Rumus X1 2 X2 2

The Leica X2 is the replacement for 2010’due south Leica X1, and fulfils the same part in Leica’due south line-up: essentially, it’south a luxury digital point-and-shoot with a nod to the 35mm film cameras of photography yore.

Announced alongside the Leica Ma Monochrom and the Leica V-Lux 40, the X2 sports a xvi.1-megapixel sensor that’s physically the same size every bit that of a DSLR, and the lens is fixed focal length but of very high quality design and build. In fact, the design and build of this photographic camera is impressive throughout (its retro looks are backed up by extreme sturdiness).

The X2 has a control setup that should suit both the newcomer and the old paw. The sometime tin simply set the two summit dials to their ‘A’ automobile setting to allow the photographic camera decide shutter speed and aperture, leaving them only needing to point and shoot.

Those who are more comfy twiddling around can cull their own settings from the dials, the buttons to the left of the screen or the punch and buttons to the right of it. Adjusting shooting settings is a fairly swift and painless process.

Half-pressing the shutter button autofocuses the 24mm fixed focal length lens, and we’re happy to report the autofocus is a lot faster than on the sluggish X1. It’south non upward to the lightning-quick reflexes of far cheaper cameras such as the Sony NEX-5, though, and tin chase a little before finding a lock.

The screen is functional but seems similar a throwback to a few years ago: while well-nigh point-and-shoots have a 3-inch screen with at least 460,000 pixels, the X2’southward is ii.7-inch and 230,000 pixels, making it a lot blockier than nosotros’d like, or expect, given the price tag. There are low budget snappers with better screens than this.

A college resolution would make reviewing your photos on the screen a lot easier, but we can’t actually fault the LCD’s color reproduction. In a nutshell, this screen does the job but never goes above and beyond the nuts.

While some aspects of the X2 might disappoint, the flick quality reminds u.s.a. exactly why Leica enjoys such a stellar reputation amongst photographers. The lens, which has a stock-still focal length and maximum F2.eight aperture, is of infrequent quality and teamed up with the CMOS sensor produces incredibly sharp, punchy shots with first-class detail and pure, vibrant colour.

Y’all can likewise flick information technology to other colour settings, including a very gritty high contrast black and white, or shoot in DNG format and do your own color processing in Photoshop, Aperture or any plan you use (Adobe Lightroom actually comes free with the X2, and then perchance that…).

The lens’ 24mm focal length translates to effectually 35mm in onetime school terms, so the X2 is a piffling too tight for landscapes and also wide for head-and-shoulders portraits. What information technology is perfect for is street or reportage photography: capturing everyday scenes apace, reliably and (due to its compact size) discreetly.

You might be wondering why nosotros haven’t mentioned the video quality. Well, that’due south because at that place’s no video capture option – like we say, this is a recreation of an old-fashioned type of camera. For improve or for worse…

If you lot’re looking for something a little different, a little quirkier, a niggling classier than the average point-and-shoot, the X2 fits the bill snugly.

Leica X2 availability: Bachelor now

Leica X2 price: £1,575