Leica X1 vs Leica X2

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A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor.

The reflex design scheme is the primary difference between a DSLR and other digital cameras. In the reflex design, light travels through the lens and then to a mirror that alternates to send the image to either the viewfinder or the image sensor. The viewfinder of a DSLR presents an image that will not differ substantially from what is captured by the camera’s sensor, but presents it as a direct optical view through the lens, rather than being captured by the camera’s image sensor and displayed by a digital screen.

DSLRs largely replaced film-based SLRs during the 2000s, and despite the rising popularity of mirrorless system cameras in the early 2010s, remain the most common type of interchangeable lens camera in use as of 2019.

Leica Camera AG is a German company that manufactures cameras, lenses, binoculars, rifle scopes, microscopes and ophthalmic lenses. The company was founded by Ernst Leitz in 1914. The name Leica is derived from the first three letters of his surname (Leitz) and the first two of the word camera: lei-ca.

Leica Camera AG is 45% owned by The Blackstone Group which licenses the Leica brand name from the independently-owned Leica Microsystems GmbH.

The Leica M9 is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera from Leica Camera AG. It was introduced in September 2009. It uses an 18.5-megapixel Kodak image sensor, and is compatible with almost all M mount lenses.

The Leica X2 is a digital large sensor compact camera announced by Leica Camera on 10 May 2012. It is the successor of the Leica X1, and improves on the earlier model with a higher resolution sensor, improved autofocus and an optionally available electronic viewfinder for easier use in bright light.On 16 September 2014, the Leica X-E was announced; this camera is identical to the X2 except for its exterior color.

This is a list of digital camera brands. Former and current brands are included in this list. With some of the brands, the name is licensed from another company, or acquired after the bankruptcy of an older photographic equipment company. The actual manufacture of a camera model is performed by a different company in many cases. In many cases brands are limited to certain countries. Not all brands of devices that can take digital images are listed here, including many industrial digital camera brands, some webcam brands, brands of cell phones that feature cameras, and brands of video cameras that can take digital stills. Defunct brands are listed separately.

The X1 used for this review has the recently updated firmware, V.2.0

Leica’s foray into the digital world may have been at a slower and more considered pace than what we’re used to seeing, but working in partnership with Panasonic has nevertheless meant that it’s managed to saturate a healthy range of the camera market.

For more everyday use the company’s point-and-shoot C-LUX and enthusiast D-LUX ranges sit at the base of its stable, while the M9 rangefinder and S2 medium format model lie at the other end to cater for professionals.

In between the two, and among a handful of intermediate models, sits the X1, which can safely be considered as the company’s answer to the growing popularity of compact system cameras.

In many ways the model is unique, or at least it was upon its launch in September 2009 and its recent firmware upgrade improves upon the original performance. It begins a new series for the company, pairing a 12.2MP APS-C format CMOS sensor with a 24mm f/2.8 fixed lens, the combination of which produces a camera with an effective focal length of 36mm in 35mm terms. It’s targeted at the enthusiast who requires a solid, high-quality model with dependable image quality in a pocketable form, albeit it one who will be willing to part with around £1400 for the privilege.

The camera offers a capable feature set, but rarely does it go out of its way to offer any additional niceties. The sensitivity range, for example, is restricted to a reasonable span of ISO 100-3200, with no extension settings are either end, while metering patterns comprise the standard multi, centre-weighted and spot options.

Five colour settings are on hand, including two black and white flavours, while the camera records all raw images in the Adobe DNG standard, which makes them immediately compatible with Adobe’s editing programs. Image stabilization is also included, although it’s neither lens nor sensor based; instead, the camera uses processing to blend two images into one to achieve a sharper result.

There’s a little flexibility in the camera’s 11-point focusing system, with high-speed focusing options in 1-point and 11-point modes, as well as a more precise spot focus option and face detection setting, although sadly video recording — HD or otherwise — is nowhere to be found. Also a shame is the 230,000dot resolution of the camera’s LCD screen, which today is bettered on models a fraction of the X1’s price. At 2.7in it’s hardly the largest display either, although, of course, a larger screen would necessitate a slightly bigger body.

Introduction

The Leica X1 is a 12.2 megapixel compact camera with a 36mm fixed lens and a 2.7 inch LCD screen. The X1 has an APS-C sized, 23.6×15.8mm CMOS sensor with a 3:2 aspect ratio, which promises to deliver similar image quality to a DSLR camera. The image-stabilized Leica Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 lens provides a focal length of 36mm in 35mm terms, and there’s a full range of advanced controls from manual exposure to manual focus. Other key features of the Leica X1 include a sensitivity range of ISO 100-3200, maximum shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, JPEG and DNG RAW file support, and a continuous shooting rate of up to 3 frames per second. The recommended retail price of the Leica X1 is £1395 / $1995 / €1550.

