A Leica for Cheap 

I am so thrilled that you revealed that the b-roll was all filmed on iPhone. I want to start a channel and I only have an iPhone 13. I totally didn’t notice a quality difference on this video compared to your other vids. Stellar and very encouraging!

Happy New Year! It's always great to see a new video from you, and fun to learn about a camera I didn't even know about.

Watching your videos always put a smile on my face. Love it when you get so nerdy in your tech talks!! 🤣🤣

The Leica effect...gets me every time. Even with their old cams you still get that feeling. Maybe not with the JPEGs but the feel of the camera. Other cam companies could learn something. Hope that Leica heard you. I appreciate your honest and detailed reviews. Happy New Year to you and your fam!

Had the X2 and it’s a conflicting camera for me. Ended up selling it after a few months but absolutely loved the photos that came out of it. The colors and rendition had a sort of magic that you just don’t see in 2023 cameras. The issues I ran into was the SLOW autofocus and the issue of dust in the sensor within the fixed lens system. I had the Leica carrying case that you wear with the long strap and flipped open allowing you to slide the camera out for use, then slide it back in. By far the best travel camera size of any cameras I’ve owned, that’s for sure. I recently went to Vegas and the surrounding desert, Death Valley, etc and took my Leica TL2 for the trip. It worked amazingly but there’s a few times I honestly wished I still had the X2. Great video and thanks for sharing with us

Love your reviews……where else are you going to hear words like “contraption” in a camera review……… just wonderful! More please!

I'm enamoured with your videos. Amazing work!

Great video ❤ I love my leica X-1 I’ve captured lots of great compositions with it 😊 I especially love the flash

The X2 was my first Leica camera when it came out. I have then moved to the M9 and now shoot with the M10 and it. That being said, the X2 is the camera I keep in my Jeep so I always have a camera, and the X2 is the back up when I travel. It is a good little camera. I do prefer a manual focus over automatic, but the X2 does a great job when needed. Good review.

Love love loved this video, thanks for creating and sharing!

Your photos and storytelling are a trip back to the golden era of graphic adventures - think The Longest Journey, Myst, Grim Fandango vibes. It's like you've got endless ways to unveil uncharted paths and reveal the best of the game hidden in plain sight. Every camera selection unfolds a fresh adventure, capable of transforming ordinary moments into enchanting snapshots, showcasing that life is full of concealed treasures if you persist. It's as if you firmly believe there's always something extraordinary to extract from any circumstance or obstacle. Your message transcends photography - it's a gentle push for all of us to discover hidden gems in our everyday. The way you express the dream of uncovering treasures, making it tangible here and now, is a gift. Thanks for not just sharing but warmly extending this lesson. You're a true inspiration. Here's to an awesome 2024 and more exhilarating adventures ahead!

The Barnack reference really shows, when you hold the camera. The dimensions are so modest and the design so clean and simple. I guess taking the inadequacies you mentioned into consideration, it is a bit like I accidentally bought an M3 to compliment my M10 and shooting it is so enjoyable in spite of the unfair comparison to the M10 which is light years ahead in so and so many respects. But it is maybe a camera to slow down, enjoy the cumbersome aspects of it as is and learn to love it for it. Thanks for the enjoyable video! I appreciate it!

Wonderful review of a camera I've been using since 2012, great for exposure bracketing and producing Hdr. More keepers in daylight, focus hunts in lowlight. Thanks OMTC

Yes, spot on ! I purchased the X2 years ago before they started to go up in price. I almost sold it as I purchased other Leicas but glad I didn’t. I use it as a travel camera for casual shots.

What you describe at the end is essentially the Leica CL with a 23mm f/2. It even had a pretty good EVF. ... And they killed it. It was the last APS-C L-mount camera and it was brilliant. I do still have a 23mm here and I am hoping for Sigma to fill the gap at some point. But I might just sell it and move on. Speaking of: I sold my Zf because of it's ergonomics and replaced it with a Z7, the first gen. Those go for relatively little money these days and with all the firmware updates it is one hell of a camera. Paired with a 40mm f/2 it is small and light enough for me as my every day carry. Same goes for Z6 at even lower cost and with better video quality. Can recommend.

