Macfilos Weekender by Mike Evans
Back in 2013 I took just one camera — the then-new Leica X-Vario — on a winter trip to Beijing. I returned to London immensely impressed by the performance of the “slow” 18-46mm f/3.5-6.4 built-in lens. This shot is a typical example of the X-Vario in use in a gloomy Beijing hutong late at night. It was taken at f/5 and 1/125s (which I had set as the minimum shutter speed to avoid shake) with the result that ISO was bumped up to 5000.
The resulting image has the rather dreamy, film-like quality that I grew to appreciate with the X-Vario’s night-time efforts. This camera now has something of a cult following and is destined to become a classic, if you can apply that term to a digital. I predict that in five or ten years’ time this “mini M”, as it was provocatively dubbed by Leica, will be cherished by discerning owners and will have stabilised at a remarkably high price level for such an an old digital. No wonder many Leica fans keep asking for a remake of this camera.
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Nice image Mike, and the back story adds that extra dimension I always look for in how it came about.
Dave
It’s a super shot, Mike, and shows all that needs to be said about the XV’s combination of lens and sensor. My travel dilemma is always: do I just take one camera, the XV, which even allows generous room for cropping or do I take two, adding the Leica C with its wonderful "through window" setting? (I also note your helpful tip about 1/125s.)
Thanks, John. To avoid camera shake, accepted wisdom is 1x focal length — which would mean 1/70s to cover the full zoom on the X-Vario. But I don’t agree with that, probably because I dither a bit at my age, and prefer to be on the safe side with 1/125s. It’s ok for 70mm and even safer at 28mm.
Well said Mike. Learn to live with its minor foibles and the X-Vario easily becomes my everyday camera. Processing is fast and consistent using my XV preset, based on a Pantone ColorChecker profile.
A modernised edition would be very welcome. Failing that, with luck, the original is good for years to come.