Yoo yeon seok 'new baby' Leica X-Vario

Overview by Mike Tomkins
Posted 06/11/2013

Shooter's Report by Jason Schneider
Posted 11/7/2013

As the world's first compact camera boasting an APS-C-type image sensor and a permanently affixed zoom lens, the Leica X Vario surprised some who thought it would be an interchangeable "mini" M-Series camera. Instead, it turned out to be an X2 with more reach, specifically a 2.5x zoom with a 28-70mm equivalent range. That added versatility definitely made the X Vario an interesting addition to Leica's compact lineup, however the zoom's relative dimness -- f/3.5 open wide to f/6.4 at full tele -- simultaneously proved somewhat disappointing. At a price of US$2,850, almost identical to the full-frame, fixed-focal-length Sony RX1, the Leica X Vario appeared to have a lot of convincing to do with non-Leica fanatics.

The Leica X Vario represents a calculated gamble: One of photography's most famous names trying a new direction with a large-sensor, zoom compact that -- while pretty pricey -- is more affordable than much of its other cameras. The X Vario clearly is not a camera for the common man, though, and potential buyers need to weigh Leica's long-standing attention to quality, aesthetics and feel to the compromise inherent in the design of a camera with a relatively dim lens and high price.

Walkthrough. In terms of height and width, the X Vario's body falls about halfway between Leica's M-series cameras and the Leica X2. Ignoring its lens, the X Vario is quite a bit slimmer than the M-series cameras, and near-identical to the body thickness of the X2. Like the X2, though -- and unlike the M-series -- the X Vario's lens is permanently attached to the camera body. Factor that into the equation and the the X Vario is twice as thick as the X2, and much closer to the size of an M-series camera with one of its smaller lenses mounted.

Zoom lens. The Leica X Vario's 2.5x optical zoom lens provides a 35mm-equivalent range from 28 to 70mm. (Actual focal lengths range from 18 to 46mm.) Maximum aperture of the Vario-Elmar branded optic varies from f/3.5 at wide angle to a decidedly dim f/6.4 at telephoto, while the minimum aperture is f/16 across the board. Taking into account the focal length crop, background blur would be similar to that from an f/5.3 lens on a full-frame body at wide angle, and by the telephoto position would equate to that of an f/9.8 lens.

The lens design features nine elements in eight groups, including two aspheric elements. The X Vario's autofocus system operates to as close as one foot (30cm) at the telephoto position.

The X Vario does feature image stabilization of a kind for both still and video recording, and it can be toggled on or off separately for either capture mode. It's not mechanical, however. For still imaging, the stabilization system simply captures two images in quick succession, and then merges them to create a single shot with reduced blur. It works only at ISO 1600 or below, between 1/4 and 1/30th second, and with static subjects. For videos, electronic stabilization is used.

Sensor. Where recent M-series cameras have sported 35mm full-frame image sensors, the X Vario instead features an APS-C sized sensor. That's the same size you'll find in the majority of consumer and enthusiast digital SLRs and many compact system cameras. Both lens and sensor are much more closely aligned with the X-series than they are in an M-series camera.

The Leica X Vario's APS-C sized CMOS sensor offers an effective resolution of 16.2 megapixels, from a total of 16.5 megapixels. The sensor allows burst shooting at either three or five frames per second, for a maximum of seven Raw+Fine JPEG frames. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to 12,500 equivalents.

Viewing. The X Vario does not include a built-in viewfinder, but it does accept an optional electronic viewfinder accessory, the very same Leica Visoflex EVF 2 model used by the Leica M Typ 240 and X2. It's essentially a rebadged, restyled Olympus VF-2 electronic viewfinder, and past experience has shown that the two are interchangeable. That's worth knowing, given that Leica's version costs around US$500, and the Olympus variant can be picked up for US$200.

There is, of course, an LCD panel as well, so you can forgo the viewfinder altogether if that fits with your shooting style. The built-in monitor has a pretty standard 3-inch diagonal, and a reasonably high resolution of around 920,000 dots. That approximately equates to a VGA array of 640 x 480 pixels, with each pixel made up of adjacent red, green, and blue dots.

Shooting modes. As you'd expect of an enthusiast-oriented camera with the Leica red dot, there are no hand-holding scene modes and the like on the X Vario. Only four standard exposure mode options are available: program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and manual. Both shutter speed and aperture are set with physical dials on the camera's top deck, with an Auto position on each dial taking that variable out of the user's hands. Available shutter speeds range from 30 to 1/2,000 second, and bulb exposures are also possible. Metering modes include multi-field, center-weighted, and spot, and Leica offers +/- 3.0EV of exposure compensation in 1/3EV steps.

Flash and hotshoe. Importantly, given its not-so-bright lens, the Leica X Vario includes both a built-in flash and a hot shoe for external strobes. The internal flash is rather puny, with a guide number of just 16.4 feet (5 meters) at ISO 100. At base sensitivity that means a range of about 4.7 feet at wide angle, and a nearly useless 2.6 feet at telephoto; you'll want to dial the ISO sensitivity up for a useful range, or better still, use an external strobe.

Video. As well as still images, the Leica X Vario can also shoot movies in MP4 format. The maximum video resolution is 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (otherwise known as 1080p or Full HD), with a rate of 30 frames per second. There's also an optional 1,280 x 720 pixel (720p) mode, which likewise records at 30fps.

Audio is stereo, recorded with a two-port microphone in front of the flash hotshoe, and a wind cut filter function is included.

Storage, battery and connectivity. The Leica X Vario stores images on Secure Digital cards, including the higher-capacity SDHC and SDXC types, and supports UHS-I cards. Power comes courtesy of a proprietary 3.7 volt, 1,600 mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack, which Leica rates as good for 350 shots on a charge. Connectivity options include Mini USB 2.0 data, Mini (Type-C) HDMI high-definition video, and the proprietary socket for Leica's external viewfinder accessory. Included in the product bundle is a copy of Adobe's Photoshop Lightroom 5, a comprehensive and photographer-centric imaging application.

source : imaging-resource.com