ISO Samples for X Vario (Tungsten)

[waloszek]

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I would like to let you know that I published ISO samples for the X Vario on my Website at Leica X Vario: ISO Tests (Tungsten) (3 different motives).

Best regards, Gerd

[barjohn]

Thanks Gerd. I know how much work these can be. Very informative as to what works under particular circumstances.

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[michaelbrenner]

Those look great. When Leica announced such a "slow" lense for this camera, I strongly suspected that the ISO quality would compensate.

 

Because the state of the art with digital cameras has been moving forward so rapidly both in the area of ISO performance and dynamic range, a re-evaluation may be in order of what a "slow" vs "fast" lens is.

 

Of course wide aperture lenses are also highly sought after for shallow depth of field and the bokeh it can provide.

 

Any chance you might be able to provide some shots giving us an idea of how the Leica X Vario handles those challenges? We have already seen that the camera can handle itself well with close up shots and macro shots as far as isolating the subject. What I'm curious about is how well the lens is able to isolate subjects in street scenes. At what maximum distance the camera is still able to yield manageable depth of field and how shallow it is. For example, if I were shooting a marathon and wanted to isolate the runners from those watching, would that be possible? Distance to the runner would likely be of the order of 3 to 5 yards and another 3 to 5 yards to the spectators on the opposite side of the course.

 

Thanks again for posting the pics.

[waloszek]

Hi barjohn & Michael,

Thank you for your comments.

@Michael: I am not at all a street shooter. Therefore, you will have to wait until someone else addresses this.

Best regards, Gerd

P.S.: I think, I stumbled about someone's postings/reviews in the past who used the X Vario for street photography. Perhaps I can remember that some day and post a link here...

[Guest badbob]

Because the state of the art with digital cameras has been moving forward so rapidly both in the area of ISO performance and dynamic range, a re-evaluation may be in order of what a "slow" vs "fast" lens is.

 

You might also consider that Leica's f3.5 lens is equivalent to some other manufacturers' f2.8 lenses. Or so I've heard.

[barjohn]

Those look great. When Leica announced such a "slow" lense for this camera, I strongly suspected that the ISO quality would compensate.

 

Because the state of the art with digital cameras has been moving forward so rapidly both in the area of ISO performance and dynamic range, a re-evaluation may be in order of what a "slow" vs "fast" lens is.

 

Of course wide aperture lenses are also highly sought after for shallow depth of field and the bokeh it can provide.

 

Any chance you might be able to provide some shots giving us an idea of how the Leica X Vario handles those challenges? We have already seen that the camera can handle itself well with close up shots and macro shots as far as isolating the subject. What I'm curious about is how well the lens is able to isolate subjects in street scenes. At what maximum distance the camera is still able to yield manageable depth of field and how shallow it is. For example, if I were shooting a marathon and wanted to isolate the runners from those watching, would that be possible? Distance to the runner would likely be of the order of 3 to 5 yards and another 3 to 5 yards to the spectators on the opposite side of the course.

 

Thanks again for posting the pics.

 

Using the X1 as a basis for the sensor to obtain circle of confusion, the table below shows the DOF and how far the focus extends in front and behind the subject at 12' or roughly 3 yards.

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[nippa]

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Interesting post

The ISO 3200 and 6400 noise levels are not exactly state of the art and look poor against my X100S.

It's hard to love the Vario although I keep trying to justify a purchase.

[waloszek]

Hi Michael,

 

I found one reference to street photography with the X Vario: bigheadtaco's blog. I think, it's the one that I faintly remembered...

 

Here is a short article: Leica X Vario Almost Perfect for the Street

BIGHEADTACO TAKES A PICTURE: Leica X Vario Almost Perfect for the Street

 

Here arre more street photos: Zone Focus Street Pics with Leica X Vario

BIGHEADTACO TAKES A PICTURE: Zone Focus Street Pics with Leica X Vario

 

And this is his extended review of the Leica X Vario:

Review: Leica X Vario. Who is it really for?

BIGHEADTACO TAKES A PICTURE: Review: Leica X Vario. Who is it really for?

 

Best regards, Gerd

[waloszek]

Just a short addition to barjohn's post: In the Exif data, a circle of confusion of 0.020 mm is listed for X Vario photos (I use GraphicConverter and the ExifTool setting -- it's close to the end).

 

Best regards,Gerd

[barjohn]

They didn't have the X Vario so I used the X1.

[waloszek]

I tried it in the dof calculator -- and interestingly it does make a difference.

Best regards, Gerd

[waloszek]

Today, I also posted daylight ISO samples (no sun) for the Leica X Vario. Please note that the first motive is nearly identical for both lighting conditions (I changed the order of the motives for the tungsten samples).

Link: http://www.waloszek.de/lxv_iso_daylight_e.php

Best regards, Gerd

[michaelbrenner]

Thank you for posting those - do you have any examples taken under low light conditions?

[waloszek]

I have a few distributed over many folders. It will take some time before I can publish them...

Best regards, Gerd

P.S. As a consolation, I present 4 links to photos of my wife taken in the late evening at ISO 6400 (1/10 sec) with spot AF. Normally, I use them to demonstrate my hit rate of 25%:

http://www.waloszek.de/lxv/L1003240.JPG (fuzzy due to camera shake)

http://www.waloszek.de/lxv/L1003241.JPG (focus behind my wife...)

http://www.waloszek.de/lxv/L1003242.JPG (OK)

http://www.waloszek.de/lxv/L1003243.JPG (undecided...).