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Archive 2013 · Some Leica X Vario samples

  
 
najibs
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Some Leica X Vario samples


I got to play with the X Vario today. The camera feels solid. It's bigger than it looks. It's like a tall X1/X2. The out of camera JPEGs are decent, but nothing great. Lightroom doesn't officially support it, but the DNG files seemed to show up no problem. The processed RAWs are pretty impressive. But, I'm a sucker for shallow DOF, and unfortunately I don't find the lens gives me that. And I can't switch it. Sharpness and everything else is great though. AF is much snappier than the X1 I used to have. Never tried an X2, so I can't comment on how it compares to that.

I'm sure a lot of people who have $3k will find it to be a wonderful walk around camera. The LCD is top quality (unlike the M8/M9/X1/X2), the new menu system is nice. The LCD has no lag.

It's a fantastic piece of engineering, but for the same money, I think I'd rather have a Leica X2 AND a Fuji XE-1

Just my opinion, of course...



























Jun 26, 2013 at 12:20 AM
najibs
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Some Leica X Vario samples


.







Jun 26, 2013 at 12:29 AM
Almass
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Some Leica X Vario samples


C1 Pro latest release supports the X Vario.


Jun 26, 2013 at 01:46 AM
Jonas B
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Some Leica X Vario samples


I appreciate the intention showing us 100% crops - but those screen shots aren't that. You need to view the image at 100% and then make a crop of a part of it and post it without further scaling. "Sharpness and everything is good" - is that true over the whole zoom range?


Jun 26, 2013 at 01:24 PM
najibs
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Some Leica X Vario samples


It wasn't meant to be scientific or controlled. They're just some quick and dirty samples, since X Vario samples are hard to find right now.


Jun 26, 2013 at 04:03 PM
Arka
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Some Leica X Vario samples


They want $2800 for that? Variable aperture lens with a max of 3.5? I would sooner pick up a Sony CyberShot RX-1.


Jun 27, 2013 at 06:09 PM
DavidWEGS
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Some Leica X Vario samples


Arka wrote:
They want $2800 for that? Variable aperture lens with a max of 3.5? I would sooner pick up a Sony CyberShot RX-1.


That is what I thought too… even the new Sony RX100 II.



Jun 27, 2013 at 06:32 PM
phuang3
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Some Leica X Vario samples


f/3.5 is not a problem. I use R35-70/f4 most of the time, and it's perfectly useable.


Jun 27, 2013 at 06:59 PM
Bijltje
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Some Leica X Vario samples


phuang3 wrote:
f/3.5 is not a problem. I use R35-70/f4 most of the time, and it's perfectly useable.


And lots of people use the canon f/4 zooms.


The pictures look good! I like the colors and detail.



Jun 28, 2013 at 03:25 AM
FlyPenFly
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Some Leica X Vario samples


Ming's review is up.

His files look pretty good but it might just be down to his PP skills.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mingthein/9129374631/



Jun 29, 2013 at 06:27 AM
naturephoto1
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Some Leica X Vario samples


FlyPenFly wrote:
Ming's review is up.

His files look pretty good but it might just be down to his PP skills.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mingthein/9129374631/


If the lens has performance anything like the Leica R 35mm-70mm f4 Vario Elmar lens, this lens should perform well.

Rich



Jun 29, 2013 at 06:48 AM
Arka
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Some Leica X Vario samples


Bijltje wrote:
And lots of people use the canon f/4 zooms.

The pictures look good! I like the colors and detail.


The comment is not intended to deride all f/4 lenses. I realize that people (including myself) use f/4 zooms. My criticism speaks to the fact that people might expect more from a $3000 "pro" compact, given the competition in this segment. High end compacts try to address some of the thornier imaging compromises one makes when using a small camera. Among these are (1) achieving shallow DoF effects, and (2) decent low light performance. It's not unreasonable to expect that a Leica might try to make a more useful low-light compact camera, especially at the $3000 price point. Instead, Leica offers a Fuji X-100-sized camera with a slow zoom lens and 16MP, for more than twice the price of the Fuji.

The Leica faithful may lap this thing up... build quality certainly counts for something. But the RX-1 seems to me to be a lot more camera for $3000, and it's pretty well built.



Jun 29, 2013 at 11:07 PM
naturephoto1
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Some Leica X Vario samples


Let us not forget that the 35mm-70mm f4 R Vario Elmar lens was manufactured by Kyocera in Japan for Leica and had a list/selling price of $1995 and it was discontinued in 2009. It is now 4 years later and I have no idea who is the manufacturer or where this new zoom lens is made and what the list/selling price would be or what it actually costs for production.

Rich



Jun 30, 2013 at 07:05 AM
philip_pj
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Some Leica X Vario samples


Arka, seeming is in this case believing, I was wondering how this thing would go after all the 'too cool for school' pre-release marketing carry on, and got back to find they called it a vario-X.

Good name, since it is indeed a zoom that scrapes the bottom of the barrel for slow speed just where you want it fast; and 'X' because that is where it is headed, to be another forgotten try on by a company which seems to have have no idea what modern enthusisasts want. It is that rare thing in today's marketplace, an instant loser!

