Leica X Vario (Typ 107) ($2,850 on Amazon). This camera was a big hit when it first came out. Compact cameras with D-SLR-sized APS-C image sensors are a growing market, but the recent generation has had a couple things in common—fixed-focal length lenses and an emphasis on compactness. It has resulted in some amazing designs like the pocket-friendly Editors' Choice Ricoh featuring its fixed wide angle lens. The X Vario is larger than an interchangeable lens camera such as the Fujifilm X-E1 ($699.00 on Amazon). Its asking price is also sky-high.
The X Vario was a great camera with excellent build quality. However, we felt a little limited due to the lens' narrow aperture and the lack of optical image stability. It's worth considering if you love the camera's idea and can afford it. But the Fujifilm X-E1 is so similar in size, is more versatile, and costs so much less that the 16-megapixel X Vario is a tough sell—even more so than other high-dollar Leica cameras.
Related Reading: Fujifilm Fujinon XF 35mm F2 R WR Review
Features and Design
Sony's R1 was a fixed-lens APSC zooming camera that stunned shooters eight years ago. But this was long before mirrorless cameras became a reality. Canon attempted to solve the same problem in 2012 by releasing the PowerShot G1 X. This compact zoomer had an image sensor that was between Micro Four Thirds (APS-C) and large enough for the average user. Although the G1 X had some issues with performance, its images were excellent. The X Vario fixed-lens camera is the first to feature a zooming lens and a comparable-sized image sensor.
The body is inspired by the Leica X2 prime lens (Amazon: $1,899.95), but with a few tweaks taken from the full frame M. The dimensions of the device are 2.9x5.2x3.7inches (HWD), and 1.5lbs. Although it is a little heavy, the quality of the construction is excellent. It feels cool and sturdy thanks to its aluminum top plate. A black leatherette covers the body. It is texture to improve grip and comes with a leather strap. Shooters who want one can purchase an optional handgrip ($129).
The X2 measures 2.7x4.9x2 inches (HWD), but it is a little smaller overall. It has a 35mm f/2.8 lens (equivalent to 35mm). The X Vario has the same pop-up flash, top-mounted shutter speed control and aperture controls. Its 28-70mm f/3.5-6.4 lens adds a dedicated manual focus ring, which is the best we've seen in a camera of this type—most require you to fiddle with buttons or dials in order to adjust focus manually. It is manual as well, which makes it a refreshing departure from power zoom lenses found in many cameras without interchangeable lenses.
In addition to the shutter and aperture control dials, top controls include a power switch with three settings—off, single shot mode, and continuous drive mode, just as on the X2. A dedicated button to record movies is also available, which was inherited from the design of M rangefinder. On the rear you'll find a control layout that comes straight from the M—there's a single control dial, with an integrated thumb rest, and a silver directional pad with a center button.
The LCD's left side has a set of rectangular buttons. These control the image playback, deletion, focus mode and white balance. You can also dive right into the menu. You can navigate between menus using the four-way directional pad. It also includes integrated controls that adjust self-timer and exposure compensation as well as flash output.
You can use the Delete/Focus buttons for two purposes depending on whether or not you are reviewing photos. A single button can be used to select an autofocus mode. You have the option of 1-point, 11 point, spot or face detection. You can move the focal point in any mode, except face detection. Holding the button down for one second will allow you to do this.
In 1-point mode, there is a tiny rectangle that can move. Spot gives you the ability to use the spot as a crosshair spot. The 11-point system is more flexible than you would expect. You can choose to move the points on the right, left, or center. Although I prefer not having to press the button, it is easy to choose the focus point for any scene.
Menus are simple and text-based. The navigation is quick and responsive. You can tap buttons to see the result on the rear 3-inch display. The LCD screen is great. I was able to see the live feed even when it was bright outside. The resolution is 920k dots, so images are crisp and bright when you review them. Zoom in to verify focus. If you want to manually focus your camera, a magnified window with picture-in-picture will be available to assist you. An EVF is available.
It slides in the hot shoe. Leica EVF2 (499) has a 1.4 megpaixel resolution, tilting design and is priced at $499. Except for the Olympus logo, it is the same EVF Olympus sells as its VF-2 ($249.99). So save some money and get the Olympus model.
Related Reading: Canon PowerShot SX510 HS Review
Performance and conclusions
Leica's X Vario digital camera is a snappy one. This is yet another indication that they are no longer making slow-running models. The X Vario can take seven images at 5 frames per seconds in a matter of 1.8 seconds. It also has a 0.1 second shutter delay. The lag can extend a bit if the autofocus system needs to move from one extreme to the other (capturing a close object with the focus set at infinity, for example)—but at most that took about half a second.
Low light takes about 1.7 seconds to focus. Compare this with the Canon G1 X—it consistently delivered a 0.4-second shutter lag, took a full 2.5 seconds to start and shoot, and could only manage to take a photo once every 0.6-second in continuous drive mode.
Imatest was used to test the sharpness and quality of the X Vario zoom lens. The 28-70mm design (35mm equivalent), has an aperture of f/3.5 that dwindles to about f/6.4 as you zoom in. Although the aperture is small, it won't allow you to achieve a shallow field of view as much with a fast lens. However, you will still be able create one if your minimum focus distance is met. This is 1.3 feet in all cases except the 70mm settings. Zoomed out all the way, you can get as close to 1 foot.
It is not a wide-aperture lens so it takes some effort to achieve subject isolation. The lens won't blur background like a 50mm F/1.4 lens. The lens does not have image stabilization, however the camera can apply digital stabilization under certain circumstances. The camera can capture up to two images at once at ISO 1600 and lower shutter speeds. This will minimize blurring caused by camera shake. You can disable this feature via the menu if you don't like it.
