Pixii - I am puzzled

[Mike Farley]

I am struggling with this. A new company called Pixii is offering a rangefinder camera which utilises the classic Leica M mount for €2,700 + Vat. The camera does not have a rear display and relies on connecting to a mobile phone to view the results at the time of taking. It also lacks a memory card slot and has either 4 GB or 8 GB of internal memory instead. Opting for the latter increases the cost by a whopping €200, which is egregious pricing by anyone's standards. 4 GB could be sufficient, though, as the sensor is a modest 12 MP APS-C sensor. True, Leica offers the M10-D which also does away with the rear screen, better to "replicate the film experience" by not being able to see the results instantly. Given how difficult it can sometimes be to achieve focus on a rangefinder camera, this could be an instance where the process of taking pictures is more important than the results. And the Pixii is a bargain compared to the M10-D.

Nevertheless, the camera does have supporters. Mike Evans at Macfilos gives it a cautious welcome and Hamish Gill at 35mmc has tested a preview model extensively. However, Leica already has two APS-C models which can use M mount lenses for a much lower outlay. Admittedly they require an adapter and Leica's own is eye wateringly expensive at £350. It is beautifully made, though. Third party adapters are much cheaper and offer similar functionality to the Pixii camera, which does not read read the six bit coding on Leica's more recently manufactured M mount lenses.

According to Hamish Gill, Pixii's founder is pleased with the initial demand for the camera, which seems to be aimed at the well heeled who have £3k to spare and want to try something a bit different.

Hamish Gill's article is here: https://www.35mmc.com/06/07/2020/pixii- ... -to-order/

Mike Evan's write-up is here: https://www.macfilos.com/2020/07/06/pix ... ts-market/