I Was Wrong About the Pixii Max

Comments are completely up to date at 8:05 a.m. Wednesday and also at 12:20 p.m.

So my 12-step program has a basic principle..."when we were wrong, promptly admitted it." I was wrong on Monday. Hans Muus and other readers (and friends, privately), made the point that the Pixii is a real rangefinder, meaning it needs a FF (24x36mm) sensor to let FF lenses be "themselves."

Carl: "I see an actual valid point here. If a major goal of this camera is to be able to use Leica M lenses, then you need a 24x36mm sensor for the lenses to work 'right.' I'd have no use for my 35mm Summicron to be turned into an effective 52.5mm, etc, etc."

Oren: "It's even worse than that. The APS-C Pixii has the same problem as the Epson R-D1: the shortest FL for which there's a finder frame is 28mm, or 42mm-e. So you can't actually take advantage of the integrated RF/VF with any FL short of normal. Even if one were willing to buy new lenses to compensate for the crop factor, the body is useless for those of us who see the world through a 35mm-e field of view."

I was not only wrong but perhaps the exact opposite of right: The Pixii might be a camera that should only be FF.

One-offs
The Peugeot 604 I mentioned might be where I got my allergic reaction to one-offs when it comes to mechanical things. I'd rather have something common and mainstream, things there are a lot of and that a lot of people buy. Repairability and parts availability are much better, and replaceability is generally much easier as well. I once had a one-of-a-kind Leica lens and was uncomfortable with it—or rather uncomfortable with just the idea of it—because I knew it could never be replaced if I lost it or if it was damaged. I suppose I shouldn't have worried (I think the guy I sold it to is still using it happily), but it nagged at my mind.

There's one more issue, which is that one-off things can be harder to resell. I knew a guy in Wisconsin who hand-built speakers. His bread-and-butter had been repairing JBL L100's, and he had lovingly made a special bespoke pair of L100 lookalikes with premium Focal drivers and gorgeous handmade crossovers in a beautiful hand-finished cabinet. They sounded great, but he wanted $5k for the pair. The problem was, he hadn't laid the foundation to sell box three-ways for $5k. They'd need a name, name recognition, a market presence, reviews, and a warranty to be sold for that much, and they had none of that. It's not enough for you to be convinced they're worth $5k; if you want to protect your investment, you need other people to also be convinced they're worth that much. If the guy had $1,200 into them and wanted $1,800, that I would have considered. But he hadn't earned the extra $3,000. That's one thing real companies work for: the name, market presence, the support network with ongoing parts availability, and also the reputation! That's why they get to charge more.

When I was younger, every now and then you'd come across a guy offering a no-name preamp or something for sale for two thousand dollars, who tried to tell you that it got fantastic reviews when it came out, it was very rare, and it had cost $4,000 when it was new so it was a great deal at half that. The problem was, the guy who built it had gone out of business, he had only built 17 or 45 or 82 of those preamps, most people had ever heard of them, and nobody was going to pay two grand for an unknown quantity when you could get a perfectly clean used conrad-johnson for similar money.

I might be odd, but I'd probably rather have a new Toyota Corolla Hybrid than a 10-year-old used Ferrari that's been modified. The Ferrari would be nothing but expensive headaches, whereas the Toyota would be supported by one of the best service networks and be replaceable at short notice with an insurance payout. In the Toyota, you could drive the carpool, you could transport the dog, it would hold luggage, and you wouldn't worry too much about parking-lot dings and nicks. It's a "better" car, for one definition of better. (Of course, I've never driven a Ferrari, so it's easy for me to imagine I'm immune to their charms.)

I still think the best camera you can buy these days—okay, for stills—is a Fuji X-T5, along with a few Fujicrons and any other specialty lenses you might want.

APS-C works for me.

But okay, yeah, the Pixii, that should be FF—so the Pixii Max really is a good thing, and it would be the one to get, if you like what Pixii brings to the table. Or if one-offs appeal to you.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2024 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Richard Tugwell: "From what I've heard, a brand new Ferrari is also nothing but expensive headaches. Gorgeous, of course."

Mike Plews: "Back in the '80s Mrs Plews and I were negotiating the purchase of a Peugeot wagon. We were about to pull the trigger when the dealer told us that Peugeot was pulling out of the US, so the deal was off. Too bad, as a Peugeot wagon would have been perfect for us.

"We ended going down the street to the Saab dealer and threw down for a four-door normally-aspirated 900s with a stick. Wonderful car but a terrible hangar queen. As for APS-C, I'm a believer. My first digital camera was a Nikon D70 and it delivered excellent files (for my needs) for a decade. I eventually bought a D7100 which still suits me just fine; your mileage may vary. If I somehow felt the need for mirrorless, a Z50 or a Fuji system would be lovely. Being retired, my needs are much different from a working pro, but APS-C makes a ton of sense to me. It delivers smaller cameras, smaller files, smaller cost and terrific output. What's not to like?"

