Leica X2 ergonomics and processing is the Leica X2 "Made in Germany" and very high quality. The housing consists of metal and is a large area covered in leather. The classic design of Leica has performed at the sides with smooth curves, even the interface flap is like at this round, but consists of plastic. Over and reveal a USB port, you can read the data on the SD card or the slightly more than 100 megabyte internal memory, HDMI mini port allows the image playback on HDTVs. Lithium-ion battery and memory card (SD, SDHC or SDXC) are housed in community medicine at the bottom of the camera. The battery lasts for 450 shots, according to Leica - a decent, though not abundant value. The metal tripod mount is located right next to the timber, so it is blocked on the tripod. Moreover, the thread is located well outside the optical axis.
Leica's intentions regarding the X2 is a very stringent operating concept. No function can be adjusted in two ways. Either there is a knob on the housing or a menu setting. Programmable buttons, or the storage and retrieval of settings, the camera is not too purist. After all, you always know in which button does what. Turned on the X2 is the trigger for a Leica X2: enclosing switch [Photo Media North]. Here you select also whether you want to make single shots (S mode) or Continuous (C mode). A zoom switch requires the Leica not because it has a fixed focus lens with a small image equivalent focal length of 35 mm and a maximum aperture of F2, 8, what a prime lens is not necessarily particularly bright, F2, 0 would be such a reportage camera better to face. The lens can be unscrewed a trim ring that releases an accessory thread. However lists on any Leica accessories for this thread. Since the lens with a filter thread is missing, can therefore not currently using optical filters. The autofocus works with 0.6 seconds rather cumbersome and prone when pressing the shutter button, especially in dark places to spite AF illuminator to make incorrect sharp. For sports and fast subjects, the X2 was not obviously built. The shutter lag is 0.04 seconds, however pleasantly short.
All major recording setting can make the buttons and dials of the Leica X2. These are all made of high quality and small, but marked contrast. We especially enjoyed the time and have the chopper wheel, each with an automatic position. Too bad, however, that the A-position does not latch each. While the shutter can be adjusted in 1/3-stop increments, can be ISO sensitivity and shutter speed to adjust only in full EV increments, which in critical situations exposure also can be a little too rough. Particularly simple and the menu is structured. There are no tabs, no tabs or other groups, but simply a list of settings. The alternate background color of light gray and dark gray does look classy, but when scrolling one has the feeling that the screen is bright and dark ever since an odd number of menu items can be seen simultaneously.
The screen itself is with its diagonal of 2.7 inches (6.9 centimeters) quite small, since it hardly camera under three inches (7.5 centimeters) wins. Even more disturbing, however, the grobpixelige resolution of only 230,000 pixels. Clearly you can see the pixel grid, which is the otherwise very high quality camera no justice. The live image offers at least an exposure preview, when you push the shutter button halfway and shows little difference in how far it deviates from the camera light meter. After all, can be optional on the hotshoe mount a 1.4 million pixels high-resolution electronic viewfinder. Those who prefer an optical viewfinder preference may continue to use the Leica X1.
Equipment Leica X2 is a more purist camera for those photographers who are looking for a tool instead of a toy. There are no scene modes and intelligent automatic functions that detect even the subject. Best one uses the wheel to adjust the exposure yourself comfortable. That does not mean that everything works only manually. ISO speed, aperture and exposure time to know each also an automatic setting, so choose the photographer at any time, determine which parameters he wants and what the camera selects, thereby automatically yield the Leica X2 [Photo: Media north] the classic Exposure modes Programmed AE, Shutter Priority, shutter priority and manual exposure. An auto focus, the X2 offers course, even with face recognition it is equipped. Good solution is the manual focus. This takes place by means of the upper, continuous dial on the camera back. The screen is both a movable magnifying glass appears as a distance scale with the depth mark. So you can almost like working with a traditional focus ring, which is provided with markings. The minimum focusing distance of 30 centimeters is normal motives for good, macro shots are thus not possible.
The purist equipment Leica X2 does not need special programs, such as HDR or Panormama. They must also not be missed very painful contrast, we have a video mode. It is not possible, with the X2 record moving images with sound. Who would need to have another camera. After all, the X2 offers but an integrated flash that also illuminates the 35 mm wide-angle well. The flash unit must be reset manually and jumps Leica X2 [Photo: Media North] knows a fair bit up and out. The mechanism is very reassuring. If the flash is only unfolded, it offers a one automatic red-eye reduction Red-eye reduction, a Aufhellfunktionen, a studio and a slow sync mode, in which no pre-flash is emitted. The menu can be adjusted if the flash will fire at the beginning or end of the exposure. About the exposure compensation button next to the setting you get the flash exposure and for exposure bracketing setting.
