New Leica X Vario review

[goatsby]

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I have been thinking about writing a review for the X Vario for some time, and just finished it up today. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Thanks all,

 

Adam

 

https://uninspiredme.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/leica-x-vario-the-long-term-review/

 

[farhiz]

Nice review goatsby. I like mine too. The hooha surrounding its launch never got to me. I bought the Leica EVF as the first thing as I prefer to frame through a viewfinder. I use manual focus 99% of the time, it helps to slow me down which is why after a 2 week vacation I come back with 500-600 images instead of thousands. But that is not a Leica thing since I use manual focus for all the other cameras I've had as well. What I like though is the simple interface, the lovely lens and the build. The only thing I miss though is the ability to stop the lens at a prime lens length like I could with the LX100. Here are some of my images with the LXV. All files processed in DXO and PS.

 

Tripod mounted, indoor, manual focus

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Hand held, outdoor, manual focus 

 

Hand held, outdoor, manual focus

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[DS1969]

Thank you for sharing you article with us, it is a pleasant read, and one I truly understand as an X 113 owner. It has been my go to camera for over a year now, stopping me buying more DSLR kit, lenses or other camera related paraphernalia.

 

I will post an separate article to my recently published articles on the X, and a separate article on one of my excursions with the X.

[josephgrunske]

Nice article and great pix! Thanks for sharing.

[ropo54]

Superb review, Adam!

Rob

[euston]

A good read, Adam! Your shooting tips are spot on. And you’re right about the usefulness of manual focus. I think of it as a manual focus camera with AF capability rather than the other way round. The lens is its most notable feature, I think. It’s at least on a par with the outstanding TL zooms. I wonder if they share any design DNA?

[Astropap]

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I love the B&W shots this camera takes.  I just wish the lens were faster.  And that it had a good, built-in viewfinder.  But I much prefer the touch wheel on the X Vario to the smaller one on the Q.

[goatsby]

Thank you all for your kind words, I am glad you have enjoyed the review. I hope others who may have passed up the camera previously find the article and give the X Vario a try!

[gbealnz]

I still have mine, and love it, as others have mentioned it's hard to fault the B&W's especially.

Slow, old, and well out-spec'd now, but still a darn fine camera.

Gary

[wda]

I enjoyed your review and excellent pictures, Adam. Thank you. I share most of your findings.

 

Having compared my results of same subject, using manual and auto focusing, AF proves more accurate for me. All to do with viewfinder resolution.

 

Also, it took me time to realise that AF green light focus confirmation could be misleading, even in ideal situations. I take extra care now with improved success rates. I had hoped Leica would remedy this defect, but they have lost interest in the camera, it seems. Meanwhile it remains my everyday camera.

[sbaruche]

OVF revisited

This dual  tele  and wide OVF  from Petri is great  

Fit perfectly my X vario  when  using AF  of course  no parallax  compensation  

match 50mm and 70mm 

cheap on Ebay  when in mint  condition 

 

Looks  great as well 

 

Thanks  

Sylvain 

 

 

 

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[DwF]

Very nicely done. I am also reading as an X 113 user but can relate on many of the points. I am fortunate currently to be able to have an RX1R II in my stable and no way I will sell the X 113. That camera survived my first go with an RX1R years ago. The Sony cameras are really good, but files from the X 113 yields great results for me, are easy to work with (as is the camera itself) and that is nothing to take for granted. As you point out in your review while Leica has not updated the X line or X Vario, and there have been 'improvements" on other newer camera models, I also enjoy the X-113 and agree it is perfectly capable the way it is!

 

David

[HuntingSand]

Thank you all for your kind words, I am glad you have enjoyed the review. I hope others who may have passed up the camera previously find the article and give the X Vario a try!

Thanks for the review. I concur with most of what you say. Couple of things, though:

To be able to give the X-Vario "a try" these days as you say, there needs to be some sort of supply. There really isn't. In the US, Tamarkin, Popflash, Leica Miami, Leica SF, Ken Hansen etc., they don't have any (or maybe the odd one sample?).  EBay may be your friend, but then you need to calculate your risk.  Either the production run wasn't very large, or people actually hold on to them, I am not sure.

Re the shooting envelope, with some decent technique, it is possible to go way lower than /125 of a second. I have shots (good ones, too, I think), which were done at /30 or even /15.

