Review: Leica X Vario. Who is it really for?

1/1000 sec F/6.4 ISO 800 at 70mm equiv

Let me start off with a story. Imagine someone offered you a chance to test the new Porsche 911 Turbo S. As a German car fan, you're pretty excited. However, when the day arrived, they deliver a Porsche Boxster S instead. I mean, a Porsche is a Porsche, you wouldn't complain; but you can't help but be a bit disappointed. Back to my story. I was told I was going to get the Leica M 240 to review, and my anticipation and excitement was almost unbearable. When I was handed the X Vario instead, I was slightly disappointed. But a Leica is a Leica right? It's still made in Germany, and it's a brand new camera, and its the first in its class to be built. So with a smile I started my review. 

Zone Focus Street Pics with Leica X Vario

On a previous post I mentioned how much I enjoyed using the Leica X Vario for street photography, and I meant it. I was gathering images to use for my upcoming review, and I realized I had too many street shots to choose from. In the end, I decided to post the overflow here for your viewing. Here are just some of the overflow...I actually have more!

All these images were taken using zone focusing, anywhere between 1.5 to 4 meter distance. Once you get use to eyeballing distance, it's pretty easy and fun. Just shoot high ISO (800-1600), stop down to F/5.6 to F/8 and make sure you're shutter speeds are 1/500th sec or faster. You'll be surprised how many good images you can get when you're not worried about focusing, or even shutter speeds and aperture.  

Wife, Leica X Vario, Fuji X-100S, Ricoh GR

Taken with Ricoh GR D IV @ ISO 80 1/68th sec F/1.9

My wife dropped me off DT today so I can finish my quick review of the Leica X Vario. As a thank-you, I took her out for breakfast at my favorite Acme Cafe. While waiting for our food to arrive, I decided to start setting up the 3 cameras for testing: Leica X-Vario, Fuji X-100S, Ricoh GR (V). Don't forget the camera in my hand that took this picture as well, the Ricoh GR D IV. This is exactly how our table looked before the food arrived. My wife is very understanding. Thanks babe. I still have the Fuji and the Ricoh for a couple of weeks, so this was a good-bye breakfast for the Leica. 

Below I've attached an image I took of my wife with the X VARIO before the food arrived. I shot it at full zoom 70mm, and as you can see, it makes a nice portrait. Even with this reduced image size, you can tell it's a sharp, sharp lens, and I love the Leica colours. Very nice indeed. 

Thanks to Eric Kerwin of Leica Canada for lending me the camera even before he could play with it himself. Hopefully I can have it back for one more week sometime in the future...

Check out my full review of the Leica X Vario here.

Check out my review of the Ricoh GR here.

Check out my review of the Fuji X-100S here.

Taken with Leica X VARIO @ ISO 800  1/250th sec F/6.4 at 70mm equiv

Is Bart Simpson a Working Graffiti Writer?

I was walking through my favorite alleys of Vancouver looking for any new graffiti art and I actually found 3 graffiti artists hard at work on a private parking lot. The owners were tired of all the tagging along their walls and decided to allow proper graffiti writers to refresh their walls with a proper mural from time to time. Even the taggers stay off a properly done up wall out of respect...for a while anyway.

I ran into Combo (professional tag name), Joe and Jordan "The Red" working on this Simpson's themed graffiti mural wall at 300 block West Hastings. They were hard at work trying to finish their cartoon masterpiece before it started raining.

These guys work hard and they work fast, and they don't get paid for what they do... at least not these guys. They can spend up to $100 worth of paint for just a 20' x 15' section, and this mural was probably over 120' x 15'. Why do it then? They're artists. Why did Picasso paint? To become rich? Many artists die poor. They do it because they want to express themselves. 

Leica X Vario Almost Perfect for the Street

Shot with Leica X Vario @ ISO 1600 and 1/1600 sec F/3.5 at 28mm equiv

I've posted more street shots here.
My full review of the X Vario is here.

Some people feel that shooting with a Leica is like driving a Rolls Royce: mostly show and very little performance. However, I've found that shooting with the Leica X Vario on the street has been a surprisingly enjoyable experience. Let me explain. It's not that I didn't expect to enjoy shooting with this "mini M", but I didn't think it would actually help me become a better street photographer. What makes the X Vario so good? True manual control. Manual dials, manual zoom, manual focus lens. Without looking at a screen, I can see my shutter speed, aperture, focal length, and most importantly my focus distance. This is the key: a true manual focus lens, not focus by wire. This one feature has helped me get more shots more often.

