Comparing an X Vario to an X-Pro1

[2WK]

I recently acquired an X Vario. I am now comparing it to my Fuji. I guess I am trying to decide on weather to keep the Leica, or sell it. I have been taking photos side by side from the two. For example, I will use the 18mm on the Xpro, and then zoom out to 28mm on the X Vario and shoot both at 3.5, iso 200. Then I will use the 35mm on the Fuji and zoom the Leica to around 54mm. Shoot them both at 5.6 @ iso 200.

I was assuming the Vario-Elmar was going to trounce the Fujinon….but not so much. The Leica actually will purple fringe on highlights where the Fuji will not. At 18mm the Leica is sharper in the corners…the results look soo similar otherwise. I think I read that they both use the same sony sensor. I will post some photos soon, no time at the moment.

The Leica offers the versatility of the zoom, and build quality….the colors are nice, but I wouldn't necessarily say they are soo much better. The Fuji, well I can open it up to 1.4! 😀

 

[tomtofa]

Be sure to post some comparisons - that's an interesting match up.

 

[eleskin]

My experience as a Leica and X Pro-owner

My experience as a Leica and X Pro-owner

I started my digital photo experience with an M8 after many years of film, and have amassed a large collection off used M lenses. By early last year, I was contemplating an M240 but my budget would not allow it, and I thought the X Pro-1 was VERY close in image quality and layout. I must say the Fuji lenses are superior in many cases. I am not surprised here in that I have shot Fuji before in Medium Format with my GSW 690 ll. They know what they are doing! I can say the 35mm f1.4 outperforms my 35mm Summicron V4 hands down. Sharpness is there, the lens is faster than my summicron, and the colors and flare resistance are superior. The 18-55 Fujinon zoom is also superior and great for street photography under general lighting conditions. That being said, some Leica lenses are unique and I do use them extensively on my Fuji (i prefer the much better high ISO to my M8). I have a Noctilux f1.0 that is incredible on the Fuji. Fuji does NOT have that creamy f1.0 look. My 50mm Summitar is another lens that gives swirly bokeh in its own unique character. The X Vario cannot do what the X Pro can with Fuji AND Leica lenses. I would sell the X Vario and buy an M adapter and start buying used M lenses. You may already have M lenses so more is better, especially since they appreciate in value. Besides, we all know Fuji is under tremendous pressure from Sony regarding the A7r, and despite the denials, I am sure they are hard at work on a full frame version of the X Pro, which will make your current X Pro a system backup camera. It is nonsense that the current Fuji lenses could not be used because the camera would electronically crop for APS-C.

 

[______]

I would think the deciding factor would be framing with the OVF/EVF of the XPro1 vs. framing with the rear panel LCD of the X-Vario

 

[nongfuspring]

I recently acquired an X Vario. I am now comparing it to my Fuji. I guess I am trying to decide on weather to keep the Leica, or sell it.

I'm curious as to what made you attracted to buying the Vario?

 

[2WK]

I didn't buy it, I won it in a photo contest. I'll post some photos today.

 

[2WK]

Ok, here are some comparison photos. By no means are they scientific. The framing isn't perfect. The ISO is the same, but since I shot them in aperture priority…the shutter speeds are a bit off. I was just trying to see the different color rendering, and the lens iQ. All Jpegs. And, I apologize for how awfully un-creative they are! They are pretty bad. I will try to make it up with some more, that show off resolution...soon. 😎

Ok, Starting with the 18mm focal length…
(Click the photo to see the full size in Flickr)

X Vario


XPro1


Leica


Fuji


Deutschland


Nippon


Now for 35mm… and these are really fantastic… 😱

Leica


Fuji


XV


XP1


Vario

(note the purple fringing)

Pro1


I did notice that the Fujis definitely flare easier…especially the 18mm.
What do you think overall?

Cheers,
Mike

 

[nongfuspring]

I didn't buy it, I won it in a photo contest. I'll post some photos today.

Wow nice!

Thanks for the photo comparison. I didn't look at the full res files but I like the vario's files more than I thought I would, and they look like they'd be nice to work with. I went around online looking at other images after looking at yours, and I quite like the more modest colour output it gives. You're also right about the flare on the fuji.

If I were in your shoes though, I'd probably sell it, or swap with an X2/fuji lenses before Leica comes out with that rumoured ILC.

 

[2WK]

It is a nice camera. A very nice one. I actually really like it. It feels great in the hand. It's nice to just toss it in the bag and not have to think which lenses to bring. It takes makes excellent B&W jpegs which I much prefer over the Xpro, but..I have a Monochrom. It has a built in flash, and it also syncs at all speeds which would possibly be nice in the studio. I do just want to keep it…..BUT. It is fairly expensive. It is worth about as much as a new loaded iMac, which I definitely need more at the moment. Maybe I'll just hang onto it a little bit longer? 😉

I did think about just keeping it for my color work and letting go of the Fuji system. The more I shoot with the Xpro, the more I realize that I do not like the Xtrans raw files. At least not Lightroom's rendition of them. I always use ooc jpeg unless I really need to recover the highlights or shadows.

 

[daveywaugh]

Excellent comparison - thanks for doing that. I must (on quick glance) that I prefer the Leica photos. I find the results suprising to be honest - I didn't think it would be as clear cut (for me anyway).

 

[tomtofa]

To me the Fuji does much better, especially in the highlight areas of the night shots. The lights above the garage doors, the Christmas tree, the views through the windows, etc., seem a lot smoother on the Fuji.

 

[kbg32]

Fuji has held the highlight detail and color compared to the Leica. You can really see it in the Christmas tree.

I think Adobe CS6 does a great job with Fuji RAW files.

 

[2WK]

I think so too. I forgot to mention the fuji Jpegs were in the Astia setting…my recent fave.
I have to say, the leica raw files look much better than these jpegs. And the fuji raw files look much worse. Kind of funny. I remember when I used to shoot Canon, and when looking at the raw files..at first you would see the jpeg preview and it would look ok and then the raw file would load and kick in and it was always a nice surprise. I find the exact opposite happens with the Fuji .raf files. A nice jpeg preview, and then when the raw loads it looks like it is washed out or glazed over…not so nice. 🙁

 

[2WK]

I have been doing a few more tests, since I have decided to sell the Vario. I was shooting my Bang & Olufsen stereo, since it has very fine details. The front mesh is made up of thousands of tony holes and I wanted to check moire on both cameras. Well, the results were surprising. It seems the Fuji is unable to reproduce the fine holes in both jpeg, and raw. For the Leica, it is no problem. I'm attaching both jpegs, and a close-up screenshot of both.

Leica


Fuji


Close-up of Fuji


Close-up of Leica


Is this an issue in everyday shooting? Not really. But I did find it quite interesting.