Re the upper ISO limits,  I agree that you may want to keep things below a certain number, but  with DXO Prime NR for example, 6.400 or even 12.500 are just fine, b/w wise. Have a look at #35/36 here: http://hahn.zenfolio.com/xv , these were done in LR5.3 for example.

Peter Karb should read Peter Karbe. Karbe's second point in that interview is actually very interesting: he says they wanted to achieve "Constant imaging quality from the minimum focusing distance to infinity." I would add that they achieved that at all f-stops, too, which is truly amazing (before diffraction sets in, that is). 

I am a fan of the EVF, especially titled vertically. It's like my old Hassy with the chimney viewfinder, the eye is able to really concentrate and take in the subject without any contamination from the immediate environment.

"image quality is more than sufficient for most" is a big statement, I would not dare speak for "most", myself. People's needs are just very different, and while the Vario-Elmar lens may - optically speaking - be the best zoom lens bolted onto any all-in-one camera, it is also of course the slowest (focal length 50 at f5.1 !!)

The implementation of MF is brilliant in my view. Just turn the barrel, check the magnifying pane, and away you go. Simple and solid, even in low light.

I agree about the addition of a grip or a case to hold the darn thing. Before the firmware update, it wasn't possible to disable the multi-controller/menu wheel, which always got bumped by the palm of one's hand and put the camera into a different mode altogether.

I always apply some sharpening to the files, the DNG's take it very well.

Shooting JUST JPGs is actually for the first time possible on a digital Leica (IMHO). They come out quite nicely, and are reasonably malleable in post. B/W JPGs, in-camera, with contrast set to High and sharpness set to Medium high, yields excellent results (combined with spot or center weighted metering). I never trusted the JPGs on my M9/M240, or even the X2. 

I wonder how many people use the XV as a street photography tool. It works, not very well because the AF, accurate as it may be (green light verification be damned on occasion), is not really snappy; but again, with some practice, the XV is capable to produce excellent results in terms of urban documentation, if so inclined.

These are my two cents...

Thanks again for drawing attention to the X-Vario. A V.2 would have been most welcome, but that's not going to happen.

 

 

[goatsby]

Some great thoughts and insights, thank you! I am so happy to see other users of the XV comment on this as it is always good to hear other's point of view. We all get to learn something new on how to approach this camera, or maybe find out something we did not know before (for me, such as using the DXO program to get a little more latitude out of the ISO). 

 

 

Thanks for the review. I concur with most of what you say. Couple of things, though:
To be able to give the X-Vario "a try" these days as you say, there needs to be some sort of supply. There really isn't. In the US, Tamarkin, Popflash, Leica Miami, Leica SF, Ken Hansen etc., they don't have any (or maybe the odd one sample?).  EBay may be your friend, but then you need to calculate your risk.  Either the production run wasn't very large, or people actually hold on to them, I am not sure.
Re the shooting envelope, with some decent technique, it is possible to go way lower than /125 of a second. I have shots (good ones, too, I think), which were done at /30 or even /15.
Re the upper ISO limits,  I agree that you may want to keep things below a certain number, but  with DXO Prime NR for example, 6.400 or even 12.500 are just fine, b/w wise. Have a look at #35/36 here: http://hahn.zenfolio.com/xv , these were done in LR5.3 for example.
Peter Karb should read Peter Karbe. Karbe's second point in that interview is actually very interesting: he says they wanted to achieve "Constant imaging quality from the minimum focusing distance to infinity." I would add that they achieved that at all f-stops, too, which is truly amazing (before diffraction sets in, that is). 
I am a fan of the EVF, especially titled vertically. It's like my old Hassy with the chimney viewfinder, the eye is able to really concentrate and take in the subject without any contamination from the immediate environment.
"image quality is more than sufficient for most" is a big statement, I would not dare speak for "most", myself. People's needs are just very different, and while the Vario-Elmar lens may - optically speaking - be the best zoom lens bolted onto any all-in-one camera, it is also of course the slowest (focal length 50 at f5.1 !!)
The implementation of MF is brilliant in my view. Just turn the barrel, check the magnifying pane, and away you go. Simple and solid, even in low light.
I agree about the addition of a grip or a case to hold the darn thing. Before the firmware update, it wasn't possible to disable the multi-controller/menu wheel, which always got bumped by the palm of one's hand and put the camera into a different mode altogether.
I always apply some sharpening to the files, the DNG's take it very well.
Shooting JUST JPGs is actually for the first time possible on a digital Leica (IMHO). They come out quite nicely, and are reasonably malleable in post. B/W JPGs, in-camera, with contrast set to High and sharpness set to Medium high, yields excellent results (combined with spot or center weighted metering). I never trusted the JPGs on my M9/M240, or even the X2. 
I wonder how many people use the XV as a street photography tool. It works, not very well because the AF, accurate as it may be (green light verification be damned on occasion), is not really snappy; but again, with some practice, the XV is capable to produce excellent results in terms of urban documentation, if so inclined.
These are my two cents...
Thanks again for drawing attention to the X-Vario. A V.2 would have been most welcome, but that's not going to happen.

