LEICA X VARIO – The fascination of photography ‘Made in Germany’

 

LEICA X VARIO

The fascination of photography ‘Made in Germany’

 

Leica Camera AG, Solms, has expanded the Leica X-Line with a new compact digital camera and now presents the Leica X Vario. Featuring a zoom lens for the first time, covering a range of focal lengths from 28 to 70 mm (35 mm equivalent), and full-HD video recording capability, the latest generation of Leica digital cameras ‘Made in Germany’ now offers even greater versatility and creative freedom.

 

 

Sunil Kaul, Managing Director of Leica Camera Asia Pacific says, “We welcome the newest addition to the Leica X family. The new Leica X Vario opens up entirely new horizons for creative photography for expansive interior shots, landscapes, portrait and street photography with the range of focal lengths.”

 

The Leica X Vario debuted in Singapore on the 12th of June 2013. Leica enthusiasts can now test-drive and have their hands on experience with the new compact digital camera at all Leica Stores located at ION Orchard, Mandarin Gallery and Raffles Hotel Arcade.

 

A particular highlight of the Leica X-Line is a high-performance, APS-C format, CMOS image sensor with over 16.5 megapixels (effective 16.2 MP) that is particularly large for this camera class. The Leica X Vario is the first compact camera to combine this professional sensor with a high-performance zoom lens – the Leica Vario Elmar 18-46 mm f/3.5-6.4 ASPH. This combination is a world’s first and sets completely new standards for imaging quality in this camera class. The resulting exposures show outstanding brilliance in all situations.

Its versatility is further expanded by a new, full-HD video recording function that now, for the first time, lets photographers capture the fascination of those special moments in moving pictures with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels at a frame rate of 30 full frames per second.

 

The video data can be saved in Internet-compatible MP4 format and can be uploaded directly to social media or mobile devices, for example, without any need for conversion. Crystal-clear sound recording is guaranteed by an integrated wind-noise filter that reduces undesirable noise. A wide range of camera setting options and fast, precise autofocus further enhance the features offered by the Leica X Vario, a camera with a performance profile that offers even the most demanding photographers maximum creative freedom – for spontaneous shots as well as for carefully arranged compositions.

 

The Leica X Vario is distinguished by tightly focused clarity of design that reflects the characteristic features of the Leica M. These include not only the compact and handy body, but also the use of premium materials in its construction. For instance, the top deck is machined from solid aluminium in the same process as employed for the Leica M. The combination of robust metal construction and superior quality leather trim with outstanding grip characteristics, ensures that the X Vario is a true Leica in both looks and feel.

 

Its handling also owes much to the Leica M and features clearly laid out functions and a simple operating concept. At the same time, the Leica X Vario offers an impressive range of automatic and versatile manual setting options. Thanks to the ease of switching between manual and automatic control, photographers can concentrate completely on composing their subjects and choosing the decisive instant to shoot in any situation. The dials on the top deck provide grip when setting the shutter speed and aperture. Moreover, changing the plane of focus, the white balance, and other imaging parameters allows photographers to consciously influence the look or mood of their images. In Live View mode, the generously-dimensioned, high-contrast, 3-inch monitor offers photographers complete control and a bright and detailed view at all times – even in bright surroundings.

 

A multitude of optional accessories allows photographers to adapt the Leica X Vario to their particular needs. For example, the Leica EVF 2 Viso-Flex electronic accessory viewfinder with 1.4 megapixels and 90° swivel function is extremely helpful when shooting from unusual angles. The accessories also include a handgrip that perfectly balances the weight of the camera in the photographer’s hands. As in the case of the Leica M, finger loops in three different sizes are also available for attachment to the handgrip. These guarantee fatigue-free camera use for longer periods of time and provide even better grip for safer handling. This means that the X Vario is always kept safe and steady in the photographer’s hands – even when shooting single-handed. An optional lens hood ensures the minimisation of reflections, and the Leica SF 24 D flash unit offers greater freedom for subject lighting.

