This week on Macfilos we are looking again at the much-maligned Leica X Vario. This article was published exactly five years ago in 2017 when Leica’s fixed-zoom APS-C compact was withdrawn from the market. It had had a chequered career, born under an inauspicious star when the naysayers of the internet decided the f/3.5/6.4 was just too slow. Experience has shown otherwise and the X Vario now has a growing band of faithful followers. It is set to become one of Leica’s classics of the 21st century. The following article is reproduced in almost exactly the same form as it first appeared in 2017.
Later this week John Shingleton, our Mr X, will be taking a retrospective view of the X Vario from his vantage point on the southeast coast of Australia.
The X Vario was a strong performer, even in difficult conditions such as a Beijing Opera theatre. This 70mm shot was taken at 3,200 ISO and the results speak for themselves (Photo Mike Evans)
Leica’s X Vario — a camera that polarised opinion from the day it was announced — has been discontinued according to the B&H website in the USA. The fixed-lens 35mm Leica X (Typ 113) is also listed as no longer available. Both were good cameras and, in the case of the X Vario, I had a lot of fun using the compact zoom and found it to be a congenial travel companion on many occasions.
X Vario, a good all-round performer (Photo Mike Evans)
The X Vario was unfairly damned from day one because of its perceived “slow” zoom, ranging from f/3.5 to f/6.4, and it never fully recovered from the initial criticism. For my part, though, I never found the slow lens a hindrance and appreciated the fact that the Vario-Elmar 18-46mm zoom lens was optically superb. To have introduced a wider aperture range would have increased the size of the lens to unacceptable proportions and that is precisely why Leica decided on the “slow” maximum aperture of f/3.5. The Leica X, on the other hand, didn’t suffer from this perceived handicap. Its f/1.7 Summilux lens was plenty fast enough to compete with the main opposition, the Fuji X100. Yet even this didn’t save it.
Viewfinder
While much attention was focused on the slow lens of the X Vario, there was one overwhelming reason why neither the XV nor the X was outstandingly successful. It can be summed up in one word: Viewfinder.
Or lack thereof. The decision to follow the X1 and X2 with a new range of viewfinder-less cameras was a mistake. It was the external accessory viewfinder that ultimately killed both the X Vario and the X. Very few photographers now want to stick an accessory viewfinder in the hot shoe when there are so many cameras — from the Fuji, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony ranges for instance — that combine good performance with a sensible built-in finder.
Incidentally, let’s not confuse these two APS-C mirrorless cameras with the new Leica M10 rangefinder. Sure, if you want an electronic viewfinder on the M10 you have to slot the Visoflex unit into the hot-shoe. In the case of the new M, using an external electronic finder is entirely acceptable. Most M10 owners will spend 90 per cent of their time with the optical rangefinder and that is why they will buy the camera. The Visoflex EVF is an accessory, rather than a necessity as it is with the X cameras.
If Leica had re-engineered the X Vario and X to incorporate a finder (perhaps in place of the flash unit) both cameras would have been more popular and would probably still have a lot of life left in them.
In my opinion, Leica would be wrong to introduce similar future cameras without a built-in viewfinder. A tiny camera without a viewfinder, such as the Panasonic LX15 (which I covered here) is perhaps acceptable but not a camera with the pretensions of the X Vario or the X. The Q, with its marvellous built-in finder, has shown us the future. Without a doubt, if the Q had had to rely on an external viewfinder it would not have been one quarter the success it has been.
The Leica X with its superb 35mm f/1.7 Summilux lens is an excellent all-round performer (Photo Mike Evans)
Withdrawal symptoms
This brings me to the T, or TL as it is now called. This camera also suffers from viewfinder withdrawal symptoms. The Visoflex looks even more ugly on the little T than it does on the M10. Good as it is, to have it sitting on top of the TL is an anachronism.
I was disappointed when the updated TL was introduced because the opportunity to add a viewfinder was missed. I had hoped for a complete redesign, bringing the camera more into the traditional camp rather than continuing to pander to the boutique market. In the meantime, Fuji makes the camera that the T could have been.
There is no mystery as to why Fuji has stolen the APS-C market from under Leica’s nose. The X series, particularly the X-Pro2, is more Leica than Leica. Bill Palmer made this point cogently in an article on this site last May. Fuji’s style and traditional control layout appeal more to the typical Leica lover. That’s why so many potential T buyers have instead chosen Fuji.