Very flexible and adjustable white balance. Automatic, various presets, manual color temperature input and two memory slots for a custom white balance are complemented by a two-axis fine correction. The exposure is determined by classical multi-pattern, center-weighted or spot metering, the X2 rather to a fairly narrow exposure prone if there are major bright field image. Although the X2 is not a playful camera, but you can set certain film simulation effects and adjust contrast, saturation, and sharpness to your own wishes. When storage format, the photographer has the choice whether or not to ban JPEG, DNG, or both simultaneously to the memory card. Here, the X2 writes in the background on the memory card, but what in the DNG + JPEG mode may take some time, if several images in rapid succession photographed. However, the camera can not block so quickly.
Image Quality With its prime lens that dispenses extremely high speed, and the 16 megapixel resolution image sensor in APS-C size, Leica X2 best conditions for excellent image quality. Whether this is indeed the case, we examined both the digitalkamera.de test laboratory and in practice. The laboratory test can, as usual, for a small Leica X2: retrieve remuneration in its complete detail including PDF for archiving and printing [Photo Media North]. In fact, we are impressed by the lab measurements difficult. The lens is so well centered that there is virtually no difference in the sharpness of the four corners there that actually occurs in each lens. Here seems to be really "Made in Germany" for superior quality and assembly, for the lush price of 1,750 euros you can expect the well.
Specifically, this means that the lens in relation to a 20 x 30 centimeter deduction at every aperture a perfectly sharp result from the center reaches to the edges. The MTF measurement at 50 percent contrast, the usually separates the men from the boys know to convince the Leica X2 also. Even at full aperture it reaches almost 38 line pairs per millimeter (lp / mm) in the center. Stopping down brings them just before the mark of 40 lp / mm, optically we see no difference here. The image edge at F2, 8 with 30 lp / mm, a little weaker, but is still in good frame. Dimmed by two levels the X2 reached then 37 lp / mm at the edges, so it is close to the level of the image center, excellent. Fringing and Randabdunklung play virtually no role. The image brightness decreases at F2, 8 towards the margins very slow and constant and overall very little from. Already one step dimmed Randabdunklung disappeared. The distortion is a percentage barrel shape but quite small and barely visible, but still exists. It is the wide angle but forgiven, at this focal length lens must not be absolute distortion.
Leica X2 shows During the measurements in terms of noise and color, the Leica X2 very honest, what also means that they do not by themselves reached peak values at higher ISO speeds, quite the contrary. With each ISO level you lose so much in terms of quality, with Leica has remedied with firmware 1.1 at least for sensitivities up to ISO 1600 to the extent that you can work well with it. The set ISO values even exceeds X2 continuously according to our laboratory measurement by about 50 percent, is at ISO 100 we measured ISO 146, at ISO 400, ISO 660, we measured and so on. The signal to noise ratio achieved at ISO 100, the excellent value of 45 dB. With each ISO level you lose about 3 dB, which is 39 dB at ISO 400, 36 dB at ISO 800 and at ISO 1600 it has only bad 34 dB. At ISO 3200 it is even less than 25 dB, the desired signal is thus already under almost in the noise. Color noise is low, but the luminance noise more intense. To ISO 1600, it remains in a good frame, it also increases very jumped to miserable levels. That Leica fought the noise is very reticent can tell by the attention to detail that is at all ISO speeds in the very good range. So if you want low noise images at high sensitivity comes at the raw format and the associated processing is not over. Anyway shows the measurement obtained that sufficient image details to provide a good working basis.
The tone curve of X2 runs very smoothly and is embellished only slightly. For this fall the output tonal range as well as the input dynamics very quickly. To ISO 800, the input dynamic range is more than 10 f-stops or above at ISO 1600 just over nine, at ISO 3,200 already under eight stops. The output includes at ISO 100 and 200 are almost the full 256 levels, even at ISO 800, there are only a satisfying 128 steps, or half. Better, the X2 beats the color differentiation, up to ISO 800 is in good to very good range, but also degrades rapidly. Colors are the Leica again almost perfect, only red is slightly shifted toward orange. Also, the manual white balance works perfectly on all ISO levels.
In sum can therefore state that the X2 has an excellent lens and the images are in JPEG been very honest again. Perfect picture quality is obtained only at ISO 100, some values are already rolling off from ISO 200. Nevertheless, one can use the X2 to ISO 800 good because they start at such a high level. The images at ISO 1,600 are still satisfactory to good, from ISO 3,200 but you should always use the DNG raw format and einfuchsen in denouncing using raw converter. In practice noticed yet that the lens in backlit situations sometimes quickly loses contrast. The resulting milky-looking images were, after all, with a Levels save easily and without optical losses.
Conclusion The Leica X2 is an extremely purist camera. Who expects a features fireworks, using automation, and effects, lies in its clearly wrong. The X2 offers the highest manufacturing standards combined with classic operation using time and aperture. You really have to know about the photography in order to serve the X2 adequately. But a plunge dare you, finally, the photographer can grow at its tool. The image quality is excellent, which is due mainly to the extremely precision-crafted lens back. When noise, however, the Leica X2 is extremely honest. Is a noise reduction barely, so you can use the camera in practice only up to ISO 1,600. For it is obtained but also very honest and genuine images up to ISO 800 have excellent quality.
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