Zooming in further improves the X Vario lens. It is slightly below the minimum 1,800 lines per image height required to label a lens sharp at 18mm f/3.5. The X Vario achieved 1,774 lines with 18mm f/3.5 using a center-weighted testing.
The X Vario's edge performance was poor at 1,441 lines. This brings down the score a little. The score was increased to 1,869 lines by reducing the aperture to f/5.6, although edges remain at around 1,500. Visually, edges of squares in our test chart looked a bit blurry at 18mm. This is something you won't notice when you view images at full screen resolution. However, large prints could have this effect.
The 32mm setting (or the 50mm equivalent) was a much more favorable option. The aperture is now f/5.1. However, the average sharpness of the frame is 1,978 line. Edges are just shy of 1,800. At f/8, performance is almost the same. The aperture shrinks to f/6.4 when zoomed to 46mm (70mm equivalent). This X Vario score scores 2,043 lines, while the edges are close to 1,900.
The results are almost identical if you reduce the aperture to 8x. The distortion was minimal, but it is present. It's only 2% at its worst and 1.2 percent at its best. There will be some curving in straight lines. This can easily corrected with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (the included Raw converter).
We don't know of any other APS-C compacts that include zoom lenses. So we compared the Fujinon XF18-55mm F.28-4R LM OIS (Amazon: $5517.21) with the Fujinon X-E1 mirrorless cam. The lens has 2,252 lines at its broadest, 2,329 lines midpoint and 2,399 lines telephoto. The lens' performance is not affected by stopping it down; the sharpness of its edges and minimal distortion mean that you can't stop it from being as sharp as possible. The lens also has optical stabilization and a larger aperture at all focal lengths. It can focus closer than the X Vario at its widest angle (11.8 inches), but it is limited to 15.7 inches at its 55mm (83mm equivalent) extreme—that 2.7 inches is partially offset by its longer focal length.
Imatest can also check photos for noise. This could make photos appear grainy or rob them of their detail when using higher ISO settings. The X Vario does not have the highest score, keeping noise under 1.5 percent at ISO 800 for JPG images. Our ISO tests shots taken with a calibrated NEC MultiSyncPA271W ($999.00 Amazon) show that, while ISO 600 shots can be grainy and JPG detail is impressive up to ISO 6400. To illustrate, we have included some sample crops in the slideshow.
X Vario's image processing takes a light hand to reduce noise when comparing Raw images with out-of camera-JPGs. Raw DNG images shot at ISO 6400 look almost the same as their unprocessed Raw counterparts. The JPG output settings have a much greater contrast. People who are more comfortable with the camera's handling of JPG processing will be grateful.
This is a disadvantage because other cameras can also be set up to reduce or increase noise in JPGs. It gives photographers with less time to tweak the JPG output. Ricoh GR's noise reduction customization is unmatched.
One interesting thing to note about Raw capture is that the X Vario does not have a Raw-only mode. You only have two options: JPG in fine and superfine compression or Raw+JPG. To reduce the amount of space on your memory cards, you can save JPGs with either the raw or fine compression formats. You can also set JPG files at resolutions down to 1.8 Megapixels while still taking full-resolution DNG images.
Vario X can record 1080p and 720p videos at 30 frames per second in MP4 format. While the video is clear and sharp, the camera moves smoothly. However, there was some jelly-like motion in the moving of the camera. This could be due to a slight rolling shutter effect. The soundtrack can be distorted by manually adjusting the focal length or focus, but the internal microphone is able to pick up vocals well. The X Vario does not have an external microphone input.
However, it is fine for casual video recordings. The camera is not in the best form factor and doesn't have all the features required for professional video work. A mini HDMI and a standard USB ports are available. SDHC and SDXC memory card types are all supported. X2 will also be pleased to learn that the battery can be used for both the X Vario and SDHC cards.
The X Vario camera is a well-built, high-quality model that can capture some stunning images. It also has a hands-off approach for in-camera noise reduction. It is not without its weaknesses, such as a small aperture, no optical image stabilization and a heavy fixed zoom lens that makes it difficult to sell. Although it is the only fixed lens APS-C camera that has a zooming feature, it does not have the same size advantages as a compact fixed lens. Fujifilm X-E1 is almost the same size and features an integrated EVF. It also ships with a zoom lens that has a wider zoom range and a more dramatic aperture.
It's not fair to compare the camera with fixed-lens compacts like the Ricoh GR and Fujifilm X100S, both of which received Editors' Choice awards in the large-sensor compact category, which is why the X-E1 keeps coming up as an alternative—its form and function are so close to the X Vario that it's a logical option. Comparing the X Vario with the Canon G1 X, the other large-sensor zooming compact on the market today gives us the same rating. Although the Vario is a superior camera, its retail price is three times higher than the G1 X. The G1 X is available at a much lower price than the original sticker.
You can buy the X-E1 if you are looking for a camera that has the same form and function as the X Vario. Just don't remove the lens. Although I enjoyed the X Vario's capabilities, there were times when I longed for a deeper depth of field. You can achieve this by working closer to the subject with longer focal lengths. However, sometimes it is not possible.
In these cases, a larger aperture will be sufficient to distinguish background from subject. Even at ISO 6400, the lens design limits your ability not to use flash for photos in dimming light. The X Vario's image quality and handling will not disappoint you if you are able to live with them. However, it does not change the fact you can buy a much more versatile model of the same size and for a fraction of the price.