For landscape and street photography the X Vario sets high standards (Photo Mike Evans)
Leica chose to be radically different with the T and it has been a disappointment to many. While I do know several T owners who love the camera and like the touch control system, far more take the opposite view and have gone elsewhere. Since the introduction of the T(L), Leica has largely offered the APS-C market to Fuji on a plate.
The Leica range is crying out for a traditional APS-C camera to use with the impressive range of TL-mount lenses. If Leica designers really wish to recover their stake in the APS-C market they will take the X or X Vario body, introduce an integral viewfinder in place of the flash and add the lens mount. For a more radical approach, dare I suggest a mini SL with the same control system as the large full-frame camera? That could be a real winner and would create a coherent family of models sharing the same lens mount.
The fixed-lens 35mm Leica X compact failed to ring all the bells, let down by the lack of a built-in viewfinder (Photo Mike Evans)
New life
A new camera on these lines makes common sense all round. I can guarantee that such an APS-C system camera with more traditional Leica values would sell in great numbers. What’s more, it would put new life into the TL system lenses and provide Leica with a clear path from APS-C to full-frame.
Meanwhile, if you can accept having to use an accessory viewfinder, there are probably some bargains to be had. I would especially recommend the X Vario because, despite the lack of viewfinder, it performs well beyond expectations. The lens is outstanding, despite its slowness.
More reading on the X Vario and X:
- Leica X Vario: Macfilos full review
- Leica X (Typ 113: Macfilos full review
- Leica X Vario in Beijing
- Leica X Vario Revisited — Simplicity and Elegance
Want to contribute an article to Macfilos? It’s easy. Just click the “Write for Us” button. We’ll help with the writing and guide you through the process.
It’s a great 👍 camera . The viewfinder on this camera is much better than any built in one.
This ‘Back to the Future’ article from 5 years ago has produced an interesting response from readers. There still seems to be a demand for ‘real cameras’ notwithstanding the continued contraction of the market for cameras during those 5 years. What is happening now is what could have been predicted 5 years ago, fewer cameras with higher prices. Will the downward (or upward for prices) spiral cease or is there still some hope for the ‘reasonably priced’ stand alone camera?
But wait a minute, I thought I saw an article last week saying that compact cameras are on the way back in Japan, which has always been fertile ground for new fads, but I cannot seem to find it just now. Maybe I was just dreaming or reading something from 5 years ago.
William
William, this could be a reference to an article I read stating that Fuji is now the leading supplier in Japan as people turn to more compact cameras. I doubt it referred to a resurrection of the litlte point-and-shoots that were so popular before Steve Jobs announced the iPhone…
It was Wayne Gerlach in Australia who suggested republishing Macfilos articles from five years and ten years ago. We have had many new readers since 2012 and 2017 so these articles are new for them. As for the rest of us, we’ve probably reached an age where we’ve forgotten we read the articles in the first place. I’ve even forgotten having written them. That possibly explains why (at the time of writing this), the X Vario article has attracted 36 comments and growing…
Yet another article this week, covering Leica’s “witness” programme, has drawn only one response, from Mr Appletree, and that isn’t very complimentary. Maybe this tells us all we need to know about all the marketing flummery.
Thanks Mike for a wonderful article. I don’t own an XV as I prefer smaller cameras with a fixed focal lens. Although I use other cameras I’m hooked to my X2 which uses the same EVF and the same battery and the same sensor as well. This is my all time favourite camera and will remain so till it no longer works. I don’t want to upgrade to a CL as I ‘ve got all I need with my X2. Had Leica produced any X model with an EVF they would have sold them easily. Although the EVFs for the X series are not the sexiest items the fact that they’re tiltable make for the missing tilting screen.
Jean
Absolutely agree with you about the tilting EVF, Jean, as a compensation for the (Leica doctrinaire!) fixed screen. I always have it now on my XV and increasingly on my X2 which I find an agreeably lightweight and compact combination. Long live both!
I love my bolt on EVF for my X typ 113, it changed how I use the camera, and my images feel like they have improved. But perhaps that is just owing to me not wrestling the reflection off the rear screen holding the camera at arms length, perhaps.
Mr X2 – you are giving Mr X a run for his money..🤣
Thank you, Mike. Do I smell the death of CL too ? This is inevitable, isn’t it ?
I am not convinced we will see a CL2. And the lens stock is now old and untended…
Hi Mike, even though I usually use an M10 and SL2-s for pleasure shooting, the X Vario and Fuji X100 (Gen 1) have a special place in my heart and they are still being put into occasional use. Your idea of a mini SL is brilliant and I hope Leica is listening and hear more of what you said.