 

[DandA]

What a informative and extremely fine review and user perspective of the X-vario by Adam.  Well done!  I would be in near agreement with all points but as I primarily use the camera in Af mode, I have found fairly reliable and accurate performance in this regard.  

 

It was mentioned recently that lately there has been a dearth of available X-Varios for purchase. It's hard to say what the reason for this is (although the poster hypothesized), but maybe some have taken note of recent comments made about it's superb optical performance whereby ithe cameras advantages clearly supersede what perceived and real disadvantages or shortcomings it has.  For many applications/use where a equiv focal length range of 28-70mm in good or decent lighting is desired, it certainly is a strong contender as a best buy.  As nice as the new Leica CL is, including it's versatility, faster operational and processing speed and internal EVF...its more than 3x times more expensive if its purchased and primarily used with it's standard equiv. 28-85 zoom, which is the case of quite a few.  The X-Vario even has the advantage of impressive close focusing performance as Adam and others here have demonstrated.

 

All this makes it even more surprising that I haven't had an extreme abundance of serious inquiries yet in my 2nd X-Vario thats boxed "LN" that I put up for sale due to just obtaining a silver one. Time will tell but in the meantime its fun and a joy to use my X vario.

 

Dave

[mikej]

+1 thanks, Adam, for this review and reminder that specs, wi-fi, 4k video, etc. are not necessary to make great photos. My X-V is still going strong and I appreciate the build every time I look at the latest offerings from Fuji, Canon, Nikon. Ditto for the simple, straightforward controls. Not a perfect camera, but I haven’t found that yet anyway.

Cheers,

Mike

[Trivette]

Thanks for the excellent review, goatsby. In my opinion Leica should be commended for creating such a magnificent camera. It is a sad commentary on the lack of sophistication of many Leica users that the X Vario was not more widely accepted. 

 

There is a preoccupation with lens speed among many photographers, which probably accounts for the discontinuation of the X-V, as well as one of my favorite lenses: the excellent, totally distortion-free 50mm Elmar-M (which had a "dismal" f/2.8 maximum aperture).

 

 

[goatsby]

Hello Trivette, I am glad you enjoyed the review! I certainly agree that Leica should be commended on this camera. I still use it daily and it never lets me down. I think the reason most users do not accept the camera is that it takes some time to get the best out of it, and the lens speed is quickly disregarded as too slow. For what the XV is and does, the lens speed is certainly appropriate. Would it be nice to have Summilux speed? Of course, but not at the cost of size and weight. I often carry the XV in wetlands through difficult terrain for miles at a time knowing that it will serve me well when it’s time to take a picture. The thought of carrying my DSLR through the same area makes my back hurt and shoulder sore just thinking about it!

[Trivette]

Yes, the X-V is superb for the purposes you have in mind, goatsby. It may be the only camera I take on my vacation this fall to the islands off the east coast of the US. Of course, for more artistic purposes  other cameras and lenses may be more suitable, such as for isolating the subject with the shallow depth of field of a large aperture. or infrared photography, for which a rangefinder camera may be more convenientt.

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[uRbanik]

Hi goatsby, Thank you very much for your review. After months of research and deliberation your review has finally convinced me to go for Leica X Vario instead of Lumix GX9. Luck would have it that 3 days back I chanced upon this old guy with a mint silver XV that - most of the time - he was more than happy to just open the box and look at it, instead of lugging around.

At US$962, the smell of the leather strap and the sheer weight and quality of it was irresistible. Soonest I lifted it from the box I knew my wife would have a serious competition!

The only problem now is how long I can manage to hide it from her who thinks my Canon EOS5D Mark III and EX-2 is way more than enough for a 66 yr old...  I'm an old school guy and love to see image coming to life during manual focusing..