Home Cameras/Lenses The new Pixii rangefinder camera with APS-C sensor is now released

The new Pixii rangefinder camera with APS-C sensor is now released

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Image showing the team behind Pixii rangefinder camera
This is the Pixii team: Melric, David, Isabelle (from left) – and they seem to be hard working. Within three years, they released three cameras. Model A1112 in 2020, Model A1571 in 2021 and now Model A2572. Image by J-C Polien courtesy of Pixii

There is something going on in the rangefinder world: A vibrant French start-up has released its new version of its Pixii rangefinder camera. It appears to be a modern body with M mount and a world-first 64-bit processor.

Pixii? Never seen one? You’re in good company. Neither did I nor any rangefinder photographer I personally know. But I patiently followed the news from the French start-up. The camera sparked my interest more than one year ago because Pixii’s offering was so unique. A rangefinder camera with M mount, APS-S sensor, optical viewfinder with integrated electronic display, no rear display and high connectivity. Looked like something in between Leica CL, Leica M10-D and M8.2. Looked attractive. Isn’t it cool that a young business takes such a risk? With the Pixii rangefinder camera, they did.

The Pixii rangefinder camera has not grabbed the headlines so far 

However, I started to become doubtful. Apart from a handful of reviews which were partly from Pixii-affiliated authors, not too much was to be read. An exception is the in-depth article by Hamish Gill, and I can also recommend this review by Gannon Burgett on DPreview. And despite living quite close to France, I never saw someone carrying such a camera. Nor did other rangefinder photographers I personally know. I almost thought the Pixii was a phantom were it not for the occasional contact with the team. Let’s put it like that: They seemed very busy.

The 64-bit processor in the Pixii rangefinder camera is claimed to be a world first

Now I know they actually were. Behind the scenes, they were developing the new, third (!) model, which is sold as Pixii Camera (2023), Model A2572. As mentioned, it has a new 64-bit processor, a 26 MP APS-C sensor and the (certainly interesting) interactive viewfinder. You can order it with 16, 32, 64 or 128 GM internal memory (since there is no memory card slot, that’s an important up-front decision). The current production run seems to be sold out already, but by the time of writing (10 December 2022), you can get one in February if you order now. 

Prices are almost in the range of a used M10

The price of the various versions of the camera on the website seems to be attractive. They range between €2,699 and €3,150 but mind you, this is without tax. Delivered to Germany, the camera will cost you almost €3,300 in the smallest and about €3,800 in the largest memory configuration. You can almost get a used Leica M10 with a full-frame sensor for that money. On the other hand, if the Pixii is as well manufactured as it is designed, its pricing is definitively fair.

The Pixii rangefinder camera is a perfect candidate for The M Files

I have to confess that was quite enthusiastic about the Pixii concept from the start. For all those of you who know my M Files project (a somewhat encyclopaedic approach to Leica M Mount products which are not part of the Leica M system – see the full list of episodes at the end of this Macfilos article), it will be instantly clear that I saw the logical extension of my research in the Pixii camera.

Is the interactive viewfinder what Leica never gave us?

The new model is fascinating for many reasons. Pixii claims superior performance of the sensor in black and white work and the interactive rangefinder could be precisely what some of us expect from Leica. The modern design beams the rangefinder camera somehow into the 21st century. And, and, and.

A review of the Pixii rangefinder camera for Macfilos is drawing closer

Hopefully, we will have a Pixii Camera (2023) for review soon. I still hope I can meet the Pixii team somewhere, maybe in the French city of Besançon, where they are based. Seldom have I been so curious when embarking on a camera review. Despite this thrill, I will only report on this camera here on Macfilos if I can have enough time with the Pixii for real-life experience and only if I experience no constraints when it comes to my verdict (you may know why I do so much to defend my independence). 

So stay tuned. I hope to be able to bring you exciting news. Until then, feel free to visit the Pixii website to whet your appetite. All images for this article were provided by Pixii.

What do you think? Is the Pixii of interest to you? Could it be just for the sake of curiosity or as a tool you would actually consider working with? Is APS-C the way to go? Will this young company be able to hold its own next to Leica’s established competition? What would the Pixii have to do for you to get you to consider buying it seriously? What would be a clear impediment for you? Have you tried it already? Discuss here and give me hints for the (hopefully) forthcoming review.