Joseph, since this article was written in 2017, the prospects for a “mini SL” have receded. I suspect they think any such model would cannibalise SL sales. Another reason is that Leica does but not make any smaller lenses that would complement such a camera. Sigma, with the fp and the range of Series | Contempory lenses is making an effort in this direction.
“Leica has handed the APS-C market to Fuji on a plate” What? There are an awful lot of CL users out there that would disagree with that statement.
Hi Dave, you are so correct. Leica is so lucky that they are not slugging it out in the Sony, Canon, Nikon shrinking mud pit. Leica is going to continue due to their niche of appreciative buyers but they could be winning the sweepstakes if they just did better on the product line. I know lens designers love doing exotic designs but 75/1.25 and 90/1.5 etc are not going to keep the lights on. That is where products management is supposed to add some reality to the decision equation. Unfortunately, the devoted customer base are the ones that suffer the most.
I remain devoted to Leica but I am glad there are other purveyors of options that fill in their years of shortcomings. For example, I would be happier with a updated X with evf but the Fujifilm X100V is 84 percent there and actually exists so I have decided to be happy with that instead of miss taking images while I wait for Leica to smell the coffee and make me even more delighted. However, I think they need to be a bit less comfortable as Voigtlander really is starting to nip at their heels. I used to only own Leica M glass as there was nothing close. Voigtlander has been releasing more and more glass that has a gorgeous rendering. They render different than Leica but in a number of cases I find the difference better for my tastes. In some cases, I love renderings but the Voigtlander is a fraction of the price. The only headache is the lack of native 6 bit coding but I do not find it a big deal to manually select an option.
Again, I believe Leica is here to stay in the shrinking camera market but they could be thriving with smarter moves. I also strongly believe a CL2 will come this year but if it doesn’t invest in an S camera 😂.
I meant to say “both renderings” instead of only “rendering “ for voigtlander and Leica in the prior post.
It would indeed be very interesting to know how many of these 1KG $14K M-lenses Leica actually sells, they don’t even make sense on an M, and just like yourself I have my doubts whether they pay the bills… I recently bought the Voigtlander 28mm f2.0 Ultron v2, I prefer it to to the $4K Summicron-M 28mm v1 (whichI no longer have) and the $2.5K Elmarit-M 28mm (which I still have), I might actually prefer it to the Summilux-M 28mm as welll… I still need to try the Summaron-M 28mm…
About the CL2, no more new cameras this year (except for special editions), Leica already confirmed that, this is the year of the M11, next year will probably be the year of the Q3, the last few years Leica has almost exclusively focused on the Q and the M, other product lines are not a priority, because of this the endless wait for the L-mount 21mm and 24mm which 4 years after the announcement have not yet arrived, they are simply not a priority for Leica…
I suppose we can take comfort from the fact that Leica is so involved in the L-Mount Alliance and therefore has a responsibility to develop the SL and the range of lenses.
My impression is that SL body sales are OK (not great), I don’t believe the same thing can be said about the lenses though, once the 21mm and 24mm have been delivered I personally don’t expect to see many more new lenses, the fact that the last lens announcement dates from 2018 is indicative IMO… for the L-mount to become more popular a smaller and lighter body is urgently needed, also a handful of smaller lenses but that could/would cannibalize M and Q sales…
Can’t fault your logic on this.
Hi Slowdriver, I am absolutely baffled why they did the insane exotic 75/1.25 and 90/1.5 instead of the long promised wanted bread and butter SL 21/2 and 24/2. The exotic 75 and 90 just do not make any practical sense on the M rangefinder for a number of reasons. They are a design achievement but not a practical product achievement- usage or financially. I think the glass designers are ruling rollout with sexy tour de force proposals instead of a market driven plan. Leica has so many practical SL glass holes and M glass holes to fill and then fritter resources on irrational choices.
Good to read your article, Mike, and I am certainly glad I bought the X Vario shortly after it came out. I was also lucky to find a dealer who had already been influenced by the bad press and was clearly out to cut his (anticipated) losses. My new XV cost only 2/3 of the list price !
I first began to bond with my XV when I stopped thinking of it as a “compact: it is both too heavy and too bulky for that. After carrying it around for two or three years in a bulky Lôwepro bag I suddenly found it fitted snugly – including EVF – in a well-padded, small kata-bag. I continue to value the XV’s OOC jpegs, and it is an excellent camera for mono also. I like the tilting EVF, too, since Leica dogmatically refuse to make tilting screen.
