Ming Thein reviews the X 113

[rob_w]

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Very helpful with some interesting insights and great photos as always from Ming -- Review: The 2014 Leica X Typ 113 – Ming Thein | Photographer

[colonel]

Interesting, totally different from Steve Huff who makes a big point about the aperture closing down after 4 feet. Ming doesn't seem interested

 

He would like better then 1/2000 and an improvement in shutter lag and a metal battery door but otherwise he seems to like it, especially the handling and final picture quality. Quite good for such a critical professional photographer

 

He ends by saying perhaps Leica should make a few 113's for different focal lengths ....

 

I'd say this is a very positive review

 

Lastly if you look at the street pictures he took they are really quite beautiful

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[Loplop]

I like the rendering of this lens on his street shots. It is, as he says, rather "cinematic."

 

I think it suits his style, although as one who is more fond of 28 myself, I empathize with the struggle with the focal length. I think given time one adjusts, though. Too bad he didn't like the rendering enough to switch from his GR; it certainly seems quite different from that camera's output.

 

I'd echo the desire for a 50mm version! As a 50 fan, I'd love that.

 

That being said,I wonder if leica plans a series of adapters,a la fuji x100. Like Ming,I thought this likely due to the removable lens ring. But after some time with the lens, I'm not so sure. Wide open its soft in the corners, and I think there's some fairly heavy vignetting correction. This strikes me as not playing well with adapters.

 

I'd sure love a set, though. Both .75x and 1.4x. I'd love to shoot this lens with the latter, corners be darned.

[Guest jvansmit]

Kristian Dowling has also posted a review on his blog:

 

Leica X Overview and Field Test — Kristian Dowling

 

Some outstanding photos.... and none of Huff's silly diatribe

Edited October 14, 2014 by jvansmit
typo

[microview]

Kristian Dowling's review now makes me at least want to go out and see how the X113 feels in the hands. I was especially taken by the remark that the lens shares some of the qualities of the 35 Summilux FLE and v4 Summicron. Great pics too! I'd love to have M240 quality in a lighter weight camera…….. The review nicely complements Ming Thein's – slightly predictable? – conclusions.

Huff's big thing about the aperture closing as the subject is closer is just making a 'mountain out of a molehill'.

Edited October 15, 2014 by microview

[Loplop]

Kristian Dowling's review now makes me at least want to go out and see how the X113 feels in the hands. I was especially taken by the remark that the lens shares some of the qualities of the 35 Summilux FLE and v4 Summicron. Great pics too! I'd love to have M240 quality in a lighter weight camera…….. The review nicely complements Ming Thein's – slightly predictable? – conclusions.

Huff's big thing about the aperture closing as the subject is closer is just making a 'mountain out of a molehill'.

 

Huff likes close and loves as much blur as possible, so I can see why the 113 isn't his style. He leans on hyperbole to demonstrate his point. I do find his photo of his fiancée to be misleading--he states the camera forced the aperture of 2.8, when it's clear from my real-world usage that if the shot was taken at 2.8 this was Huff's choice. The camera may not have allowed 1.7, but it would not have closed down more than f2 in that shot.

[Archiver]

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Huff likes close and loves as much blur as possible, so I can see why the 113 isn't his style.

 

I totally agree. Steve's style is to shoot close up with a moderate wide and achieve as much background blur as he can muster. Ming's preference, if his photos are anything to go by, is to shoot moderate to long distance and create 'scenes', rather than pick out features. I enjoy both, so the 113 would work well for me in some situations, but perhaps not in others.

[calithumpian]

I totally agree. Steve's style is to shoot close up with a moderate wide and achieve as much background blur as he can muster. Ming's preference, if his photos are anything to go by, is to shoot moderate to long distance and create 'scenes', rather than pick out features. I enjoy both, so the 113 would work well for me in some situations, but perhaps not in others.

 

Very good point. Ming's reviews are definitely more open to a wider array of users and shooting preferences, though. I feel Huff's reviews are for him and his particular style of shooting, which also has merit. But I hate to think that people who would love either the XV or X as cameras (with their respective shooting styles) would be turned off either camera by a prominent review.

Huff claimed 90% of his shots in the review of the X would not get down to f/1.7 when he had selected that setting, and this sounds terrible on first reading (enough for many to discount the X?). But digging deeper what this actually means is that 90% of his shots were at less than 4 feet. So it should be read as a review for a particular type of use and user.