I’ve had the X1 for almost a year and really, really enjoy it. The Leica optical viewfinder and hand grip accessories only improve the experience. My biggest issue is how slow the shutter is. I’ve missed so many shots because it took what felt like a full second to respond to my press, so it’s not ideal for grabbing quick shots on the street, etc. I have several videos on my channel featuring my photos with the X1 if anyone wants to see more images made with it. Great review!

I got the Leica X-E in the summer of 2023 for a great deal (and it came in the original box with everything and the seller threw in the Olympus EVF!). It's basically a cosmetically different X2 and I absolutely love this little camera and the remarkable lens

Great review, if you’ve not tried a Leica SL Type 601, the best FF body for adapting vintage lenses… amazing files, the EVF is incredible… the build and ergonomics are unmatched.

It didn't even feel like I was watching Leica's review. Good presentation as always.

Happy New Year.Your videos are refreshing, you are not constantly preachig about the latest and greatest. It's just you and your charm and know how. Keep it up.

Hello and happy 2024 year 🎉 You might love the Leica TL2 with the 23 Summicron and its versatility to be able to change lenses ! Cheers

Great review of the X2. I've had an X1 for about five years now and I still love it. When I considered an X2 I read that the X1 has the 'Leica look' to it's shots much more than the X2 because the smaller 12mp sensor suits the elmarit lens much better, so I decided to stick with the X1. The focus on the X1 was much improved with a firmware update but it's not great as a speedy camera except in manual focus/zone focus street-shooting mode. But, saying all of that it's still the camera I prefer to use in most situations, it just feels great.

Ok, saying you bonded with this camera then showing all the almost missed shots from the drag brunch like, really made me understand your feelings about the camera! 😅 Whomst amongst us hasn’t trauma bonded with a camera that didn’t quite keep up at a high energy event 😅

RU-vid didn’t notify me. I should have known. I like my photos but then I eat my own cooking. Another solid review.

Wow I love your VDO and your photos

X1 was impressive offering at the time. Expectation on X2 was high, but it was not really that much of upgrade from X1. (used both)

I'm currently bouncing around using the Leica X Vario and im learning how to use it to its best ability. Few quirks like only showing exposure simulation on manual mode after half pressing the shutter which is a bore and forces me to work in auto. was tempted by the x2 or the x type 113. thanks for sharing!

Terrific video, thank you.

Still own the Leica X1, 10 years after. Its images have a pop and colors that the X2 does not. Put a 36mm optical viewfinder on it and work in manual focus mode and it still does wonders. When I go through my archives of X1, M8, M9 and M10 pictures , I am alwas stunned by the pop of the X1 images.

Sooner or later it’s going to happen. A Lumix GX85 will fall into your hands, you’ll put one of the pancake-style lenses on it, you’ll turn on the L.Monochrome presets, and the choir in the sky will sing.

Your review of this Leica X2 reminds me a lot of my newly squired Canon G1X mkII with clip on electronic viewfinder. The Canon adds a 24-120 equiv. zoom and tilt screen with bunches of buttons and controls. It's drawbacks are it doesn't have the Leica coolness, simplicity or finish. It is a smaller sensor (almost m43). I would love to see your review of this camera too. Thank you for your videos.

Happy 2024 to you too. I have to keep reminding myself, I got the Leica Digilux 3 for Christmas - otherwise, I'd be shopping for an X2... 🤦‍♂

Always been curious about this one! Excited to see what you made with it!

Ive shot both and the X2 is definitely faster that the X1. But.. "unusable" is not exactly accurate imo. Specially not relative to other "retro" digital cameras. And for me both where mostly used for zone focus. If I where to buy one again I would probably buy the X2. Nice video!