An Impromptu Portrait with Leica X Vario

Leica X Vario @ ISO 1600 1/80th sec F/3.5 at 28mm equiv

This morning as we were getting ready to go out, I thought I would do a quick Bokeh test with the Leica X Vario on my wife. Shot at 28mm equiv wide and F/3.5, I thought the Leica did really well. The sharpness of the lens is amazing wide open, and the background blur is just right. I'll perform a proper Bokeh test outdoors soon, but enjoy this one for now. I only have the camera for a few more days so I better get shooting! Full review coming soon.

Check out my full review of the Leica X Vario here.

Check out my street pics with the Leica X Vario here.

P.S. this image was cropped to a 21:9 aspect ratio to focus on my wife and the background, not the foreground clutter of our kitchen table. This gives you a good idea of the Bokeh at wide open. I can't wait to see what it will look like zoomed out to 70mm, but at F/6.4. This is a super sharp lens though!!

The Graffiti Writers of Vancouver: Meet Joe

Leica X Vario @ ISO 400 1/400th sec F/4.5 at 36mm equiv

Meet Joe. He's a graffiti artist, or as they call each other, a graffiti writer. He likes to draw with a spray can. He draws on walls, under bridges, and on trains. Why? The same reason why I take pictures, or why some like to play musical instruments. It's an expression of ourselves through our chosen medium, let it be a spray can, a camera, or a guitar. 

I ran into Joe, Jordan and Combo (tag name) as they were working on an amazing Simpson's themed mural in a parking lot in downtown Vancouver. I will post those pictures in the next few days but I just wanted to get this backwards portrait of Joe up first. He's a quiet guy, mild spoken, and very easy to talk to. They just finished the mural as it started to rain, and Joe was taking off to get his hair-cut when I got this one last shot of him. 

Thanks for posing Joe. I hope you get a decent haircut...

P.S. this picture was taken with the super cool but expensive Leica X Vario. I didn't think I would like it as a street shooter, but it's actually really awesome, especially if you know how to scale focus. More on this on my upcoming review....stay tuned!

Leica X Vario, Minolta XD and Schiedmayer

Shot with Ricoh GR D IV @ ISO 1250, 1/80 sec F/4.0 

What does the Leica X Vario, Minolta XD and a Schiedmayer piano have in common? They are all German, but also Japanese...in a way. The Leica camera is made in Germany, but with the help of Japanese electronic components on the inside. The Minolta XD is made in Japan but is a sibling to the Leica R4 (so similar that their backs are inter-changeable). The Schiedmayer piano is an all wood action, German designed piano, but built in Japan by the Kawai Piano Company. I love what happens when the Germans and Japanese work together to build something.

Thanks to Eric Kerwin of Leica Canada, I have in my possession for 1 week the new Leica X Vario. I've only shot with it for a few hours today, but I can tell you that I love the concept already. It's a manual zoom, manual focus (with AF) APS-C sensored point & shoot, with full shutter speed and aperture dials on top. You can see all your main settings from the outside. That's awesome. 

I'll post my full review soon, but I'll probably do a comparison with the Ricoh GR which I am also testing, and I also have a Fuji X-100S on its way soon. However, I won't be doing any pixel peeping side by side image comparisons. What I will do is review how it shoots, and how it feels to shoot. That's the most important to a street photographer. All three cameras will give you amazing images, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. 

So keep checking back for my upcoming reviews and images. Don't forget to subscribe to my Twitter, Instagram, or my mailing list.  Happy shooting!

Shot with Leica X Vario at ISO 400, 1/160 sec F/6.4 zoomed to 70mm equiv

P.S. for NERDS: The SCHIEDMAYER is my wife's, and it has a beautiful sound and action for an upright. The Minolta XD-11 is one of two XD's that I own. All XD's have the Leica anodized black finish on it, so they look and feel amazing. I also have mounted the MD 24mm F2.8 lens. All Leica's SLR bodies from the R4 to the R6.2 were all based on this Minolta chassis from the 1970's.

Backpacking Model and Biology Student

It's amazing who you can meet while taking the bus. We usually see interesting people all the time, but never have the courage to start up a conversation for fear of rejection. I sat behind Rosa and the first thing I noticed was her big hair. I wanted to take a picture, but it's hard to ask to take a picture while sitting on the bus. However, we both got off at the same stop and were going the same direction so I started talking with her. 

Gastown in the Rain in 21:9 Aspect Ratio

I like shooting in the rain because it adds a bit of mood to the image. As long as my camera is easy to hold, shooting while its wet isn't too cumbersome. That's the beauty of the Ricoh GR series cameras, as they are designed for one-handed operation. Its perfect for shooting with one hand, while holding an umbrella with the other.

The above shot was taken in Gastown in front of the Flying Pig restaurant. I liked how the bike was parked, and I liked the two guys sitting at the window eating. I think the movie aspect ratio of 21:9 works perfectly here, as it gives an open feeling to the image.