Cập nhật thông tin chi tiết về Review: Leica X Vario (Typ 107) mới nhất trên website Sachlangque.net. Hy vọng nội dung bài viết sẽ đáp ứng được nhu cầu của bạn, chúng tôi sẽ thường xuyên cập nhật mới nội dung để bạn nhận được thông tin nhanh chóng và chính xác nhất.
Our first impressions of the Leica X Vario were somewhat a mixed bag. On the one hand, we found that the camera is very well built and feels extremely solid, just like you’d expect from a Leica. We also praised the user inteface which emphasizes quick access to shutter speed and aperture value, just like you get it on a big Leica M. On the other hand, we found that there were some aspects about the X Vario’s ergonomics where Leica was sloppy, focusing too little on the photographer and too much on doing things differently from everyone else. Now with the final review of the X Vario, do we still hold up that judgement? Head past the break to find out.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Excellent image quality, right up there with current APS-C cameras.
Built like a tank, exactly like you’d expect considering the price tag.
Basic operation (shutter, aperture, zoom, focus) is perfectly user-centric.
Cons
Relatively slow lens, with max. aperture ranging from f3.5 to f6.4.
Some questionable choices were made in the design of the user interface.
Mind-bogglingly expensive.
Gear Used
For this review, we used the Leica X Vario Typ 107 with the EVF2 electronic viewfinder. The product pictures were taken with a Panasonic G1 Micro Four Thirds camera, Lumix G 20mm f1.7 lens and a Rokinon D900AFZ flash.
Tech Specs
Taken from the B&H product page
16.1MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
18-46mm Zoom Lens (35mm Equiv: 28-70mm)
3.0″ 920k-Dot, Wide-Angle LCD Monitor
HD 1080/30 Video with Sound
Wind-Cut Filter for Audio Clarity
Manual Focusing Ring, Manual Exposure
Built-in Flash, Hot Shoe
ISO 100-12500
Solid Aluminum / Magnesium Construction
Free Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Download
Ergonomics
As stated in our first impressions post on the X Vario, there are equally as many things wrong with this camera’s ergonomics as there are right. In the paragraphs below, we repeat our findings from our first impressions post.
Next up: the power switch. Ingeniously placed around the shutter button and acting as a drive switch at the same time. But why didn’t they add a self-timer position like they do on the M? It’s not like you can use the self timer and the continuous drive mode at the same time, anyway. Instead, the self-timer is activated via the rear controls (more on those later.)
Then there’s that awkwardly placed movie button. Instead of putting it in the upper-rightmost corner of the top plate between the shutter button and aperture dial, where everyone over the age of twelve will have trouble squeezing their finger through, they could’ve placed it on the rear where it could be operated by the thumb.
On the upside, what’s absolutely brilliant is the manual focus ring around the lens. I just wish every fixed-lens camera came with a focusing ring like this. It’s got an ‘A’-position for autofocus, and as soon as you slightly twist it to the right, it comes to a hard stop at the infinity setting. And unlike most modern digital cameras (or lenses for digital cameras) that focus way beyond infinity, the X Vario’s lens focuses precisely to infinity when the focusing ring is at the infinity setting. This is especially helpful when taking pictures of the sky or of stars or landscapes in the dark.
The camera focuses down to .3 meters (1 ft), but only at the 70mm-equivalent zoom setting. If you’re below 70mm-e and try to manually focus down to .3 m, you’ll get a warning on the display. Also, as soon as you move the focusing ring, you’ll see the center portion of the image magnified in the center of the screen. Nothing new, but very clever and tremendously helpful. The implementation of manual focus is probably the best part of this camera.
The little pop-up flash is activated by a slider on the rear, and pops up with a solid chunky noise. The same goes for when you retract it again. But as with most things about the X Vario, this, too, raises a question. Why can it not be tilted upward to bounce from the ceiling? Eludes me.
The rear of the X Vario looks rather similar to that of the M Typ 240, with the large 3″ LCD dominating the scene. Left of it are five direct-access buttons, while the four-way controller with central button is to the lower right of it. At the upper right of the X Vario’s back is the conveniently placed control dial, which is easily operated by the thumb and at the same time serves as a thumb rest for additional stabilization when holding the camera with one hand. Also notice the previously mentioned slider that opes the pop-up flash, top left of the display. Below the flash hot-shoe is the familiar accessory port that feeds the electronic viewfinder, as known from the X2 and the Olympus PEN cameras since the E-P2.