Raphael: "The APS-C Pixii would of course have been 'right' had they made APS-C lenses for it, say an 18mm ƒ/2.8, 23mmƒ/2, and 35mm ƒ/1.4, and a lower magnification viewfinder with matching framelines. The only technical problem being color shift in the corners with wide angles."

Comments

[Bill Tyler]

The flip side of one-offs is that they can be quite valuable. If that Leica lens you had was truly a one-off, a collector would pay a lot for it. If, in addition, it had been signed by Oskar Barnack, you'd want to keep it in a safe instead of using it. Your Ferrari example is another instance, and it reveals that there are two kinds of value. The value a tool has in using it (Camry vs. Ferrari) versus the monetary value it carries.

[Ken Tanaka]

Re: Pixii, I agree that the APS-c sensor may make the rangefinder framing a challenge, although Pixii's "Interactive rangefinder" feature might help mitigate this. But let's be honest: using, say, a 28mm on a full-frame Leica is not for the short-tempered ... or for the spectacled. You might say it requires the first version of "intelligent fill". Ugh. In fact, reliance solely on a rangefinder camera's optical rangefinder starkly illustrates just how much today's Leica M cameras have come to rely on CMOS live-view facilities for expanded usability.

After Mike's earlier post I -almost- bought a Pixii on a whim ... until I reviewed it more closely to find two show-stoppers for me First, there's no LCD screen. Nada. Second, there's no removable storage. You must use the camera's built-in storage and choose the capacity you "need" when you order the camera. The Pixii heavily relies on a Bluetooth connection to your phone for much of its image review and management functions. So I smiled, tipped my hat, and moved on.

I still salute Pixii and wish them good fortune. But I think I'll stick to my "new" (old) Epson R-D1 for my doses of quaintness this summer! (Adventures in Six Megapixels!)

[Mark Sampson]

Almost related here; Peugeot was never really interested in selling cars in the USA. They never bothered to build the dealer, service, and parts network necessary for success. It was as if their corporate attitude was "Oh well, if we must, we'll take your filthy American dollars, but you can't make us like it." And "Why should we build cars suited for the American market? Those barbarians cannot understand the innate superiority of our products, which are wasted on them anyway".
A case in point- did not the Peugeot 604 have the turn signal stalk on the right hand side of the steering column (unlike every other vehicle?) Their failure in the USA is a shame really, because they were fine rugged cars, but let down by their maker.

[John Krumm]

A skilled friend of mine made an electric guitar when I was young, very nice. What made it extra appealing, even though it was a one-off, was that he had inlaid his last name, in beautiful cursive, into the headstock. Lindell. I don't think he sold it, but that instant elevation above "generic" does matter for appeal.

We will see about Pixii. I'm surprised they have survived this long, so perhaps in another five or ten years they will feel on more solid ground to people, especially when you can compare prices and depreciation. Probably not a Toyota Corrola, but a nice import with unique features nonetheless. And manual shift too!

[Robert Roaldi]

What I gather from youtube videos about Ferrari ownership is that maintenance is extremely expensive, even if you don't drive it much. Might be best to think of one as a sculpture rather than as a car, unless you win a big time lottery. If I won a big time lottery, there are only two luxuries I'd buy for myself. I would only ever fly first-class and I would never buy a car again. I'd go to a car rental/leasing company and contract them to deliver a new rental to me every first of the month. I'd then never have to worry about maintenance or trade-in or buying tires or warranty claims, and I'd end up driving a wide variety of vehicles. Now that's luxury.

Over the years, I've never jones'ed for a Leica. But I wouldn't mind playing with a Pixii for a week or two. Same with the Pentax 17. I had a Rollei 35 for a while so got that out of my system, same with an Olympus RC as well. And I had a red Toyota MR2 for about 18 months, just before middle age.

[Moose]

"The Peugeot 604 I mentioned . . ."

Oh yeah, I had one of those! An odd car, that I developed a like-dislike relationship with.

No horsepower for such a heavy car, but so much torque up into midrange that it seemed well powered. Flew up the freeway, over hills, towing a boat with ease. Shot up the hill we live on.

Supple, softish suspension, yet the wide track let it corner decently, without much lean.

Roomy, big, comfy, leather seats, but they wouldn't go back quite far enough. My parents had had a 404, red, tan leather, first car I ever could put into a four wheel drift. Then a 504, less interesting, but a good car, but for the very strong clutch pedal spring - oooh, the pain of stop and go traffiac.