 

The range of accessories also includes a selection of particularly high quality and superbly finished bags, cases and straps: the ergonomically-designed camera protector, the ever-ready case, the hand strap and shoulder straps are available in untreated natural leather in a choice of two different colours (black and cognac). Whenever the Leica X Vario is used with numerous accessories, photographers can take advantage of the roomy system bags from the Leica portfolio.

 

Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom®, a professional digital workflow solution for Apple Mac® OS X and Microsoft Windows®, is also included in the Leica X Vario package. This digital image processing software offers a wide range of functions for the management, processing and presentation of digital images. Leica customers can download the software free from the Leica website after registering their camera.

 

The Leica X Vario in black finish is now available Leica Stores in Singapore located at Raffles Hotel Arcade, Mandarin Gallery and ION Orchard. The range of optional accessories will be available following the launch of the camera.

 

 

Technical data                               LEICA X VARIO

(Last revised in May 2013 / we reserve the right to make technical changes)

 

Lens:                                              Leica Vario Elmar 18 – 46 mm f/3.5 – 6.4  ASPH. (35 mm equivalent. 28 – 70 mm)

9 Elements in 8 groups

2 aspherical lens elements

Aperture settings:                            3.5 / 6.4 to 16 (1/3-EV increments)

Focusing range:                                30 cm–infinity

AF focusing:                                    1-point, 11-point, spot, face detection

Image sensor:                                 APS-C CMOS image sensor with 16.5 MP (effective 16.2 MP)

Resolution:                                     JPEG in 3:2 format: 4928 × 3264 pixels (16.1 MP), 4288 × 2856 pixels (12.2 MP), 3264 × 2160 pixels (7.1 MP), 2144 × 1424 pixels (3.1 MP), 1632 × 1080 pixels (1.8 MP)

DNG in 3:2 format: 4944 × 3272 pixels (16.2 MP)

Image quality:                                 JPEG super fine, JPEG fine, DNG + JPEG super fine, DNG + JPEG fine

Exposure control

Exposure modes:                            Automatic programme (P), automatic aperture priority (A), manual setting (M)

Exposure compensation:                  Increments: 1/3 to 3 EV increments, 3 exposures

Automatic exposure bracketing:                 1/3 to 3 EV increments, 3 exposures

Metering modes:                             Smart multi-segment metering, centre-weighted metering, selective (spot) metering

White balance:                                Auto, halogen, daylight, flash, cloudy, shade, electronic flash, 2 manual settings, manual colour temperature setting with fine tuning

Sensitivity:                                      Auto, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200, ISO 6400, ISO 12500

Shutter speeds:                               30 s–1/2000 s

Continuous shooting:                       3 fps or 5 fps, max. 7 consecutive exposures with constant shooting speed in DNG + JPEG fine quality

Film modes:                                    Standard, dynamic, natural, b/w natural, b/w high contrast

Flash

Flash modes:                                  Auto, flash exposure correction, red-eye correction, fill-in flash, slow sync, studio, 1st/2nd curtain sync

Hot shoe:                                       Compatible with Leica SF 24D, Leica SF 58 flash units

Monitor:                                         3″ TFT LCD with 921,600 pixels, wide-angle field of view: 100%

Review modes:                               16-thumbnail display, zoom review (16× max.), image rotation, deletion protection

Storage media

Internal memory:                             None

Memory cards:                                SD, SDHC, SDXC

Interfaces:                                      HDMI out, USB (USB 2.0 high speed)

Battery (rechargeable lithium-ion):    Capacity: ~ 360 exposures

Dimensions (L × H × D):                   ~ 133 x 73 x 95 mm

Weight:                                           ~ 650/679 g (without/with battery)

Package includes:                           Battery (Leica BP-DC8), battery charger (Leica BC-DC8), battery case, leather carrying strap, USB cable, lens cap, user manual

Software:                                        Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® (free download option after product registration)

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