Now to the controls. From top to bottom, this is what the five buttons left of the display do:
‘PLAY’ — activates the playback mode.
‘DELETE/FOCUS’ — deletes an image in playback mode, selects between 1-point, 11-point, spot and face-detection focus in recording mode. When pressed slightly longer, the focus point can be moved using the four-way controller.
‘WB’ — opens the white balance dialog in playback mode.
‘ISO’ — opens the ISO dialog in playback mode.
‘MENU/SET’ — opens the menu. In the menu, it sometimes confirms a setting, while at other times discarding it. The logic behind this is presumably evident only to Leica engineers.
The four-way controller has an ‘INFO’ button in the center which changes the info displayed on the LCD while in recording or playback mode. The top, left, and right positions are pre-set with additional shortcuts for the self-timer (left), exposure compensation (top) and flash (right).
Here, more questions arise. First, where is the AE/AF-lock button? It is entirely impossible with the X Vario to uncouple autofocus and metering. I checked every possible setting in the menu. The only workaround I found is to focus manually and save the metered exposure by half-pressing the shutter button. Again, this makes sense probably only to Leica engineers.
Also, there is no quick way of dialing in exposure compensation when you’ve already focused and metered. Like, turning the control dial. Noooo. That would’ve been far to obvious, wouldn’t it. Instead, you have to press the up position of the four-way controller, change the EV by pressing either its left and right positions or by using the control dial (aha!), and finally confirm the setting with the ‘MENU/SET’ button (this is one of the few times where it actually sets a setting, as its name suggests.) Awkward and unpractical.
Finally, the flaps at the right and bottom. Not much to say here. Under the flap on the right you’ll find a USB and an HDMI port, while the flap on the bottom gives access to the SD card and the battery. One of the few aspects of the X Vario’s ergonomics where Leica got it right.
Additional thoughts:
After spending some more time with the Leica X Vario, all of the above points of critique have to be upheld. I found no solution for the missing AE/AF lock button or the exposure correction issue. Also, I further noticed that I would frequently press the buttons on the four-way controller with the palm of my hand, just by holding the camera. Another design flaw. Leica should’ve kept the controller in the same raised position that it occupies on the M 240.
Also, when mounted to a tripod, the battery/SD compartment cannot be accessed. This is a common problem, and I don’t get it why it’s so difficult to make the camera where the SD card and battery can be accessed while it’s mounted to a tripod. This can get quite annoying when shooting video, for example. Only workaround: a very large SD card and a fully charged battery.
Build Quality
From our first impressions:
This is part of what you pay for when shelling out almost $3k for this camera. The build is simply superb. Every single part of the X Vario feels solid. From the flaps over the buttons and dials to the focus and zoom rings, this camera is one solid piece of craftsmanship. Add to that its considerable weight, and it almost feels like a brick in your hand. Less rough, of course.
Additional thoughs:
The display of the X Vario seems to be rather prone to scratches, so prospective buyers of the camera may want to keep that in mind. It is recommended to get a display protector of some sort for the X Vario. Apart from that, there isn’t really much else to say about the camera’s excellent build.
Autofocus
From our first impressions:
Ah, yes. Autofocus. The X1 was a disappointment in that regard. The X2 slightly improved on it. Now, the X Vario … well, it autofocuses, but that’s about it. It’s neither fast nor reliable, unfortunately. When it does lock focus, it does so precisely. But during the short time I spent with it so far, I was more than once frustrated with the slow speed and low reliability of the X Vario’s autofocus.
I am a friend of small focusing areas, so naturally I would choose the spot focus setting. However, the X Vario really only tries to focus on what’s inside the tiny area of the spot focusing field. When there’s too little contrast to work with, it simply gives up. Switching to the slightly larger field of the 1-point setting helps here, or focusing manually (which is, as I explained before, brilliantly solved.)
