The Leica X Vario

dogberryjr said:
Since the previous thread on this new camera has been pulled, please use this thread to comment on Leica's latest offering.

Please limit your opinions and comments to the camera itself, Leica the company, the marketing or anything else not meant to disparage those folks who may be interested in purchasing the camera.

For my part, I'm not interested in the Vario X, which is a welcome relief from my usual state of GAS. On the other hand, shame on Leica for teasing us with a "Mini M" only to offer a . . . . not M at all.
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what thread was pulled?
 
lonemantis said:
I think that creative spirit died with the M5 and CL.
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M5 = greatest camera Leica ever made!

I do think Leica still has a creative spirit in them. the Monochrom is evidence of that, as well as the M8/M9 series which were just great. I think the M240 is a bloated, mainstream foray into uncreative realms....and the X-Vario shows that this is a company who is now having an identity crisis.

I hope that history doesn't show that the M8/M9/MM years of Leica may turn out to be the best in their 'digital camera' history.....
 
Here's some more stirring of the X Vario pot that is worthy of consideration:
Was This the Right Leica?


Leica today announced the camera they've been teasing as the Mini M: the Leica X Vario Type 107.


Yikes, what a name. Mini M was much more evocative, wasn't it? So right off the bat the first disappointment comes with the name, of all things. As we all expected it wasn't an "M" (which implies rangefinder), but an "X" (which implies large sensor compact).

As a large sensor compact (APS sized, 16mp), the new X Vario immediately joins the rest of the rush (see my previous article), but as I noted there, with large sensor compacts generally the way you choose them is with the lens. And the X Vario's lens leaves a few things to be desired...

<snip>

...When you're designing something, one question you have to answer is "why would anyone buy this over another product in the category?" The answer here, it seems, is "because it says Leica on the front." But I'd dispute whether that actually works all that well. Indeed, Leica themselves long ago started down the road to custom, special order cameras just to stay in business (and they still do that). What makes me think we're going to see custom versions of the X Vario? Rich Corinthian red leather versions? Shiny polished brass with custom engravings versions? And don't let Hasselblad near it with their Bejeweling gear.

Now I suspect that Leica's thinking was this: we need to find ways to get people who can't afford an M to buy a Leica, and we've got some big gaps between those Panasonic cameras we re-badge and the M, and the X Vario fills one of those gaps. Not very inspired product management, in my opinion. Again, the question is "why would I buy this over something else?" And my answer at the moment is: I wouldn't. We'll see for sure when the product ships and we can review it.
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Source: http://www.gearophile.com/newsviews/was-this-the-right-leica.html

This may indeed be a dumb camera, as some on another forum have posited. That having been said, it may end up being a success for Leica, due to the fact that it seems a rather large majority of people these days really aren't too intelligent or insightful - particularly when it comes to photography.

Rather than the thought process that the author suggests, perhaps Leica's product management philosophy regarding this camera was something along the lines of, "Alright - we know that the vast majority of consumers have been progressively dumbed down by the prevailing culture; therefore, let's give them something they can comprehend: A dumb camera!"

If so, that could only be characterized as something between very inspired product management and insight bordering on a stroke of genius.

Can a Leica digicam iPhone with ASPH glass be far behind?? :rolleyes:
 
I'm interested in it. I love my X2 and 2.8 is not that much faster. I also have a D-Lux 6 which has a super fast 1.4 lens however if you need depth of field and turn the ISO up the IQ goes down. If the X Vario is like the X2 ISO at 3200 is acceptable to me which I believe is 5 stops. I also have a Panny GX1 with a 14-42 zoom. I like the zoom when the occasion suits itself and overall its a good camera but it's also slow with a 3.5-5.6 and the 4/3 sensor is smaller than the X, even though the IQ for this sensor is quite good and yes you can change lenses.

I'm fortunate to have many cameras as a hobby so adding the X Vario is not a must for me however it might be a fun addition to my collection and I'll enjoy using it.

