Leica T or Leica X Vario: An interesting choice

  The X Vario is still a superb little camera that can give the new T a run for its money
The X Vario is still a superb little camera that can give the new T a run for its money

Since publishing my review of the Leica T last week I have been asked how the T compares with the X Vario. Several readers are wondering whether or not to sell their XV and buy a T.

The answer isn’t straightforward. If you take the T with the 18-56 Vario Elmar, it is a similar camera to the XV despite the gulf in approach to control. Image quality is all but identical—the X Vario is a star in any case—and the results will be similar. The X Vario has the advantage of being an integrated design. This brings the benefit of harmony between sensor and lens, something that is harder to achieve with an interchangeable-lens system. Furthermore, many photographers prefer the traditional M-like appearance (remember the Mini M campaign?) and controls of the XV.

But the T rewards with added flexibility and is likely to be a better long-term investment. The T’s electronic viewfinder is superior, if a little bulkier. On the other hand the lens ergonomics of the Vario-Elmar-T are inferior to those of the X Vario’s zoom. Ultimately, however, the XV remains a brilliant lens bolted to a camera that will become seriously out of date within a few years. 

The T system ringfences your investment in lenses which can be used on future versions of the camera. By Leica standards, and considering the quality, the £1,350 asking price for the T body is attractive. If you need only a zoom lens, however, the X Vario is still a strong contender. 

A new X Vario has dropped in price. Even Leica is offering up to £300-worth of goodies to sweeten the pill and some dealers are allowing additional discounts. Second-hand prices have fallen in sympathy to the point where a mint X Vario with a few accessories can be had for less than the cost of the T body alone. 

At those prices, the XV is remarkable value for money and will save you at least 50 percent on the cost of a new T with the zoom lens. However, I oexpect secondhand prices of XVs to stabilise once the initial hooha over the T has subsided and prospective buyers realise that it has become something of a bargain. So buying a used XV at today’s bargain-basement prices could be a wise move.

If you already own an X Vario, as I do, the decision is perhaps a little easier. My main interest in an APS-C camera is not in using fast primes or M lenses, it is in the convenience that comes from having a go-anywhere zoom. At the moment I am still getting pleasure out of the X Vario. It performs as well as the T and Vario-Elmar-T so I feel no tearing hurry to upgrade.

See also my earlier review of the X Vario

More Macfilos Leica reviews here

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10 COMMENTS

  1. That’s a really good landscape shot of the lake and can’t believe it came from an X Vario. Where was it taken?

    • Thanks, Steve. Yes, definitely taken with the X Vario. The lake is inside Gunnersbury Park, between Acton and Ealing in London. Although it is the middle of a built-up area, this shot looks very rural and has a lot of interest, plus some lovely colours.

  2. The more I read about the XV the more I’m tempted. How bad is the ergonomic issue with the base of the thumb accidentally knocking the control pad? On the X100S this can be disabled in shooting mode. Has this functionality been introduced for the XV in a subsequent firmware update?

    • The pad problem is pretty dire and it cannot be modified in the menu as it can with the Fuji or Sony A7 (for instance). However, although this is annoying and frustrating at first, you soon learn to avoid the pad with the ball of your thumb. The XV does represent excellent value for money at its deflated price. You can pick up a mint camera with some accessories, such as grip and hood, for under £1,200. Red Dot have sold a few at this price. At under half price after only one year this is almost a bargain and I think from now on the prices will stabilise, just as they did with the X1 and X2.

    • XV is a beauty, a classic and serious Leica gem. You will feel its an M family member, v.s. the T is an from an adoption…:-)

  3. These cameras r way too expensive and limited. My Fuji x runs rings round them and pictures are great. Why bother with Leica

  4. I agree that the T makes more sense because of the ability to keep lenses and buy new updated bodies. Expensive bridge cameras such as the XVario result I’m eventual waste of a good lems

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