When the light gets dim, the X Vario will activate the AF assist lamp, which sheds a soft orange light on the scene you’re trying to focus on. This helps a lot, but AF is still considerably less quick and accurate than in good light. And even in good light, it is far from quick …
Additional thoughts:
After using the X Vario for another week and putting it through its paces at the Frankfurt Auto Show (IAA), I have to uphold my criticism as concerns the autofocus. Yes, it’s accurate if it locks, but it doesn’t alway work as smooth as you’d like it to. I experienced a lot of hunting when contrast wasn’t high enough, and more than once would the AF lock, but the resulting picture turn out defocused, as in the example below.
As mentioned in our first impressions post, switching between the various autofocus modes may help, but the one and only solution is to go all manual. And with the X Vario’s unique manual focus ring, that really is a piece of cake. Mind though that when light gets really sparse, the magnified view you get during manual focusing will not show enough detail to properly judge focus. So we have to conclude that the X Vario really isn’t much of a low light camera, despite its very good high-ISO performance.
Ease of Use
From our first impressions:
As should be evident from the sections on ergonomics and autofocus, the ease of use of the X Vario is a mixed bag. There are some aspects about it which are absolutely brilliant and make using the camera a breeze (such as the focusing ring or the shutter speed and aperture dials), while others leave the user irritated and/or frustrated (the placement, assignment and/or lack of buttons, for example.) I’d say there definitely is a considerable learning curve with the X Vario. But as soon as you get comfortable with it, it works mostly like any other digital camera.
Metering
The Leica X Vario has three metering modes: spot, center-weighted and multi-metering. If you’re a friend of automatic modes, then multi-metering is your safest bet. It will measure exposure over the complete frame, and average it out so that the image has a balanced look. At least that’s the theory. During my time with the X Vario, I noticed multiple times that it has a tendency to overexpose by as much as a full stop, regardless of using multi-metering or center-weighted metering. So, especially in high contrast situation, spot metering may be preferrable.
Image Quality
Bokeh
Considering the X Vario’s limited maximum aperture of f3.5-f6.4, one wouldn’t think that ‘bokeh’ was something you could get out of this camera. But that’s far from the truth, actually. Because the lens is able to focus down to 30 cm (12 in), it can create some very nice and out-of-focus blurring. And not only is there a lot of blur going on, it is also of the smooth and gentle kind that we all love so much. Kudos to Leica for this great lens design.
Sharpness
As with any lens, the X Vario’s zoom lens needs to be stopped down in order to get the most out of it. But even wide open sharpness is already good enough for most purposes. Below, you can find two 100% crops showing pixel-level sharpness at the center and corner of the frame with the lens set to 43mm-equivalent f5, which is wide open at that setting.
The same level of sharpness is achieved at any focal length setting of the lens. I think it goes without saying that sharpness improves further when stopping down, until the diffraction limit kicks in somewhere around f11-f16.
Color Fringing
There can be some remaining chromatic aberrations here and there, though. In the 100% crop below, you can observe it in a high contrast situation, which is where it normally occurs. If necessary, it can be corrected with Lightroom’s lens corrections tool (or whatever your workflow software of choice has on offer for such situations.)
Distortion
As mentioned in the section on Color Fringing, the X Vario’s image processor probably corrects for some optical shortcomings of its otherwise superbly engineered lens. That goes for distortion as well, unless the lens does not exhibit any to begin with. During our time with the X Vario, we couldn’t observe any distortion of any kind in any image.
Color Rendering
Overall, the Leica X Vario’s sensor renders color very naturally. We didn’t encounter any issues with hues being off or images being tinted, except that one time, where the camera apparently had a case of the hiccups …
Apart from this singulary glitch, the colors in the X Vario’s DNG files are beautiful and a joy to work with, albeit rather saturated to begin with. Also, we found that the X Vario tends to oversaturate the red channel quite a bit, especially when using the ‘Embedded’ camera profile in Lightroom. Using the ‘Adobe Standard’ profile will yield much more natural looking colors. In the image below, I had to dial down the saturation of the red channel by some 20% in order to achieve an overall balanced look.
One thing worth noticing is that overall, the X Vario’s files provide some outstanding tonality, both in color and in black-and-white. There’s a lot of information to work with in post-processing, and it’s almost impossible to get an X Vario image to the point where colors fall apart.
