Leica Leica X-E first pics

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dalethorn

Guest
New camera, Leica X-E. Introduced in 2014, replacement for X1/X2. I had the X1 in 2010, now the X-E - APS-C, fixed lens with 35 mm equiv. focal length.

1) Just another sunset photo. Note to self: Use spot focus or manual focus on landscapes.
2) This one failed per the above note, but I kept it anyway.
3) Shot through the thick front window glass, which makes the colors a bit ragged. Why shoot from outside? No hassle, no questions that way.
4) This is one of my favorite image types, similar to the 'home sweet home' motif. ISO 800 worked OK in fairly dim light, but being a JPEG-only image you can see the noise pretty well.

Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/80 sec. handheld, ISO 200.
Sunset06_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/2000 sec. handheld, ISO 200.
Mtpleasant_Park48_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/80 sec. handheld, ISO 200.
Apple010_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/30 sec. handheld, ISO 800.
Charleston_Hospital01_s.jpg
 
That's one good looking camera! Just had to google it real quick, and that titanium one with the white grip is nice! Is it pocketable when the lens is closed?
 
That's one good looking camera! Just had to google it real quick, and that titanium one with the white grip is nice! Is it pocketable when the lens is closed?

Cargo pocket would work, shooting/fishing vests OK, but the bulky (though small) design says no for regular jeans.
 
That sunset is beautiful! Viewfinder??
Cheers, Jock

No VF built in, but it has a hotshoe with a slot of some kind underneath, so the different VF's going back to the X1 camera should work. The monitor is the same low-res screen as the X1 from 2009, so critical manual focus may be a problem in some conditions - dim light etc. I haven't ever purchased a separate VF for this type of camera, but I might actually spring for one soon, just to see if I can focus better with it. I've liked all the Leica cameras I've had, for one or more reasons, but the simple, primitive X-E and the previous X1 are my favorites.
 
Two more:
1) The famous bridge from a distance at night. I cropped 10 pct. from the left and 5 pct. from the right, but there is still noticeable coma on the lights. On the left side, I masked out the coma somewhat. Still, it's no worse than the Noctilux lens shooting at its widest aperture.
2) Irish figurines at a local restaurant. Handholding with no image stabilization worked OK here by shooting bursts. Since the X-E doesn't have conventional IS, I just keep its 'IS' setting off.

Leica X-E, f2.8, 1 second tripod, ISO 400.
Charleston_Bridge46_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/25 sec. handheld, ISO 800.
Bluerose03_s.jpg
 
1) Downtown store window display.
2&3) Inventory at the boutique store.

Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/25 sec. braced against window, ISO 800.
Charleston_Downtown_Fashion01_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/50 sec. braced against window, ISO 800.
Louis_Vuitton16_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/100 sec. braced against window, ISO 800.
Louis_Vuitton17_s.jpg
 
1) Church interior. I've shot this many times, and it's picture-postcard stuff, so I try to do it differently with each camera. The many visitors there provide the props, but sometimes it's a crowd and I can't get the shot. Shooting at 1/30 second with no image stabilization, I took several bursts, and most images had significant blur.

2) I got access to the non-pedestrian side of the bridge to shoot this, less than 2 hours after sunrise. In spite of some rain the previous day, there was a lot of pollution above the tree line at top, and I did a little 'cleaning' using clone brushes with my 1996 version of Paint Shop Pro (v6).

Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/30 sec. handheld, ISO 800.
Charleston_Church_St_John_Baptist00e_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f5.0, 1/2000 handheld, ISO 200.
Charleston_Wetland01_s.jpg
 
Two portraits - b&w facing the bar, and color facing the other way:

Leica X-E, f2.8, 1/6 sec. handheld, ISO 200.
City_Lights12_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f2.8, 1/60 handheld, ISO 800.
Dale30_Gregg_s.jpg
 
St. Philips Church, Charleston SC. I wasn't completely happy with either of these, so I kept both as examples of a few things. For one thing, the steeple is slightly crooked due to war or earthquake, and I hope my processing didn't make it worse. The first image is from a city block distance, and the second image at least a third closer, but it doesn't look that much different due to perspective and cropping.

Leica X-E, f5.6, 1/1000 handheld, ISO 200.
Charleston_Church_St_Philips04_s.jpg


Leica X-E, f5.6, 1/1000 handheld, ISO 200.
Charleston_Church_St_Philips05_s.jpg
 
The X-E is an amazing capable little camera (Exactly the same as the X2) I got a growing flickr album with some pics taken with it if you guys are interested in seeing some more pics! :D Leica X-E (Typ 102)

Very nice. I enjoyed your album. Be sure to post a notice again when you add a lot more, so I remember to visit again. By the way, I also have an X2 Paul Smith edition arriving today.
 
No VF built in, but it has a hotshoe with a slot of some kind underneath, so the different VF's going back to the X1 camera should work. The monitor is the same low-res screen as the X1 from 2009, so critical manual focus may be a problem in some conditions - dim light etc. I haven't ever purchased a separate VF for this type of camera, but I might actually spring for one soon, just to see if I can focus better with it. I've liked all the Leica cameras I've had, for one or more reasons, but the simple, primitive X-E and the previous X1 are my favorites.

I love my X1. I do use the accessory optical VF and find the parallax lines good enough (except for really close stuff when you have to use the LCD.) No information in the VF, but your f stop and shutter speed are on the top of the camera, so it doesn't matter, and if I shoot A auto, I know what exposure compensation to dial in and one button push on the back of the camera calls it up on the LCD. I love the basic operation and simplicity of shooting with it and always come back with keepers when I use it. Nothing gets in the way. I though of the X2 for the higher res sensor, but the X1 works well for me. Using this camera with a hand held meter brings me back to basics -- where my energy goes to looking and seeing instead of fiddling with the electronics. I can use my Pen-F that way too, and I love it, but there is something special about the shooting experience with the X1 and the series that followed.
 
I must have missed this camera's announcement. Looks like a great camera!

After I got the X-E which looks like this:
image.jpeg


I got the X2 Paul Smith edition that looks like this:
image.jpeg


The X2 special edition (and all X2's) are the same camera as the X-E, and different from the X1. My take on the X-E is that the 'E' probably designates 'Economy', and the exterior finish and perhaps some other features are cheaper to produce than the X2 cameras. I haven't found anything less than ideal in quality with the X-E however, so I'm sold on it. The special edition X2 has a 'skin' applied much like the X1, and while I had no problems with my X1 skin peeling, many users did. The X2 special edition I have shows some dimpling on the skin, so I'm crossing my fingers. Leica has told me it's easily fixable if anything peels.

The improvements in these two over the X1 are much appreciated - a smoother lens extension, better performance and battery life, etc. These are very primitive cameras compared to most compact cameras today - no real IS for example, but the images are quite good.
 
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This one was a 20-minute wait after sunset watching the clouds and colors develop. I know some cameras have scene modes for sunsets, but even when I use a camera that has those, I've found I get better results just waiting and shooting a few, and occasionally the light and texture just pop on their own. I cropped it vertically where the sky above was not contributing to the scene. I used manual focus, since the X-E or X2 don't autofocus properly in many landscapes. And there's an issue with manual focus I'll post elsewhere.

Leica X-E, f5.6, 1/10 sec. handheld (braced), ISO 200.
Sunset08_s.jpg
 

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