The X1 used for this review has the recently updated firmware, V.2.0

Leica’s foray into the digital world may have been at a slower and more considered pace than what we’re used to seeing, but working in partnership with Panasonic has nevertheless meant that it’s managed to saturate a healthy range of the camera market.

For more everyday use the company’s point-and-shoot C-LUX and enthusiast D-LUX ranges sit at the base of its stable, while the M9 rangefinder and S2 medium format model lie at the other end to cater for professionals.

In between the two, and among a handful of intermediate models, sits the X1, which can safely be considered as the company’s answer to the growing popularity of compact system cameras.

In many ways the model is unique, or at least it was upon its launch in September 2009 and its recent firmware upgrade improves upon the original performance. It begins a new series for the company, pairing a 12.2MP APS-C format CMOS sensor with a 24mm f/2.8 fixed lens, the combination of which produces a camera with an effective focal length of 36mm in 35mm terms. It’s targeted at the enthusiast who requires a solid, high-quality model with dependable image quality in a pocketable form, albeit it one who will be willing to part with around £1400 for the privilege.

The camera offers a capable feature set, but rarely does it go out of its way to offer any additional niceties. The sensitivity range, for example, is restricted to a reasonable span of ISO 100-3200, with no extension settings are either end, while metering patterns comprise the standard multi, centre-weighted and spot options.

Five colour settings are on hand, including two black and white flavours, while the camera records all raw images in the Adobe DNG standard, which makes them immediately compatible with Adobe’s editing programs. Image stabilization is also included, although it’s neither lens nor sensor based; instead, the camera uses processing to blend two images into one to achieve a sharper result.

There’s a little flexibility in the camera’s 11-point focusing system, with high-speed focusing options in 1-point and 11-point modes, as well as a more precise spot focus option and face detection setting, although sadly video recording — HD or otherwise — is nowhere to be found. Also a shame is the 230,000dot resolution of the camera’s LCD screen, which today is bettered on models a fraction of the X1’s price. At 2.7in it’s hardly the largest display either, although, of course, a larger screen would necessitate a slightly bigger body.

The X1 used for this review has the recently updated firmware, V.2.0

Leica’s foray into the digital world may have been at a slower and more considered pace than what we’re used to seeing, but working in partnership with Panasonic has nevertheless meant that it’s managed to saturate a healthy range of the camera market.

For more everyday use the company’s point-and-shoot C-LUX and enthusiast D-LUX ranges sit at the base of its stable, while the M9 rangefinder and S2 medium format model lie at the other end to cater for professionals.

In between the two, and among a handful of intermediate models, sits the X1, which can safely be considered as the company’s answer to the growing popularity of compact system cameras.

In many ways the model is unique, or at least it was upon its launch in September 2009 and its recent firmware upgrade improves upon the original performance. It begins a new series for the company, pairing a 12.2MP APS-C format CMOS sensor with a 24mm f/2.8 fixed lens, the combination of which produces a camera with an effective focal length of 36mm in 35mm terms. It’s targeted at the enthusiast who requires a solid, high-quality model with dependable image quality in a pocketable form, albeit it one who will be willing to part with around £1400 for the privilege.

The camera offers a capable feature set, but rarely does it go out of its way to offer any additional niceties. The sensitivity range, for example, is restricted to a reasonable span of ISO 100-3200, with no extension settings are either end, while metering patterns comprise the standard multi, centre-weighted and spot options.

Five colour settings are on hand, including two black and white flavours, while the camera records all raw images in the Adobe DNG standard, which makes them immediately compatible with Adobe’s editing programs. Image stabilization is also included, although it’s neither lens nor sensor based; instead, the camera uses processing to blend two images into one to achieve a sharper result.

There’s a little flexibility in the camera’s 11-point focusing system, with high-speed focusing options in 1-point and 11-point modes, as well as a more precise spot focus option and face detection setting, although sadly video recording — HD or otherwise — is nowhere to be found. Also a shame is the 230,000dot resolution of the camera’s LCD screen, which today is bettered on models a fraction of the X1’s price. At 2.7in it’s hardly the largest display either, although, of course, a larger screen would necessitate a slightly bigger body.