I recently watched a video (for the life of me I can’t remember which Channel, I’m getting old and forgetful I guess) that was discussing the high crime rates against photographers in cities like San Francisco, particularly the theft of cameras. The creators mentioned that due to these crimes, they shifted to filming with an iPhone. Shooting on an iPhone made them invisible to thieves, despite the phone being mounted on a tripod and them using mics, etc. etc. Remarkably, their RU-vid audience did not notice the switch from a mirrorless 4/3 camera to an iPhone. I love the no bad cameras philosophy. It’s so true!

Great video, I shoot at 1/30 or 1 over focal length all the time!

My god, the music, the images and the editing at the beginning of the video!! Eerie, mesmerizing and almost dreamy…. Captivating. Again, your artistic sensibilities shine through the technical….

Thanks, that's an excellent review. I bought a used Leica X way back, and just couldn't live with the image quality, I sold it within 2 weeks. As for Leica to make a new X, I think reading the insight over the years on LFI, and knowing their strategy and product map... a new X is not gonna happen, unfortunately. They can make a Q with 35mm, but they don't. It will eat into the M market. The recent news of TL being discontinued pretty much means there is no APS-C market in Leica's plan. Full frame is what people want, and medium format is getting more affordable.

Nice video, thanks.

If you still have it, try holding down “play” button while turning it on. The screen will turn on while to lens is still collapsed. No need to remove lens cap while on playback mode.

I love my X2. I love the lens too. I cannot bear to ever sell mine.

Well, you're raiding my closet again! I have had both cameras (X1 and X2) - sold the X1 because of exactly your situation - I wanted to use my Olympus viewfinder on the camera. (this was over ten years ago when such things weren't quite so costly...) I thought it was a perfect complement to the Leica X-Vario which I also had at the same time. And no, that is NOT a camera worth considering IMO! Ultimately I used the X2 continuously for a year as a street camera, like you said - it is GREAT as long as you don't expect to use the AF - and I found I wasn't really using the viewfinder as well. I finally sold it (along with the X-Vario) since I had gotten the original Ricoh GR digital. But I really missed that camera and ended up getting another X1, which I will never sell. My version is (if possible) even more gorgeous in gunmetal gray, and I don't find the dials to be loose at all. What's more as long as I shoot it like the GR, (zone focus) it shoots as quickly as the GR. There are some images up on the Leica forum for the X1 from a photographer traveling in India that are truly....Leica-esque? I don't shoot it all that often (mostly my GX85...have you reviewed that yet? Isn't it the same as the GX80?) but I will go back to it. THE ONE THING YOU DIDN'T MENTION - maybe they fixed this in the X2, but the X1 is NOTORIOUS for the little plastic clip that holds the battery in place breaking. Pretty much everyone who's owned the camera has had this happen. A word of warning! And as always, love your channel and your vibe!

I've owned the Leica x 113, which had the same sensor, but with a great 35mm equiv. f1.7 lens! Very sharp and beautiful colors! Looks like a little Q. The prices are too high now...😒

Just what I needed 😭. It’s a sign.

Have this camera for a few years now, love the form factor and ease of use except the Auto ISO settings. It kinda frustrating so in the end I just gave up and set my shutter speed manually to 1/250 the slowest (or faster depending on the situation) when I shoot street. The B/W high contrast JPEGs are good straight out of the camera, my settings is always JPEG (B/W) + RAW, leaving the option to edit the photos in color later. Make sure you buy extra battery latches as they broke off from time to time.