However, I don’t agree that Leica should produce a new APSC “compact”: they already have – the CL, complete with viewfinder. Put a zoom lens on this, and you have a superb XV-like camera. Even better might be another option: Peter Karbe was rightly proud of his design of the lens for the XV. Surely it is a pity if the demise of the XV has to mean the disappearance of that lens? Someone should lean on Leica to remake that lens with a CL fitting. Then the X Vario will not have lived in vain!
Thanks, John. In reference to the CL, this article was written before the CL was introduced and it has to be read from that perspective.
A relevant and poignant article Mike. You know I have long suggested that a new X line up is needed from Leica, but sadly I do not see where it comes from. The CL is not the answer to those who want a fixed lens solution.
Lets hope that Leica read this, and think perhaps we take the CL body and bend it around a new product – the CL2 can be an entirely separate product. The CL body is equipped enough to manage a new X range.
Leica, in various YouTube videos, point to the ability of the SL lenses to handle 100MP images. So will the next large Leica body and sensor to built to match? Using the SL body? Is that the way they are heading? With the M series in parallel.
Neither will meet my requirements for size, weight, price or specification. The CL doesn’t attract and a Q with interchangeable lenses seems, although attractive, a far fetched idea. So when I have to replace my X Vario, which is still going strong, to which other manufacturer should I turn?
I have the same view of my X typ 113 – one day it will expire, and take with it the wonderful images it seems to produce, I almost view its output as mystical photogenic alchemy. Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful relationship with my Df, but sometimes the X just creates images in a different league – yes if the conditions are variable the Df has a life of its own. But, where will I turn for my second camera when the X expires. I suspect I will end up at the door of Fuji.
I remain an XV loyalist, and know how good it is. Scarcely a day passes without me using my faithful X Vario. It is still capable of documenting travels in the regular domains of most amateur photographers. Our mutual friend, Dunk, has wrought wonders converting his X Vario to a most effective macro camera, producing superlative work. There is evidence aplenty, worldwide. But the bungled launch and failure to have a development plan for the X-series, committed the camera to history soon after its birth. In fact, it was stillborn at launch.
The trouble within HQ Leica is the isolationist nature and short lives of their design teams. They do not seem to have a stable design bureau. Lens design might be the exception. But cameras? A different story. Camera design is often outsourced, with little chance of user feedback feeding into future product improvement, because the team is no longer in place. My suspicions were aroused when I had a small problem with autofocus on my XV, which was investigated by Leica. The design team did not seem to exist at that time, which was early warning of the camera’s fate.
During lockdown, I registered for one of Leica’s webinars, when a man ‘in high places’ gave a short talk, I asked a question concerning the seeming lack of consistency of design parameters. Consider the handgrip for the CL, which has no tripod bush. Or the orientation of inserting a memory card into a camera. There is no way of ensuring that all handgrips should have a tripod bush. Each new team seems to have a free hand in designing a product without reference to past designs. My question was not asked during the session, but I later asked Robin Sinha, who had sponsored the talk. He promised to refer my question to Leica, but did not hold any high hopes of getting an answer. Needless to say, I received no reply.
Leica is a private company. Many of its achievements are breathtaking and world-leading, if niche subjects. I do wish more emphasis could be given to consistency in design, across all disciplines, not just optical. Continuity might give rise to properly developed equipment and accessories. The main board must have a road map. I wish they would share it with their customers. At present, the core product is the M-series, supported by a wide range of niche lenses. Any other product is doomed to be short-lived.
Thank you David for the compliment … I will have more to say about the X Vario mods … Further experiments delayed by fractured hands which are almost healed.
Ouch, that does not sound pleasant Dunk, I do hope you are okay, and look forward to seeing you produce articles and images again.
I am so sorry to learn of your accident, Dunk. Take care and heal completely before venturing out again.
Incompetent product management, a total lack of vision and direction, a number of perhaps deliberately misleading public statements about the future of the product and failing to deliver to its (extremely loyal) customer base a road map on how to move forward. Hopefully Leica comes to their senses, the Leica APS-C products are (and have always been) very good and the market and the potential is certainly (still) there.
