Name: Leica X Vario Compact Digital Camera, with Vario Elamr 28-70 mm f/3.5 - 6.4 ASPH Lens, 16.1 MP, Iconic Design, Black
Brand: Leica
SKU: ILCXV
Price: 2134.00 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 3.67 (3 reviews)

Leica X Vario Compact Digital Camera, with Vario Elamr 28-70 mm f/3.5 - 6.4 ASPH Lens, 16.1 MP, Iconic Design, Black

Leica X Vario

Leica

Leica X Vario Compact Digital Camera - Black

Adorama

Photography

Cameras

Digital Point & Shoot Cameras

Leica Digital Point & Shoot Cameras

Leica X Vario 

25% Off: Leica X Vario Compact Digital Camera, with Vario Elamr 28-70 mm f/3.5 - 6.4 ASPH Lens, 16.1 MP, Iconic Design, Black Buy now & save $716. Configuration: Camera Only, Media Type: SD, Resolution: 16 MP, Series: X-Series, Video Resolution: HD 1080

I recently purchased the X Vario to use as a travel camera and as a color complement to my Leica M Monochrom.

The only reasons to buy this camera is for the quality, both in terms of build quality and the image quality it produces.  It is a poor choice for those buying based on spec sheets as other cameras have higher resolution sensors, faster maximum aperture, wider and longer zoom reach and more built-in features.  With the X Vario, features aren't the focus, quality is.

The rear LCD is about average, not as good as Sony's high-end panels in bright light, but not in any way bad.  The optional EVF (or the cheaper and identical Olympus VF2) is also about average, with far lower resolution than the best modern EVFs, but again it is entirely adequate.

What really sets apart the X Vario are its controls and its lens.  The controls are real dials for shutter speed, aperture and real rings on the lens for focus and zoom, with the brilliant placement of "Automatic" as just another position on the dial or focusing ring.  This camera can easily be set without even turning it on or reading any displays or menus.

The lens is where your money goes.  While slow at f/3.5 at the wide end and f/6.4 at the long end, it is amazingly sharp from corner-to-corner at ALL apertures, distances and focal lengths.  This is every bit as good as Leica's prime lenses for the M system, and in some cases better.  You won't get dreamy blurred-out backgrounds at normal subject distances, but the amount of blur is not the same as the quality of blur, or bokeh.  The bokeh on the X Vario's lens is outstanding for a zoom, smooth and even, with very subtle transition from in focus to out of focus.

People who complain about the X Vario are spec sheet types who look at the price and then compare feature for feature against similarly priced or even less expensive cameras.  That is not who the X Vario was made for.  It was made for people who don't want the fuss of swapping lenses, don't want the bulk of a DSLR, but do want incredible image quality and a very smooth transition from automatic to manual control.

Outstanding, but demanding

The Leica X Vario delivers crisp, sharp images at all focal lengths and apertures without mushing landscape details as does the Fuji X-trans sensor.  Color rendition is classic Leica with excellent contrast and saturation right out of the camera which is unlike the dull, flat, pastel color rendition of the Fuji X-E1.

I returned the X-E1 w/18-55 lens due to these imaging defects that are inherent in its design and the well-known motion blur in the electronic viewfinder.  It was a good value for the money, but compared to the imaging quality of the X Vario, a pretender.

Sharp images w/o Fuji's sensor mush

I Received my Leica X Vario 28-70 a few days ago.  I was hoping and expecting more from Leica with this entry into the compact point and shoot 
APC-C sized sensor 16-17 MP AF short zoom camera field. The resolution is excellent, but still not quite the best in class. Another issue is that it takes a lot of work to get quality photos. This is due in no small part to the lack of an optical IS in the lens.  This is a slow lens and you are often forced to shoot at slow shutter speeds and OIS would be a great option.  In small print, Leica states that the IS is present, but this is in the camera software and is more or less useless.  I was unable to get a consistent and decent result from the IS and soon gave up on it. The live view screen for shooting is less than ideal in bright sunlight. A viewfinder is necessary, and the lack of an EVF inherent to the camera is a major design flaw. The need to purchase a optional plastic accessory lens hood for $140 is absurd.  
I prefer to shoot my snapshots in jpeg fine and raw.  The  jpegs often came our with some rather strange colors and required processing in camera raw to get it right. When combined with an external Leica EVF and a hood, you are talking about three times the price of the Fuji X-E1 with the 18-55mm, which will outperform the Leica in most departments and equal it in a few areas where the Leica performs well.  
It is not my intention to bash this Leica, but this camera does not bode well with the Leica tradition of producing the best of the best.

Leica X Vario Compact Digital Camera, with Vario Elamr 28-70 mm f/3.5 - 6.4 ASPH Lens, 16.1 MP, Iconic Design, Black

Recommended Alternatives

Leica Q2 Monochrom Compact Digital Camera

Leica SF C1 Remote Control

Leica 10x42 Geovid 3200.COM Porro Prism Rangefinder Binocular, 6.45 Degree AoV

Leica Super-Vario-Elmarit-SL 16-35mm f/3.5-4.5 Aspherical Lens for L Mount