New Leica X Vario review

[goatsby]

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On 1/17/2019 at 12:41 AM, uRbanik said:

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..

Congrats on the great deal and even better camera! The XV is a camera that just keeps getting better the more you use it and understand its unique characteristics. Good luck keeping it from your wife, its a lot of fun to use and a lot less weight than the 5DM3 so you'll probably have it out and about quite a bit. Be sure to post some photos on the XV Photos section when you get going. Its always nice to see what others are doing and how they interpret the world through their camera!    

[DwF]

2 hours ago, goatsby said:

Congrats on the great deal and even better camera! The XV is a camera that just keeps getting better the more you use it and understand its unique characteristics. Good luck keeping it from your wife, its a lot of fun to use and a lot less weight than the 5DM3 so you'll probably have it out and about quite a bit. Be sure to post some photos on the XV Photos section when you get going. Its always nice to see what others are doing and how they interpret the world through their camera!    

+1  Enjoy your XV Silver!

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[uRbanik]

Thanks Adam! I have browsed through all 127 pages of the XV Photo section and I am amazed at the qualities of photos posted, not to mention the strength of the XV itself. I have taken a few shots and would love to post once I find something worthy. I have not joined any forum or posted a photo before. So please do not hesitate to tell me anytime if I'm out of line - like I am not exactly aware of protocols, etc.

David thanks! You would not believe that whenever there is a chance after my wife fall asleep, I would take the XV out of the box and just feel it in my hands. I think I love it!..

Warmest regards,

Dante

[gbealnz]

Excellent,  welcome aboard Dante.

And your first postings in the images section are outstanding. 

Gary 

[uRbanik]

On 1/25/2019 at 7:20 PM, gbealnz said:

Excellent,  welcome aboard Dante.

And your first postings in the images section are outstanding. 

Gary 

Thanks Gary! Your recent cyclists shots were really good, never thought XV could engage fast actions as well.. still chasing focus of my grandchildren at this point😉..

[zhengyu201211]

Great review, like you, I'm still using the X vario. I found it to be adequate and enjoyable. One thing about the X vario sensor is that although it's very noisy at ISO 6400, there is no noticible patches, and when converted to black and white, it is quite usable. 

[goatsby]

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Thank you for the comments, glad you enjoyed it! It’s still in use though I’ve been busy with other stuff so I haven’t been posting photos lately. It’s quality to size is truly unmatched even to this day!

[Tom Johnston]

A couple weeks ago, good friend DwF, and I went out shooting one night. He had been sharing his enthusiasm for his XV and thought I would like to try it. He used his 113 and handed over his XV. It felt good all around and looking at the files the next day convinced me that it is a special camera and thus began my search, which has now been successful after a visit to Tamarkin while on a family visit. Looking forward to using the XV. And thanks for the informative review and comments in this thread.

Including one from the night shoot.

 

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Edited April 27, 2019 by Tom Johnston

[goatsby]

Thank you for the kind words, I dallied with an Olympus E-5 for a little bit but the weight : quality ratio was not worth the back ache so I have retuned to the XV as my daily shooter. I have been using the Olympus VF2 viewfinder for many years but recently purchased a Leica EVF2 and think it feels a little more sturdy. Also, the viewfinder does not pop up as easy but that may be because it has not been used as much as the Olympus was. One of these days I will update my review with some new thought and insights, but it is truly the only camera I cannot seem to let go!