Foveon Sigma, I will probably use only either 35mm or 28mm on this camera as I have other cameras for different focal lengths if need be.
Hopefully I will be able to offer a download link for both RAW monochrome and colour files once I have the camera in hand. For someone like me who has been shooting manual lenses and film for years, auto focus and never shoot beyond one shot at a time, the Pixii should suit me perfectly.
I am surprised that they would charge you for the upgrade when they had not yet delivered your camera.
Unless the new version is 200 Euros more! Then it makes sense.
They did say I can take delivery of the current model and can decide to upgrade at a later date, obviously it makes sense to take advantage and go for the latest model, consider the cost of upgrade for the older model is 370 Euros plus delivery, so the extra cost of 200 Euros for a faster processor is a no brainer for me.
I think it's pretty unique that only a small and niche company like Pixii can offer hardware upgrade paths in this fashion and although there's no guarantee to the company's future, but it's evident the interest for this camera is on the rise (judging from their sales where the first two batches were sold out completely). Let's hope they will go from strength to strength and it's a good thing for us photo enthusiasts as many larger camera manufacturers are fighting to stay afloat in business.
The Pixii arrived today and I need time to learn to use this camera, here are just a few photos of the camera with Voigtlander 28mm f2, the camera has similar size dimension as the M11 (ignore the camera case which add extra height to the M11).
I will upload actual DNG files once I have a chance to take some photos with it.
Sixpm wrote:
The Pixii arrived today and I need time to learn to use this camera, here are just a few photos of the camera with Voigtlander 28mm f2, the camera has similar size dimension as the M11 (ignore the camera case which add extra height to the M11).
I will upload actual DNG files once I have a chance to take some photos with it.
Nice! Camera looks great, but I think I would have bought the silver one to make it stand out more.. It makes it look more like the iphone of cameras!
How do you find the shutter button placement? It seems more on the edge of the camera than most other cameras. And how does the shutter button action feel? Does it have a nice tactile feel, or feels like pushing a computer key button?
You can feel the half press and full press of the shutter, it shoots more like the silent mode on most mirrorless these days minus the mechanical shutter which I'm now so used to. The grip needs to be improved and I placed an order for stick on grip and a thumb grip to be mounted on the hot shoe, again I will show if it improves the handling.
Obviously I have one of the very first 64 bit production units and there are a few bugs that need to be fixed. I'm working with Pixii to iron out some of the bugs, but the files from this camera are really nice, the smooth transition of tones are amazing (I will upload some DNG files for those who are interested to see it for themselves as soon as I'm ready). I have already made many suggestions to improve the black and white to mimic panchromatic film which Pixii is keen to work on.
Since I've owned and used cameras like the Epson RD1, Sigma Foveon sensor camera (including the fP), I'm no stranger to quirky cameras, therefore, I can live with any shortcomings and will offer help to make any improvements for all other Pixii users as I'm intent to keep the Pixii for good. It's crazy but also nice to know that I'm one of the lucky 600 or so owners (to date) of this super unique and quirky camera ever made by such a small enthusiastic company.
One other note, the Leica M focus down to 0.7m, the Pixii's rangefinder can go down slightly under 0.5m.
Quick update to my Pixii, it was shipped back to Pixii today for a check up because the sensor died on the 4th day and I cannot take anymore photos. Pixii issued an email saying they have reports of bugs on the phone app and working to fix it as we speak. I believe this is just a hiccup (like my Leica M8.2 froze on me since week 2) for any new cameras, I'm looking forward to getting the camera back repaired or issues fixed soon.
Sixpm wrote:
Quick update to my Pixii, it was shipped back to Pixii today for a check up because the sensor died on the 4th day and I cannot take anymore photos. Pixii issued an email saying they have reports of bugs on the phone app and working to fix it as we speak. I believe this is just a hiccup (like my Leica M8.2 froze on me since week 2) for any new cameras, I'm looking forward to getting the camera back repaired or issues fixed soon.
In the meantime, wishing you all a Happy 2023!
I had to ship back my brand new 2022 Leica M6 just after getting it because it scratches film. Pixii has an excuse because they are a new outfit bringing a new product to market. Leica has been making film cameras for over 100 years. The Leica is also double the price of the Pixii.
Sixpm wrote:
Quick update to my Pixii, it was shipped back to Pixii today for a check up because the sensor died on the 4th day and I cannot take anymore photos. Pixii issued an email saying they have reports of bugs on the phone app and working to fix it as we speak. I believe this is just a hiccup (like my Leica M8.2 froze on me since week 2) for any new cameras, I'm looking forward to getting the camera back repaired or issues fixed soon.
In the meantime, wishing you all a Happy 2023!
Sorry to hear this, but, stuff happens
Would love to see some files from it.
Here are a few DNG files you can download to see the file quality, I haven't had enough time to play with it and I will definitely take more MONO once I get the camera back.
David from Pixii emailed me this morning saying he is testing the camera now and hopes to return the camera to me after the new year, super happy with the arrangement. By the way, he provided me with a UPS label and invoice and all I had to do was to call my local UPS to pick up the camera, a totally fuss-free experience.
Sixpm wrote:
Here are a few DNG files you can download to see the file quality, I haven't had enough time to play with it and I will definitely take more MONO once I get the camera back.
Pixii's 6.0.3 firmware update for the 64bit processor has sorted out all the issues I had with the camera. So I am able to start shooting again and will post more photos shortly.
Here's the link to both RAW MONO and COLOUR DNG files from the Pixii 2023 with version 6.03 firmware. Much of the issues I had experienced are gone. What I also found out was the camera has one custom button function which I set to ISO but I also find that if I keep setting my menu setting to any other function, once the menu button is pressed, the LAST used function will appear immediately. I have used this function to set my MONO to COLOUR as my 2nd custom button. Hence I was able to set from MONO to COLOUR super fast when I'm looking through the viewfinder.
The files from this camera confirmed one thing, all the photos were taken with -1 compensation and that's more than enough to contain highlight details, play with the files yourself and I'm sure you'll agree with me. The dynamic range of the Pixii was one of the reasons I went for this camera, and the files definitely didn't disappoint.
The camera is definitely a keeper and I'm one happy owner now.
Most of the photos was taken with the Voigtlander 28mm f2 VM between f4 - f8
For better grip, I bought a generic grip from China which works well, here a photo with the grip in place (I don't know how to add photos to the post 😅
Really nice, thanks for posting the DNGs.
If you don't mind, here is one shot you took that I really like. First version is untouched as you posted. Second is with a few edits.