Если вы включите камеру, одновременно нажимая кнопку PLAY, то объектив не будет выдвигаться в режиме просмотра снимков.

as a little note : you can use a 35mm OVF in the hotshoe of the X1, as well as a 28mm OVF in the hotshoe of the Coolpix A. Use center focus point, activate the AF beep and you're done. Ofc, no light meter or exposure preview, but I found that was good enough for me. Sad the GR doesn't have any hotshoe otherwise it could do the same thing. That's pretty much the only EVF-less compact camera where you can so such a thing, since they have prime lenses. Any zoom compact will not that's a shame Dammit, I was looking at a Leica X1 not so long ago, told myself that it was too expensive for a compact, and now I want one again ! Ugh !

I had an X-2 (GREAT CAMERA)!!! BUT sold it because I Luv the X-VARIO 28-70mm and everything amazing about the Leica cameras !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

Great music!!!!!

Would love to hear you thoughts on the Sony RX1! Love these old compact reviews! :)

25:17. That was amazing!😮😊😂🎉

Astounding! Looking for an electronic Barnack, found it.

I have thought about getting the X2, then I look at my DP2 Merrill and the OM-D E-M5 and wonder what the X2 would check in similar boxes, and then I look at the original Leica T (with much more expensive Visoflex) and wonder if that beautiful hunk of metal and touch screen (i hear it's amazingly well designed) is even better? All of this happens and I pick up the M240 again and go...oh, yeah, this. :P

I’m waiting for your GRIII review!🤗

I would love to get my hands on either the X1 or X2, but unfortunately prices are quite high at the moment. As an alternative, I do have the Nikon Coolpix A, which is great as a cheaper option, however if you want the official Nikon OVF prices are high for that one. Large Sensor Compact Cameras are so much fun.

Another very likeable review (watched even if I have zero interest in that particular camera), and the blond look is killer! :)

Good afternoon! Thank you for what you do! I really like your videos. Can you please tell me if you could upload a couple of raw and jpg frames from your camera? I own a Ricoh GR 3 and I would like to swap it for a Leica X2 as a camera for everyone that would always be with me. What would you say if I compare them to each other. How much better is the dynamic range of the Leica X2 compared to the Ricoh GR2? And which camera has the best JPG from the camera without processing? Thank you in advance!

Metering is such the Achilles heel of the digital Ms that it’s nice they got it right in the X2. But also funny that its highlight retention is as bad as the contemporary M type 240. Great real world review. I would see rocking one of these. I’m usually stopped down to f4 on a 35mm on my M anyways.

I have a external OVF on my CoolPix A. I like having the viewfinder but it adds bulk. Wish there was a camera this size with either a OVF or EVF built in.

Hmm... I liked most of the sample photos. Most of what you said about this camera was why I got rid of my original X100. Beautiful photos when it wasn't spending its time ignoring the subject. I'd be interested to see the output from the X2 compared with a PanaLeica lens such as the 15mm on a micro four thirds camera.

For the rest of us which can't afford to buy a camera a day, we get used Panasonic which performs like a Leika but costs 10x less.

That Olympus VF2 is more expensive than some of the cameras it was designed for... The camera market is wild.

Perhaps of interest to some, the X1 / X2 can be used very successfully for macro work using a Kiwi extension tube and a Leica Elpro 52mm close up filter (for best results), have used other close up filters with this combination too…. an excellent review of an underrated camera, still occasionally use an X2, agree the results can be a bit ‘hit and miss’, pet hate, Leica never remedied the faulty battery clip.

If you like this you should try the the X typ 113. It's a bit fatter, but lens is a bit faster, and you manual focus with the lens. Just a thought!

I like using the Leica D-lux 6. That camera takes a EVF attachment. That it’s the best accessory ever. I wish that mirrorless cameras would take an EVF. It’s like shooting with an old video camera.

A battery that lasts literally forever! Wow!

Would you recommend the Kodak Easyshare cx7300 for a good camera for my daughter that gives the vintage look photos? Love your videos

Totally agree with you! I have the X-E (same as the X-2 with minor cosmetic changes) and I agree with you that the photos out of the camera in Jpeg are flat and boring. The DNG files on the other hand is another story, then you can really see the Leica character and colours. I also have a Leica X-Vario, which has a fantastic lens, (you also should get one haha) but there's something about the X-E that I really love. =)

I have the X2. I don’t think the AF is bad. I tend to focus with the shutter half pressing down and recompose for the composition. Of course, if you are taking pictures of your kids running around, then it is not the camera.