I bought it used, don't now recall year and mileage. I enjoyed it for a few years, until it decided its time was up. I was mechanically competent, and it was an old type car, carburetor, no computers, etc., so I kept it going for a while, but it was not to be denied its demise.

On the way over the SF Bay bridge to the one area wrecker that offered me a little money, the back window gratuitously shattered and fell into the back behind the seats. It did run to the yard. Then the guy shorted me from his offer, saying he thought is was a diesel.

I took what he offered and ran . . .

[Nigel]

You touch on couple of things that have interested me over the years with my purchasing decisions, concerning camera gear, and that expensive black hole called HiFi.

I have stuck with Nikon, because they are backed up with a top notch repair facility, here in Italy. They rebuilt my Nikon 24PC after I dropped it for far less than a new lens would have cost. Over the years they have fixed other pieces of gear for me, at a reasonable cost.

Some of the smaller brands may make stellar gear, but after service is lacking. I remember back on a certain photo forum reading posts about the Panasonic 100-400, which was for all intents and purposes was irreparable if it took a knock, or a defect occurred out of warranty. Panasonic just offered a discount on a new lens.

It pays, in my opinion, to buy camera gear from a brand that has a large professional userbase, as the professional is very interested in after service quality.

You make a really valid point when you move on to audio. The Italian HiFi mag Suono, wrote a recent article where they counted 10,000 different items of HiFi gear on just the relatively small Italian market.

You have a choice between 375 record decks,380 pre amps, 581 power amps and 587 integrated amps. You can choose between 1426 different pairs of speakers.

A lot of people are obviously making gear that they will never be able to sell. I gather the trick is to brand it "High End", put it in a flashy case, and ask an absurd price. Another Italian publication recently attended a Hi Fi show, and labelled much of the "high end" gear being demonstrated as being,"embarrassing".

I recently renewed my audio system and chose between a single figure roster of British brands like Naim and Musical Fidelity. I quess most people do the same in this now very niche sector.

Buying new cables was an interesting insight into a world where magic beliefs are rife. A few meters of cable can cost thousands of Euros. Cables costing in the hundreds, seem almost mass market. I bought my cabling and connects from a company that supplies recording studios, at a reasonable cost. Interestingly I saw some very expensive cabling, with interconnects, that I bought for a few Euros, from the seller who sells to music professionals

[William Lewis]

Don't really have much of a comment, more of a wish that you had a place where I could "Upding" a post and simply register a "like" that way.

Have a great day Mike!

(Wish I could afford a Pixii Max since my M 240 will die sooner or later... Ah well, so it goes)

[louis mccullagh]

Which is best fuji/3rd party wide angle? Looking for 35mm equivalent of below 24mm. Thanks.

[Kye Wood]

Can the Pixie be spec'd with a Fuji mount?

That way, you could utilise a plethora of amazing glass that works beautifully with APSC - whilst enjoying the whole rangefinder thingie.

If it was a snake, it'd a bit me! (quick reference to The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension... ah, the 80's).

[Tam]

This is one of the things that has stifled my transition to mirrorless for work.

I made an abortive attempt using a Sony a7 II (with an a7 for backup) but their battery life was so dismal, even with a battery grip, that I scurried back to Canon DSLRs.

At this point I’m so heavily invested in Canon glass that I know I will eventually be buying a Canon FF mirrorless camera to allow me to gradually and painlessly slide from EF to RF.

But the other big attraction to FF mirrorless is letting me play with all my old manual focus film lenses at their native focal length. I want to do that NOW, not wait until I finally have the R5 or whatever I end up with.

Hmmm… Original a7 bodies do keep getting cheaper and cheaper…

[Scott Abbey]

An exception to the risk of buying from very low volume or shaky makers is gear that is so simple, that repairs and maintenance are readily available. Guitars generally fit in this category, as their basic design and construction hasn’t changed much in decades. Any competent luthier can repair any traditional/analog (no digital do-dads, please) electric or acoustic guitar. Replacement parts for the mechanical and electrical components are readily available, and the wooden parts can be easily fabricated. So while I may not be able to get a high price for my off-brand gear when it comes time to liquidate the collection, I’m confident I can keep them working as good as new pretty much indefinitely.

[Jack Mac]

Mike,
Most people, formerly including me, presume that a Ferarri is a maintenance nightmare, and maybe they were 30 years ago. In the last decade, Ferarri must have improved reliability to be able to sell cars with a now 7 year warrantee. Ferarri couldn't offer that strong a warrantee if their cars weren't much more reliable.
On the other hand, Ferarri cars are quite expensive. Ferarri enjoys incredible margins. But their cars do depreciate, unless you have truly rare models. A smarter buy might be that Mazda you like.