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22 COMMENTS

  1. Sorry 😐 even beautiful to handle my M7, I keep on thinking M system is definitely in decline in digital time. Just surfing in the wave of huge amounts of existing lenses, but will never have the advantages autofocus lens offers

  2. as for lenses… I used a Zeiss 35 2.8 as it was my smallest lens and eminently suits the Pixii body. It is ludicrously good value (see Reidreviews for his opinion on this little gem) and a very high performer

  3. from my brief experience of about ten days I wouldn’t underestimate its monochrome performance particularly as this seems to be an area that has been improved with the new release. I mainly but not exclusively take B&W and was considering it as an M mono alternative that I could also take occasional colour shots should the moment or day suggest it. If you find its mono performance up to the mark then I think it starts to make a better ‘investment’ proposition…

  4. I’m still interested in these cameras, and have a number of M lenses from different sources to try on it, but I fear it’s GAS rather than any real need. Maybe that’s the same for a number of folk out there? That and other financial commitments popping up at just the wrong moment!

    Just now I’m getting the most pleasure from my SL2-S in combo with the Elmarit R 35mm Mike kindly helped me to purchase a while back. The colour rendering is so beautiful that I’ve even taken a break from monochrome photography!

    • I understand, Steve, and maybe nobody NEEDS this camera. You will get a well-kept M240 for less than the Pixii and have a full frame camera then. Or you are already as well-equipped as you are. But it’s interesting all the same, isn’t it? JP

  5. The Pixii has all my sympathy, for a small company they are very innovative and I sincerely hope that they make it, that being said after a negative experience with another expensive niche APS-C product (whose name I won’t mention again…) I don’t believe I have the appetite to invest some of my hard-earned cash into a system that quite frankly might go the same way… if they ever decide to go full frame though that would change things considerably. Very much looking forward to your first impressions though!

    • I suppose one major difference between the PIXII and the other APS-C camera you mention, is that the cost of lenses is totally outside the equation. The risk, if there is one, lies only in the camera body, not in the system as a whole. So at least you have relatively limited exposure if the worst happens.

      • Yes, that is very true. Even if you already have an investment in M lenses you might (with the crop factor) need to get a few additional lenses but all in all the exposure would be relatively limited.

        • True, SlowDirver.

          But this will only apply to one (very) short focal length because of the crop factor (you need a 18 to have 27 equivalent). So I see no need to geht “additional lenses”.

          I hope to find out, among many other things, what focal lengths are supported by the frame lines in the Pixii. They say, 28, 35, 40 and 50 – but I do not yet know if this refers to the nominal focal length of a full frame lens (28 becomes roughly a 42 which would quite narrow for the widest focal length) or if the crop factor is already counted in. We’ll see.

          JP

          • I mainly shoot the 35mm focal length. I currently do no have a 24mm in M-mount which would give me a 36mm equivalent on an APS-C sensor, there are not that many 24mm M-lenses available either, e.g. Leica does no longer offer a 24mm. I would probably need to buy 1 or 2 additional lenses.

      • I agree with Mike. The big difference is that you can use the lenses for the Pixii – be them already in your posession or just bought for this purpose – can be mounted to any other M mount camera or via adapter to many other mirrorless systems. The only lost investment would be the body, then. JP

  6. Hi there Joerg-Peter
    I’m also interested in it – I offered to put one through it’s paces and write about it, but they didn’t reply to me. I hope you have better luck!

    The only person I know who has actually shot with one was not impressed, so I’ve kind of lost interest.

    I wish they would do well though – it’s a brave and exciting concept.

    all the best

    • Hi Jono, as far as I understand they were very busy in the last months and did not reply for this reason. My communication with them was somewhat sluggish as well. But maybe they are more confident to give the camera to reviewer now with their new model. I am optimistic because it is a brave concept in fact. Best wishes, JP

      • But perhaps an answer would have been good?
        “No you can’t” would have been polite!
        We’ll see – but I’ll be very interested if you get hold of one.
        Incidentally – happy to talk about this if you’d like to?

    • I’m sorry to hear that Jono, I hope it was a slip. I sent them a question and had a fulsome response from their founder within 48hrs. One of the pluses I thought.

  7. It has one disastrous problem, the rangefinder secondary window is too close to the lens, so any lens hood blocks the rangefinder, to me that makes it totally impractical.
    Oh well, back to the drawing board.
    All the best, Mark

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