It is frankly appalling that Leitz are asking RX1 money for this piece of low rent yesterday tech. It deserves to, and probably will sink without trace, and I apologize for resurrecting this thread.

If anyone is interested, there is a highly defensive shill piece on the LL site trying to make a shiny silk purse out of this unattractive low functionality sow's ear:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/leica_x_vario.shtml

When I see this kind of product, I wonder what it will be worth in 12-18 months time and who might buy it then...what a waste of time and effort by people who should know better...[Leica not LL, of course.]




Jul 06, 2013 at 09:27 PM
naturephoto1
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Some Leica X Vario samples


philip_pj wrote:
Arka, seeming is in this case believing, I was wondering how this thing would go after all the 'too cool for school' pre-release marketing carry on, and got back to find they called it a vario-X.

Good name, since it is indeed a zoom that scrapes the bottom of the barrel for slow speed just where you want it fast; and 'X' because that is where it is headed, to be another forgotten try on by a company which seems to have have no idea what modern enthusisasts want. It is that rare thing in today's marketplace, an instant loser!

It
...Show more

Philip,

That may be your heavily negative opinion without even seeing or handling the camera. But, the camera is quite capable with apparently an excellent performing lens. Yes, the lens is slow and the sensor is an APS-C. But with the lens it has a much larger range for the lens than the Sony RX1.

Rich



Jul 06, 2013 at 09:37 PM
rattymouse
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Some Leica X Vario samples


I see nothing worth $3k here.


Jul 06, 2013 at 09:55 PM
naturephoto1
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Some Leica X Vario samples


rattymouse wrote:
I see nothing worth $3k here.


Well, I don't see that value for the Sony RX1. To me, the RX1 is very expensive and has limited application. I do not find a 35mm lens adequate as my only lens for a FF camera. Now, had it had a zoom lens or better yet the ability of interchangeable lenses, that would be a different story.

Rich



Jul 06, 2013 at 09:58 PM
rattymouse
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Some Leica X Vario samples


naturephoto1 wrote:
Well, I don't see that value for the Sony RX1. To me, the RX1 is very expensive and has limited application. I do not find a 35mm lens adequate as my only lens for a FF camera. Now, had it had a zoom lens or better yet the ability of interchangeable lenses, that would be a different story.

Rich


There's a long and rich tradition of cameras sold with only a 35mm lens. Konica Hexar, Fuji GA645, Fuji X100, and probably a whole host of ones I can't recall now. Surely they are specialist cameras as any single focal length camera has to be.

The RX1 is a technological accomplishment, giving you the smallest 35mm full frame sensor in the smallest package. It is an extraordinary camera based on that alone. Along with that, you get an extremely fine Carl Zeiss lens, and in this forum you can see the enormous quality such fine glass can produce from many members here.

Yes, the RX1 is expensive but at least it gives you a pretty ground breaking camera for that money. I see nothing of interest at all with what this Leica can produce, at this price point.




Jul 06, 2013 at 10:05 PM
naturephoto1
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Some Leica X Vario samples


rattymouse wrote:
There's a long and rich tradition of cameras sold with only a 35mm lens. Konica Hexar, Fuji GA645, Fuji X100, and probably a whole host of ones I can't recall now. Surely they are specialist cameras as any single focal length camera has to be.

The RX1 is a technological accomplishment, giving you the smallest 35mm full frame sensor in the smallest package. It is an extraordinary camera based on that alone. Along with that, you get an extremely fine Carl Zeiss lens, and in this forum you can see the enormous quality such fine glass can produce from many
...Show more

Yes that may be true regarding the RX1. I have 2 classic film cameras with fixed lenses, my Rolleiflex 12/24 3.5 F Planar camera and my Rolleiflex 35 SE. Both the cameras have excellent lenses and perform well and the Rollei 35 SE is quite compact. But, to me, these are some of my specialized cameras. I have been taking photos in slide form for well over 35 years. For most of my work in all of that time, I have been using Leica SLR cameras since 1984 (Canon SLR cameras previous to that), Linhof 4" X 5" cameras (as well as Toho), as well as my Mamiya 7 II. For my work I need a full battery of lenses from very wide to very long and macro. To me the Sony RX1 would have very little application. The Leica on the other hand with the zoom lens much more so.

Rich



Jul 06, 2013 at 10:17 PM
Jon Tainton
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Some Leica X Vario samples


Can I ask if you have actually handled and taken images with the X Vario? Or used a Leica Vario lens?

philip_pj wrote:
Arka, seeming is in this case believing, I was wondering how this thing would go after all the 'too cool for school' pre-release marketing carry on, and got back to find they called it a vario-X.

Good name, since it is indeed a zoom that scrapes the bottom of the barrel for slow speed just where you want it fast; and 'X' because that is where it is headed, to be another forgotten try on by a company which seems to have have no idea what modern enthusisasts want. It is that rare thing in today's marketplace, an instant loser!

It
...Show more



Jul 07, 2013 at 07:51 AM
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