I fully agree on the incompetent product management. I have said that for years. The one brilliant move was the L mount agreement or the SL system would be a dead system. The S system has long been dead. The CL system has been put on life support thanks to Sigma glass but a new long long long overdue CL2 is critical to get the system out of the ICU. The M system is fine but that is a niche product family. Voigtlander is helping camera sales by rolling out a steady stream of amazing glass. However, Voigtlander is also eating part of their m glass sales lunch by rollout of amazing glass a a fraction of the price with wonderful rendering. The Voigtlander 50mm APO and other recent glass are compelling and allow a person to afford a system of m glass that is affordable and not be second rate. I flushed my Leica 35/1.4 years ago after I tried the Zeiss 35/1.4 and liked its rendering better. I had the Leica 90/2 APO and sold it for a number of reasons and it is an ancient expensive design. I have preordered a Voigtlander APO 90mm/2.8. Leica lost sale. I have sold my lovely Leica 50/1.4 which I sold and rebought (sigh) but I have preordered a Voigtlander 50mm/1.0 that is sold out upon release and now has a part shortage challenge. Leica lost a sale. I sold my Leica 75/1.4 due to not liking the swirly out of focus rendering and I am not going to spend silly money on 75/1.25 or 90/1.5. How many of these do they sell? Instead, They need to update the optical problems of the aging 75/2 and 90/2 APO glass which are no longer compelling to me.
Anyway, 🔥 the product development team and get rolling out real product such as the ages ago promised SL 20/2 and SL 24/2 (which I really wanted but have moved on to a lovely Panasonic lens). Has anyone noticed there has been no new Leica SL roadmap? Do they actually have any useful products coming out in the foreseeable future?
Anyway, I love my Leica SL and M system as I have filled out the empty teeth with no compromise Panasonic, Sigma, Zeiss, and Voigtlander options.
One of the best cameras I have owned was my Fuji X70. As a pocket digital, a sort of mini X100 (which I also had) all it needed was an EVF. I had a “dumb” one, which was helpful in sunlight but not ideal. The X70 was out of production only a year or so after launch, and mine is broken beyond repair.
My DL7 (aka Panasonic LX100 II) is a great little camera, but if anyone came up with an X70 with finder, or something like it, it would be a winner.
Hi Mike, a brilliant article – hopefully Leica reads it. We really do not need a 90mm f1.5 lens as much as a really useful compact AF APS-C camera system. Your landscape image is gorgeous.
I just purchased a Fujifilm X100V as my pocketable camera. It is so much like a Leica M but much smaller, light, and with AF. I have captured pictures with it that I would not have just because it was in my pocket. I must have a viewfinder and have taken almost no images with my iphone. I am astonished by the colours and sharpness edge to edge when processed in Capture One 22.
I agree with you that Leica would sell tons of a updated CL and X camera with a built-in evf. It would be nice if Panasonic would develop the cameras that Leica could sprinkle their own magic pixie powder on and rebadge.
Thank you, Brian. Since Leica no longer produce a suitable compact fixed-lens APS-C camera, I have also considered buying the X100V. I know the series well, having owned two or three of the previous versions. However, I opted to stay with the Ricoh GRIII because it also produces excellent results. It is more compact and lighter than the Fuji, although it lacks the viewfinder (and viewfinder options). For those occasions when I don’t want to carry a bigger camera, it fits the bill (and my pocket, perhaps better than the Fuji). It’s down to a question of personal preference, although the field is small. In fact, I think we’ve just covered it in two cameras…
I forgot to mention that the X100V has a brilliant fill flash that magically provides natural fill light at high shutter speeds due. to the ultra quiet leaf shutter.
I also forgot to mention that the X100V has a brilliant almost paper thin tilting screen. I have already used it. This is a tiny body and it sits flush to the rear of the camera. It actually looks like it would be fixed in place. It is beautiful and did I mention brilliant. My only regret is that I did not buy sooner. I kept thinking Leica has to bring out something. I had the Q but it was too big but otherwise a truly lovely camera. However, I need one camera with a tilting screen and I suspect Leica will not listen. Product management knows better 😂than everyone else. I guess I am now removed from Leica’s Christmas card list but C’est la vie.
Brian – you are batting in the ball park I have been talking about for years. If they had coupled the typ 113 X or X vario lens to updated sensors with a CL styled EVF – hey presto, yes you have a mini Q, but boy in the right Leica price range it would sell. I might even swap my X typ 113 for a model with a fixed lens. I do not want the CL, and lens combo. I want a fixed lens option.
I do hope Leica read this article Mike, it is so relevant, and I am sure other readers will be of a similar view.