High ISO Images
The Leica X Vario is right there with the best APS-C cameras currently on the market (except for Fuji’s X-Trans models maybe.) The sensor delivers superb image quality even at higher ISOs, without much loss of detail or color accuracy. You’ll have to dial in some noise reduction to deal with the chroma noise, but the luminance noise is mostly very gentle and resembles film grain, especially in b&w conversions.
Below is an image taken at ISO 3200, which was a necessity considering the ambient light levels at that scene and the light gathering capabilities of the X Vario’s lens. For an ISO 3200 shot, there is very little overall noise. The chroma noise is easily dealt with in post processing, and the luminance noise is noticeable only in 100% magnification. And even then, it’s hardly obtrusive.
Raw File Versatility
Thanks to its sensor’s overall very good signal to noise ratio, the X Vario’s raw files have a lot of post-processing latitude. Highlights can be pulled if shots are overexposed, while shadows can be pushed by several stops without noise creeping in. As a general rule, though, underexposing is better than overexposing, since there’s more information left in the shadows than in the highlights.
In the sample below, I had dialed in -1 EV exposure compensation in order to preserve the highlights. As a consequence, the shadows were pretty dark straight out of the camera. However, the raw file responded very well to pushing the shadows by several stops, without any loss in detail or color accuracy.
Conclusions
The Leica X Vario is a true Leica in all regards. It comes with an exclusive price tag, superb build quality, and an absolutely stellar fixed zoom lens. It feels and handles like a proper Leica, that is like a Leica M. But as befits a proper Leica, the X Vario also comes with its respective quirks. The placement of controls is one of them, the lack of basic functionality such as an AE/AF lock button another. From the purely photographic point of view, though, the X Vario rocks the scene.
The images it produces are of outstanding overall quality, and are rivaled only by higher end DSLRs equipped with some of the best lenses on the market. Images are rich in tonality, with strong and vibrant colors, and noise is not really an issue. There is lots of sharpness and detail, bokeh is smooth and gentle, and the raw files provide enough post-processing latitute to satisfy even the most demanding of users.
Would I buy one, though? No. For what it is, the Leica X Vario is too expensive, especially considering all its flaws. For almost three grand, I’d expect more than just stellar image quality. I’d also expect a flawless user interface, as well as blazing fast and super accurate autofocus, such as that found in current Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras. In that department, the X Vario doesn’t deliver at all. Which is a shame, really, because otherwise, it easily kills all of its competition.
As it is, though, we can see harldy more in the X Vario than a fancy toy for rich people. We might eventually change our stand on this, if Leica provides a properly thought-through user interface and actually usable autofocus in the next version of the camera. But from our experience with Leica, we doubt this will actually happen.
Additional Images
For more image samples, please also look at our first impressions post.
Please Support The Phoblographer
The 2013 Leica X Vario (Typ 107) Review
In use, the controls of the camera actually make a lot of sense: it’s one of the few non-interchangeable lens cameras (actually, I can’t think of any others off the top of my head) that allow you to set all critical shooting parameters before you turn the camera on: focal length, focus distance, shutter speed and aperture: assuming you know what ISO you’re in, and have reasonably good ability to guess subject distance and exposure, this is a very, very fast camera for street and reportage work – all you have to do is turn it on, and about a second later, it’s ready to go. You could even leave it in program mode (set both aperture and shutter dials to A) and let the camera decide exposure for you, but still pick focus distance.
On the subject of the X Vario’s sensor, there actually isn’t that much to say that hasn’t already been said before: it’s a similar base design to many other existing cameras – the X2, the D5100/ D7000, Pentax K5 family, Coolpix A and Ricoh GR. Bottom line is that I think it’s probably one of the best all-rounders in the DX size, offering a good balance between dynamic range and noise (related to pixel size) and resolution; anything more isn’t so forgiving to handle in a live-view form factor. There are some slight differences between the different manufacturers’ processing algorithms and color preferences – the X Vario is quite similar to the X2, and noticeably different to the GR and A. As you can also see, the tonal output is also suitable for some excellent black and white conversions. At the basic level, we’ve got a sensor that’s good for 12-13 stops of dynamic range in RAW at base ISO and usable ISOs to 3200 for color, or 6400 for black and white. I wouldn’t go beyond that unless you really had no choice; noise becomes quite objectionable. The X Vario doesn’t seem to handle chroma noise quite as well as the GR; as a result, you see it creeping in about a stop earlier. Coupled with slightly lower resolving power (note the fine text in the 100% crops), I’d reduce those limits by a half a stop to a stop, depending on your end application. Bottom line: image quality is very good to excellent – as expected – and more than sufficient for most uses.
