Guest Posted January 3, 2014 Share #21 Posted January 3, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thank you mike, Although a subjective, but an objective assesment results of the XVario, I certify to the full extent due to their own practical results. everyone's camera, they con not be, this can not be exepted. I count myself among those who met with the XVario your camera dream, as in the meantime other user also. kind regards klaus-michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 3, 2014 Posted January 3, 2014 Hi Guest, Take a look here Just posted: My review of the Leica X Vario. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Ecaton Posted January 3, 2014 Share #22 Posted January 3, 2014 Your points are interesting. I have heard the same reaction from dealers about slow sales and I put much of this down to the misunderstandings about the nature of the camera. I think it will quietly gain in popularity, despite the opposition. I am pretty active in the Leica-owner world here in the UK and I have several friends who have bought the XV and are delighted with it. It won't suit everyone, of course. As for the Sony A7, I also own one and am currently testing it with Leica lenses. I have been unable to lay hands on an FE lens so cannot comment on them although I have read the reviews. The Sony is impressive and I have no doubt that the Zeiss lenses will be superb. I friend of mine, a Leica fan, owns both the 35 and 55 and is very pleased. I would, however, take issue with you on price. I can only quote British prices, but the two lenses you mention together cost GBP 1,675. The A7r body costs GPB 1,750 so, even allowing for the cheaper A7 body, the rig costs considerably more than the Leica. All this, though, is missing the point since the attraction of the XV is in its combination of a fixed zoom with superb image quality in a small package. It cannot be compared directly with an interchangeable system such as the Sony A7 or, even, the Fuji X-Pro. Anyway, your point is well taken. There is no misunderstanding about the nature of the camera. It simply does not interest anybody but a few. There was a fundamental misjudgment of the market by Leica when designing the X Vario. There are more than 4000 posts under the Sony A7® thread. If my math is right, I see less than 100 posts on anything dealing with the X Vario (this includes the English section of the Leica forum only). There is one rule in business: the market is always right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjans Posted January 3, 2014 Share #23 Posted January 3, 2014 Thank you Mike for sharing this review. I enjoyed reading and already made a bookmark. It is indeed the only APS C camera with a fixed (outstanding) zoom lens. There are alternatives from other manufacturers but those cameras do not have the basic simplicity and efficiency that all true Leica cameras possess. Best Roger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
J12 Posted January 3, 2014 Share #24 Posted January 3, 2014 I thought the X Vario could be a useful addition to my M cameras and lenses. Mainly for close focus / macro and the times when I want to cover wide to short tele focal lengths without having to change lenses. I'm not so worried about the lack of fast aperture as I have that covered with M lenses for those times they're needed. What makes me hesitate about buying the X Vario is it being a fixed lens digital camera. The lens might be great, but with no way of putting it on a new body it will be handicapped in 2 or 3 years when outclassed by newer digital cameras. In that regard, fixed lens compact film cameras still make a bit more sense to me because you are always free to change the film. So pass for now, but might be interested to see what comes along later if it's a system camera with a longer lifespan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guytou Posted January 3, 2014 Share #25 Posted January 3, 2014 ... on a new body it will be handicapped in 2 or 3 years when outclassed by newer digital cameras.... Whatever the most recent equipment, it will be always your brain which will see The Photograph before your device… All thus depends on your manner of seeing the things… Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
J12 Posted January 3, 2014 Share #26 Posted January 3, 2014 Whatever the most recent equipment, it will be always your brain which will see The Photograph before your device… All thus depends on your manner of seeing the things… Guy Can't argue with that! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixalis Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share #27 Posted January 3, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I thought the X Vario could be a useful addition to my M cameras and lenses. Mainly for close focus / macro and the times when I want to cover wide to short tele focal lengths without having to change lenses. I'm not so worried about the lack of fast aperture as I have that covered with M lenses for those times they're needed. What makes me hesitate about buying the X Vario is it being a fixed lens digital camera. The lens might be great, but with no way of putting it on a new body it will be handicapped in 2 or 3 years when outclassed by newer digital cameras. In that regard, fixed lens compact film cameras still make a bit more sense to me because you are always free to change the film. So pass for now, but might be interested to see what comes along later if it's a system camera with a longer lifespan. You are absolutely right and, paradoxically, the better the lens the more you have to lose when the sensor becomes outdated. All I can say is that the Digilux 2 from 2003 is still fetching over £500 secondhand and that had a similar problem, a wonderful lens that is still as good today, but a 5.5MP sensor of the same size as currently used in the Fuji X10. There will be a good market for the XV for more years than would be the case with any competitor's camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted January 3, 2014 Share #28 Posted January 3, 2014 ... The lens might be great, but with no way of putting it on a new body it will be handicapped in 2 or 3 years