dkCambridgeshire Posted January 8, 2014 Share #41 Posted January 8, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I wonder as well, and I certainly do not understand their persistence nature. The regular naysayer pessimists' comments have become fairly predictable and they will continue. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 Hi dkCambridgeshire, Take a look here Just posted: My review of the Leica X Vario. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Mixalis Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share #42 Posted January 8, 2014 Because we care about Leica and worry when they do something idiotic. It's a bit like being the parent of a teenager - they can't be told and they have to make their own mistakes, but it doesn't stop us despairing for them. Bill, Clearly, having written this review, I see the X Vario as anything but idiotic. As I confessed in the article, I did originally have strong misgivings about the aperture range but the camera won me over once I had given it a run. I assume you have also used the camera extensively and I would be interested in your primary reasons for deciding it is a mistake on Leica's part. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guytou Posted January 8, 2014 Share #43 Posted January 8, 2014 The regular naysayer pessimists' comments have become fairly predictable and they will continue. dunk To go its way and to let bray… Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted January 8, 2014 Share #44 Posted January 8, 2014 Feel free to search for my views on the XV - I have stated them before. I don't need to use the thing for any length of time to be well aware of the yawning chasms between the expectations set by Leica, the pace set by the competition and the dismal little compromised over-priced under-performer that is the XV. I'll stick to my Ms and my D2 thank you very much. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 8, 2014 Share #45 Posted January 8, 2014 Feel free to search for my views on the XV - I have stated them before. I don't need to use the thing for any length of time to be well aware of the yawning chasms between the expectations set by Leica, the pace set by the competition and the dismal little compromised over-priced under-performer that is the XV. I'll stick to my Ms and my D2 thank you very much. Dr Kaufman admitted in an interview that the XV's 'Mini M' marketing campaign was a mistake. The resultant backlash from the die-hard M Luddites grew into an unprecedented 'how dare they!' sacrilegious hysteria which continues to have 'after-shocks'. However, the more informed Leica users who embraced the camera and recognised its unique virtues appear to have very few regrets following purchase and use. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcs700s Posted January 8, 2014 Share #46 Posted January 8, 2014 Feel free to search for my views on the XV - I have stated them before. I don't need to use the thing for any length of time to be well aware of the yawning chasms between the expectations set by Leica, the pace set by the competition and the dismal little compromised over-priced under-performer that is the XV. I'll stick to my Ms and my D2 thank you very much. In other words- You don't own one, have never owned one but did handle it in a camera store for five minutes. Sounds like someone else on this forum. I own one and can truthfully say the pics that it produces are outstanding. Isn't that what photography is all about? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted January 8, 2014 Share #47 Posted January 8, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Had it on loan for a weekend, actually. Quite long enough. I don't have to stay standing in dogshit long to know I have stepped in it. Five years ago it would have been competitive - just. "piss-poor" springs to mind, along with "depressing". You know why. No need to be defensive about your purchases... You are among friends. Done here. Enjoy. Sent from another Galaxy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 8, 2014 Share #48 Posted January 8, 2014 Had it on loan for a weekend, actually. Quite long enough. I don't have to stay standing in dogshit long to know I have stepped in it. Five years ago it would have been competitive - just. "piss-poor" springs to mind, along with "depressing". You know why. No need to be defensive about your purchases... You are among friends. Done here. Enjoy. Sent from another Galaxy Oh dear! Interesting choice of words. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixalis Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share #49 Posted January 8, 2014 No need to be defensive about your purchases... You are among friends. Done here. Enjoy. Sent from another Galaxy Bill, It's good we are among friends. I have absolutely no axe to grind in relation to the X Vario. I also own an M240 and Monochrom and, if I didn't think the X Vario was up to speed I would certainly ditch it and not be involved in this discussion. I believe the XV is a great pick-up-and-go travel camera. I know one well-known Leica dealer who, in common with other dealers, has the run of his stock . Yet it is the X Vario he invariably picks up for a trip. Presumably he thinks the camera is better than depressing or piss poor. I happen to know he loves it. As you say, you're done here. I am sure everyone reading this thread respects your opinion and verdict on the X Vario. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saibaiwei Posted January 9, 2014 Share #50 Posted January 9, 2014 Dr Kaufman admitted in an interview that the XV's 'Mini M' marketing campaign was a mistake. The resultant backlash from the die-hard M Luddites grew into an unprecedented 'how dare they!' sacrilegious hysteria which continues to have 'after-shocks'. However, the more informed Leica users who embraced the camera and recognised its unique virtues appear to have very few regrets following purchase and use. dunk No regrets here, love actually. