The Leica X Vario exists, I now believe. There are too many coincidences here and on the balance of probabilities the French leak is spot on. The spec is likely to be correct and the camera will be on sale after the launch on June 11.
I imagine last week’s teaser for the “M Mini” on the Leica Facebook page could have backfired. It definitely led to speculation that there would be a mini M with M-mount, perhaps a scaled-down version with an electronic viewfinder instead of the traditional M rangefinder. Think Fuji X-E1.
Such a model would be dynamite with the potential to blow the M240 order book off its desk at Solms. I never believed that Leica would compromise the M240 in this way.
So the idea of an X Vario looks more appealing. The leaked specification will have calmed fevered brows in the dealer network and avoided some panic among those with outstanding M orders. So it has done some good.
Whatever you do, don’t rush to order an X Vario until you’ve seen the glint of its lens on June 11. Who knows, it could have an f/2.0-2.3 zoom like the old Digilux 2 and we would all feel silly for speculating.
See: Leica M Mini: A bad joke or midsummer madness?
Also June 7 update: Body bigger than X2
a-bad-joke-or-midsummer-madness
A Rumour Too Far:
The Mini M teaser that backfired in Leica’s face
by Mike Evans, 30 May 2013