Leica X Vario Chính Hãng
Giới thiệu Leica X Vario (Chính hãng)
Máy ảnh Leica X Vario có nhiều điểm tương đồng với X2 nhưng có ống kính tiêu cự thay đổi được và kiểu bật tắt chế độ lấy nét tự động hoặc bằng tay thú vị. Trước khi ra mắt Leica X Vario vào giữa tháng 6 vừa qua, Leica từng hé lộ đây là sản phẩm cỡ nhỏ của dòng M qua cụm từ Mini M. Tuy nhiên, khi chính thức trình làng, X Vario có lẽ chính xác là hơn là phiên bản cao cấp của X2. Có kiểu dáng khá giống, từ mặt trước đến các chi tiết nhỏ như đèn flash dạng pop-up nhưng ống kính của X Vario có thể xoay vặn để thay đổi tiêu cự thay vì ống fix cố định như X2.
TÍNH NĂNG NỔI BẬT
– Máy lớn hơn X2 một chút với kích thước 133 x 73 x 95 mm và nặng khoảng 680 gram. Thân máy rất chắc chắn và đầm tay hơn hẳn so với các mẫu máy compact cao cấp khác trên thị trường. Quan sát thực tế cho thấy Leica X Vario có lẽ là model có màn hình tốt nhất trong số các model máy kỹ thuật số của hãng với kích thước 3 inch độ phân giải 920.000 pixel.
– Tuy nhiên, tốc độ xử lý của X Vario không tốt hơn nhiều so với các model tiền nhiệm của dòng X hay M. Trong một số điều kiện thì phải chờ 2 giây để có thể chụp được bức kế tiếp. Màn trập của máy có tốc độ tối đa 1/2000 giây. Tốc độ chụp liên tục là từ 3 đến 5 khung hình mỗi giây tùy độ phân giải. Hệ thống lấy nét của máy có 11 điểm và hỗ trợ nhận dạng khuôn mặt.
– Leica X Vario sử dụng cảm biến APS-C CMOS độ phân giải 16,1 megapxiel , hỗ trợ nhạy sáng ISO từ 100 đến ISO 12.500. Điểm đáng chú ý nhất ở sản phẩm là ống kính Vario Elmar 18-46mm/f3.5-6.4 ASPH (tương đương tiêu cự 28-70 mm trên máy phim 35 mm). Cấu tạo quang học có bao gồm thấu kính phi cầu nhằm giảm hiện tượng quang sai.
– Ngoài đèn flash cóc tích hợp dạng pop-up, Leica X Vario còn được trang bị chân cắm hot-shoe tương thích tốt với các phụ kiện flash rời của hãng như Leica SF 24D, Leica SF 58; hay kính ngắm điện tử Leica EVF 2 Viso-Flex.
Sony Xperia X Compact Review
Sony’s X Compact is the best-looking yet in the small range. However, the quest to attract more eyes brought about a few too many sacrifices. Compared to the Z5 Compact, it’s a slightly underpowered and fragile offering.
Update: Sony’s smaller X-series phone may not have been what we hoped it would be, but thankfully it has gotten better over time thanks to the update to Android Nougat.
This brings the enhanced Doze mode to users, which will save battery during the day, too, instead of just at night. You’ll also be able to split windows to essentially use two apps at the same time.
With Android O about to release, small phone fans will be happy to know that we’ve recently heard via Slash Gear that the X Compact will receive the update.
Given that this phone is an excellent choice if size matters, we’ve added this phone to our specialized list of best compact phones. You’ll find it in good company with the best of Samsung and Apple.
Lastly, we’ve compiled the best Sony Xperia X Compact deals right here.
Original review follows below.
The Sony Xperia X Compact stands for something good. It’s a small phone in a world dominated by palm-stretching phablets. Like the iPhone SE, Sony’s latest is aimed squarely at the people who don’t want to let go of the miniature form factor.
In a market full of devices that look nearly identical to each other, Sony’s X Compact also has a style of its own, refined as ever, and a surprisingly long list of features for a phone its size.