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlainLandry Posted January 9, 2014 Share #51 Posted January 9, 2014 Mike, Just want to say thank you for a very well written review of the XV! I will certainly take a closer look at that camera once we get back home from our holiday. Alain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecaton Posted January 9, 2014 Share #52 Posted January 9, 2014 After having bought a Digilux2, D-Lux3, M6, MP, 2 M8, X1, 2 M9 and about 10 m-lenses from Leica I dare to have an opinion about the company and its products. Granted, the odd duckling X Vario is unique. It feels as someone at Leica tried to identify a tiny little space in the market in which no competitor would ever put its feet into. This much uniqueness I give it. Outside its little bubble, the X Vario can not compete. A pity imo that limited development resources are being wasted for such insignificant products at Leica. The sales numbers underline my statement. Eventually, the market is always right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 9, 2014 Share #53 Posted January 9, 2014 After having bought a Digilux2, D-Lux3, M6, MP, 2 M8, X1, 2 M9 and about 10 m-lenses from Leica I dare to have an opinion about the company and its products. Granted, the odd duckling X Vario is unique. It feels as someone at Leica tried to identify a tiny little space in the market in which no competitor would ever put its feet into. This much uniqueness I give it. Outside its little bubble, the X Vario can not compete. A pity imo that limited development resources are being wasted for such insignificant products at Leica. The sales numbers underline my statement. Eventually, the market is always right. Please quote the actual sales figures - we'd all like to know. And how can a camera with one of the finest zoom lenses ever made by any manufacturer be 'insignificant'? dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiver Posted January 10, 2014 Share #54 Posted January 10, 2014 That's a really nice and personally relevant review. Like the OP, I pooh-poohed the XV when the rumour came out, and lambasted it when the announcement was made. Over the months, I've seen a lot of wonderful images being made with it, and it seems that many like it because it is 'greater than the sum of its parts', as Rodrigue commented on your review. I've handled the XV twice, and I just love the feeling. It's like holding a film M with a chunky lens attached, much slimmer and lighter than the M9, feeling more like a M6 in the hand. Focus is faster than I thought, and implementation of manual focus and zoom is excellent. Despite the slowness of the lens, Leica should be applauded for being the first to make a very high quality manual zoom lens with focus-by-wire that feels almost like manual. Personally, and this is only for me, I just can't justify it as a purchase. I've turned it over and over, the pros and cons. Ultimately, it came down to the test shooting I did towards the end of last year. The images are excellent, but I don't find them significantly better than what I'm getting from cameras like my Ricoh GR or GXR. While the GXR has lower ISO capabilities than the XV, it has a clarity and pop that I haven't been able to tease from the XV raw files. Perhaps more time and experience is needed with the raw files, but I hit them pretty hard over a period of days, and couldn't quite get the look I wanted. I tried to think of it as an oversized Sigma DP1 with zoom: excellent images with a slow lens. After all, the DP1 was a favoured camera of mine for many months despite the slow lens, and in the right situations I could use it at night time, so why couldn't I get the same satisfaction from the XV? For me, it's that I already have cameras like the Oly EM-5 and Panasonic GH3 which offer image quality that is quite reasonable, and in a much faster, more robust (weathersealed), more versatile and less expensive package. And my tastes are a bit different now. I like wide angle lenses that are 24-21mm; I like shooting in darkness; I like the best video I can get from a camera, because I shoot video for a living and often shoot what I see during the day to add to my own cache of stock footage. The XV may tempt me again; the OP's review has done something to rekindle my interest. The haptic experience of the XV is unequalled if you enjoy the M-camera experience, as many of us do. Perhaps if I view the XV as a purely photographic tool for a more limited set of working conditions, I could buy and enjoy it. But these days I'm trying to make every dollar count and help me with my work, and at the moment, the XV would be more of a joyful and luxurious indulgence than a solid working/playtime companion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixalis Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share #55 Posted January 10, 2014 I've handled the XV twice, and I just love the feeling. It's like holding a film M with a chunky lens attached, much slimmer and lighter than the M9, feeling more like a M6 in the hand. Focus is faster than I thought, and implementation of manual focus and zoom is excellent. Despite the slowness of the lens, Leica should be applauded for being the first to make a very high quality manual zoom lens with focus-by-wire that feels almost like manual. /QUOTE] Thanks, Archiver, that's a well-crafted and accurate assessment. The comparison with an M6 (or even an M3 or MP) is something I failed to mention but it is something with which I agree. It is slimmer than the M240 but feels like a true Leica. Thanks. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted January 11, 2014 Share #56 Posted January 11, 2014 ... The sales numbers underline my statement. .... And the actual sales figures are ...? We are still waiting for this information. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcs700s Posted January 11, 2014 Share #57 Posted January 11, 2014 And the actual sales figures are ...? We are still waiting for this information. Yes, still waiting. It is selling well at my local camera store. I am interested in the information you have and your sources. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mppohl Posted January 17, 2014 Share #58 Posted January 17, 2014 Mike...thanks so much for this....! Had the camera in hand at the NY photoshow last October...and knew it was a gem (don't care about the paper reviewers...!!) So kudos to you!! And still have my beloved Digilux-2 nearby (bought it from Leica aftre a test period, and even shot Heidi Klum with it on a job...with her then husbee being all excited about that camera). What you point out is what's apparent right off the bet ...: Compact, clean layout, very nice built, sharp and smooth lens, good focal lentgth and hopefully results where the glass delivers in contrast and color what we expect (could be one stop faster...but then it would be 2k more). I currently use an M8, several MFTs, occassionally my cute CL...and maybe now again the Digi-Lux2 (after your other review! ..the Digi-Lux 2 had a great lens...and was for sure a looker, everywhere in th eworld I took it) Perhaps there is a Vario X in the future... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XVarior Posted January 30, 2014 Share #59 Posted January 30, 2014 At long last I have finished my very subjective review of the Leica XV and uploaded it to my site, MacFilos. You can find it here and I would welcome any comments, particularly any factual errors which I will be happy to correct Mike. What an outstanding review and pictures. Thanks for sharing Max and for the reference at the end of the review! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 30, 2014 Share #60 Posted January 30, 2014 At long last I have finished my very subjective review of the Leica XV and uploaded it to my site, MacFilos. You can find it here and I would welcome any comments, particularly any factual errors which I will be happy to correct Mike. Mike, many many thanks for your review and sample images. klaus-michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.