Cheers!
Jim
 
f16sunshine said:
I have the Hex Dual 21/35 f3.4/4. It's a pretty big lens for Rangefinder and easy to comparison sake. Most other "35mm" zooms lenses are made for a longer register. ThE Hex Dual, MATE, and WATE being the exceptions. All are quite large and still on the slow side.

Now add the extention to get to a 7omm equivalent as the Vario does. Plus AF considerations.
It's clear why the lens is so slow. Physically it would need to be much larger to make it faster.
I sit in the camp of people who feel smaller sensors have a place in Photography (as do larger ones).
If Leica was set on a AF zoom lens camera to appeal to more casual photog (as this model appears to be targeting).... a 4/3 or 1" sensor would have been a smarter move than trying to "stuff" aps-c behind that big lens.
If Fuji or Sony try the same sensor size they will deal with the same physics issue.
Give Leica credit for trying. Obviously there is a lot of resistance here from us gear heads. The target demograph may just love this thing!

I love the X20 :p
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Yep... I agree.. Not interested in the camera, but to keep a zoom of that range to a decent small size, something had to give unless u go the m43 approach and hide all the issues under the covers in the fw/hw algos before the image is written to flash card.

I still have a pair of CLs. Would have loved to get the digital equiv to them. Right now my closest is the gxr from Ricoh or the Fuji xe1.

I guess if they had come out w/ a 28-70f2.8, I would bet we would c people screaming this is way tooo big.. Given the price they are asking, I don't think Leica can win, there is always going to be something wrong.

Gary
 
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The x vario seems to do what digital cameras do very well. Provide convenience. It is in fact probably the most convenient digital Leica. Zoom, auto focus, auto expose, done. If I was in the market for a digital camera, this would make a lot of sense to me given the added convenience of this camera in comparison with other digital Leicas. Why people feel that they can't take a good photo unless they have an f/1.4 apperture is beyond me. Especially in this age of 160 - 12600 (or whatever it is) ISO convenience.
 
Mark T said:
The x vario seems to do what digital cameras do very well. Provide convenience. It is in fact probably the most convenient digital Leica. Zoom, auto focus, auto expose, done. If I was in the market for a digital camera, this would make a lot of sense to me given the added convenience of this camera in comparison with other digital Leicas. Why people feel that they can't take a good photo unless they have an f/1.4 apperture is beyond me. Especially in this age of 160 - 12600 (or whatever it is) ISO convenience.
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I agree, I like it, it looks like a pretty useful camera to me. Sure, it's a slow lens, but I shoot at f/8 most of the time anyway.

I doubt I'd ever buy an X Vario, but I think it fits into the Leica range fairly well.
 
Mark T said:
Especially in this age of 160 - 12600 (or whatever it is) ISO convenience.
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+1.

Yes there is that. The pictures I have seen posted from it are quite nice.

As I think back on how we got to this state... I thought the teaser ad that Leica put out there... It was designed to kick off a frenzy. It did just that very very well. The web was rampant w/ hopes of everything from a Leica ff digital CL to some csc apsc camera.. With the more level headed (rare bred:p) guessing it was going to be some follow on variation to the x series.

Only time will tell how well they will do here.. I am not a Leica fan boy nor am I a hater. I have owned their lenses since the film days. Never really liked their film bodies (have owned a m6), but much prefer to use their lenses on CL and Konica rf..

Gary

Ps. I was one of the ones who was hoping for a CL. But at end of the day would not have bought it unless the price was right. In other words chances were slim to none given the cost of the x2. :(
 
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I'd like to see a digital CL for an affordable price. Mini M had me expecting something other than a fixed lens camera. Oh well, maybe sometime before I retire....
 
I would love to have seen something like an X-2 with an M mount. Focus could be assisted by some combination of peaking, digital split image, and centre magnification, either on the LCD screen or in an optional EVF. That's what I was hoping to see. I'm very disappointed by this offering.
 
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