when outclassed by newer digital cameras..... This is an off-quoted view of camera obsolescence. It is true that the latest technology will always tempt existing owners to upgrade. Often that path can be justified. But I argue that if a camera still continues to meet the enticing specification which caused you to buy it in the first place, that camera will continue to produce excellent results, given continued serviceability. Against all odds, I retained my very much used Digilux 2 which still delivers enviable results which please viewers today. The same can be said for my X1, bought soon after launch, which still helps me produce professional standard pictures. The same can be said for my M8 and M9 cameras, all technically advanced compared with their forbears. They still help me to produce professional standard pictures and give me much pleasure. So it would not be surprising if the X Vario continued to excite and produce stunning results long after it has been superseded. Interestingly, my example cameras continue to be eagerly sought and bought by newcomers to Leica camera ownership. Many get in touch with me through threads they have read or websites studied. So it is fallacy to believe that the active shelf life of any Leica camera is short and finite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guytou Posted January 3, 2014 Share #29 Posted January 3, 2014 Can't argue with that! No, of course ! I am very satisfied with my X Vario and it will be the same thing in 2 or 3 years and even more. Just like my Digilux 2 which still charms me ! Some excellent equipment are still very powerful even after very many years, in spite of the projections of the technique... Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjans Posted January 3, 2014 Share #30 Posted January 3, 2014 No, of course ! I am very satisfied with my X Vario and it will be the same thing in 2 or 3 years and even more. Just like my Digilux 2 which still charms me ! Some excellent equipment are still very powerful even after very many years, in spite of the projections of the technique... Guy Indeed, completely agree with you. I still treasure my D2 (got it the year the D-Lux 4 was released, I choose the D2). Best Roger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixalis Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share #31 Posted January 3, 2014 There is no misunderstanding about the nature of the camera. It simply does not interest anybody but a few. There was a fundamental misjudgment of the market by Leica when designing the X Vario. There are more than 4000 posts under the Sony A7® thread. If my math is right, I see less than 100 posts on anything dealing with the X Vario (this includes the English section of the Leica forum only). There is one rule in business: the market is always right. Yes, I started one of the two threads that were merged into the current Sony A7 monster, so I have been following it closely over the months. I would be astounded if the XV generated as much interest as the Sony which is a completely different animal--the only full-frame alternative to the Leica M. You could be right when you accuse Leica of misjudging the market. Nevertheless, the XV is beginning to find its place, even if it is not for you. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
imants Posted January 3, 2014 Share #32 Posted January 3, 2014 Nevertheless, the XV is beginning to find its place, even if it is on the dealers shelves Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted January 3, 2014 Share #33 Posted January 3, 2014 C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la Leica: c'est de la folie Sent from another Galaxy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixalis Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share #34 Posted January 4, 2014 C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la Leica: c'est de la folie Sent from another Galaxy Ευχαριστώ πολύ, Μπιλ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted January 4, 2014 Share #35 Posted January 4, 2014 Nevertheless, the XV is beginning to find its place, even if it is on the dealers shelves Not so in the UK before Christmas. Demand depleted stock. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2014 Share #36 Posted January 4, 2014 basic observations Examples of the past showed that camera-updates or tuning maesures is no guarantee that automatically improve image quality are. apart from better photos certainly not caused by it. some hobby photographer would have even more of an update for its eye's necesarry. even the best automatic never replaces "the" / "a" seeing eye. marketing people see that with differenz, especially if them the seeing eye is not given for the photography. well they recognize numbers, statistics and profit. with photography, but that has nothing to do. klaus-michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
imants Posted January 4, 2014 Share #37 Posted January 4, 2014 Not so in the UK before Christmas. Demand depleted stock. Yea but xmas shoppers buy a lot of doorstops:) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 8, 2014 Share #38 Posted January 8, 2014 I wonder how many of the XV critics have actually used the camera for any length of time? The fact remains that the Leica XV is the most cost effective means of enjoying Leica 'wide angle to medium tele' APS-C format imaging over a very broad and usable ISO range - regardless of aperture selected. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saibaiwei Posted January 8, 2014 Share #39 Posted January 8, 2014 I wonder how many of the XV critics have actually used the camera for any length of time? The fact remains that the Leica XV is the most cost effective means of enjoying Leica 'wide angle to medium tele' APS-C format imaging over a very broad and usable ISO range - regardless of aperture selected. dunk I wonder as well, and I certainly do not understand their persistence nature. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted January 8, 2014 Share #40 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. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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