But for all that it is, the Sony Xperia X Compact isn’t the cheapest or the fastest phone you can get your hands on. Heck, last year’s Sony Xperia Z5 Compact houses a slightly faster processor and is now the cheaper, waterproof option that the X Compact isn’t. Once outside of the Sony realm, you’ll find much even more deals on an unlocked Android phone that can run laps around it.
So, what do we make of the X Compact? If you can overlook the high asking price of $499 (£359, not currently available in the AU) there’s a good phone waiting for you on the other end.
For everyone else, the X Compact requires too much sacrifice. It’s a refreshing take on the modern smartphone, but serves as a reminder that size, whether big or small, isn’t everything.
Costs $499 in the US and £359 in the UK starting September 25
GSM network compatible, so only on AT&T and T-Mobile in the US
Sony’s smaller device has launched unlocked for GSM networks in the US and UK for $499 and £359, respectively. That’s $100 more than the baseline iPhone SE and the same price as the larger, FHD screen-packed Nexus 6P.
Previously, Sony’s smartphone offering was more ingrained in the carrier market, though it has quickly transitioned to the unlocked side of things. You can purchase the phone through Amazon in the US, and in the UK, you can buy one on contract at O2, EE, giffgaff, chúng tôi and SIM-free at Carphone Warehouse.
This has enabled the company to more swiftly enter new regions, but it has led to an unexpected downside for those living in the US.
Design
Dazzling design impresses, but comes at the price of waterproofing
For US readers, there’s no fingerprint sensor
The ceramic-mimicking plastic scratches easily under normal use
The naming convention might lead you to believe that the X Compact is just a smaller version of the Sony Xperia X, but that’s not totally the case. Aside from some similarities with the rest of the line, the X Compact is unique with its flat front glass panel, rounded sides and a completely flat top and bottom.
Sony sent along the Universe Black color (that looks more like blue in the sunlight) of the X Compact, which measures in at 129 x 65 x 9.5mm and weighs 135 grams. One of the biggest design feats here is that it feels like a unibody design, though it’s constructed with a mix of Gorilla Glass 4, glossy plastic on its sides, and an oleophobic (oil resistant) plastic on the back that’s influenced by the look and feel of ceramic. While it does give off the high-end look it aims for, it collects small scratches and fingerprint smudges a little too easily.
Under the right light, the ripple effect looks incredible. That is…
…until mysterious scratches begin to appear.
Sony’s Xperia X Compact rocks two front-facing speakers, a selfie camera and a slim bezel. Taking a tour around the phone, the top is where you’ll find the 3.5mm jack. On its other flat end, Sony has opted for USB-C, which has resulted in a thicker chin bezel due to the longer internal section of the port.
Like the Sony Xperia X Performance, and other X-series phones, this one has a microSD and SIM card slot on the left side. It also has the same lineup of buttons on its right side, including the power button, volume rocker and camera capture button. Compared to other phones that usually place the most frequently used buttons near where the index finger rests, Sony has placed them awkwardly near the bottom. Even on a small phone like this one, you’ll likely fumble to make what should be a simple adjustment.
Quite the awkward button setup
If you buy one of these outside of the US, the power button will double as a fingerprint sensor. However, Sony has decided to, once again, strip this feature from the US release. If you’re curious why the company made this choice, check out this piece and let us know if the fingerprint sensor (or a lack thereof) influences your purchase decision.
As you can see, the Sony Xperia X Compact has a lot in common with other Sony phones. It only makes sense. But what doesn’t make sense is that it lacks another signature feature: waterproofing. According to Sony, this phone isn’t even water resistant. It’s a strange turn for Sony’s compact line, which just last generation was fully resistant to dust and water.
Prices – Sony Xperia X Compact:
▼
Bạn đang xem bài viết Review: Leica X Vario (Typ 107) trên website Sachlangque.net. Hy vọng những thông tin mà chúng tôi đã chia sẻ là hữu ích với bạn. Nếu nội dung hay, ý nghĩa bạn hãy chia sẻ với bạn bè của mình và luôn theo dõi, ủng hộ chúng tôi để cập nhật những thông tin mới nhất. Chúc bạn một ngày tốt lành!