I sold this camera two months ago. It was a disappointment. Slow and inaccurate focus, generally slow in usage, so-and-so image quality, sometimes good, sometimes not remarkable, prone to sensor dust because of the collapsible lens (very visible at stepped down aperture) and that viewfinder without proximity detection, always needing to click the activation button, very annoying. I tried to use it and love it for street photography (but not using zone focusing) but it was tedious. I'm not sure for what photography style I would recommend this camera but I feel this is an obsolete camera by now.

Thank you for this video. Disappointing but not surprising this little beast is still expensive. For me that is the major hurdle to entering the Leica ecosystem. The closest I’m going to get to a Leica is a Panasonic Leica lens. Request: a review of the Panasonic GX8, 85, or 9. The GX8 is a very interesting camera from ~2015. Weather sealed. 2.5mm audio in jack. IBIS. Tilty screen. Nice video. The gimmicky tilt EVF. The GX85/9 are updates for the GX7 which I’ve never used. All these bodies are small and lightweight. Picked up a GX8 from the local camera store for $400. P.S. Your husband catches Covid. You abandoned him and take your daughters to the desert? Noticed you didn’t abandon your X2. What does that say? LOL. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

Hello, do you still have the X2? Can you share your camera settings and how you edit them? Just got the X1. Lovin it!

Hi there, fantastic video as always. Did your x2 have loud focusing sounds? And your copy looks brand new, how much was it bought for ?

Its expensive! A Praktica Luxmedia is a small pocketable compact digital camera. An old East German brand, they’re cheap and the Praktcar lens rivals Leica in quality!

Thanks for the video. I recently into vintage Leica digital. Are you still keeping this camera? I am so used to touch screen focusing and will that cause some trouble when using it?

If you like this then you'll love the CL!

@One Month Two Cameras .... Mattias Burling has shot and reviewed both cameras, and he found that he didn't have to resort to using his spare battery as far as I can remember. I can't exactly think of it as cheap because the video by Mattias was followed by an increase in price.

24:36 Alas, this type of camera is not coming back at Leica. The Leica CL WAS that camera and Leica abandoned that camera/system in favor of doubling down on luxury full frame.

It's as if you reverse aged 20 years. Damn

So how's the dust on that sensor you can't clean ?

Loved the review! You're right, a modern version of this bad boy would SELL. Unrelated, does anyone know if an Olympus Pen-F is a silly purchase? I know it's very similar to cheaper models but the look and feel and that EVF are swaying me....

Leica. Ok. It should be spelled with a $. I have had a couple LUMIX cameras with “ Leica” lenses. I was impressed Point and Shoot cameras, limited, yes. Tiny sensor. Old, yes. Cheaper and sufficient. Better than a “cheap” Leica? Olympus zxv2 or a Pentax MX 1. Nikon has a camera too that uses the same zoom lens focal length? Better yet, an Olympus EP 5 with interchangeable lenses. That would probably cost less. There is the old Nikon 1 series cameras. Issues aside, very capable in most circumstances. Canon? Hmm. There are all those G series cameras. Many of those are quite good! Not arguing your judgement. All valid points. I enjoy your photography criticism. Keep up the good work!

Thought about it back in September but researching reviews and real world photos it really wasn't any better than the x100t. IQ was just a hair different but not a blowout by any means.

It's replacement is called the Q3

The x1 has a lovely image quality, stunning lens and solid build quality. However the AF is painfully slow and ultimately made me move mine on.

You review a camera. You give a thumbs up. That camera price jump's up. Grrrrrr. Lol... Don't think you know sellers are wato.

I've got a VF-4 .. would it also work on this Leica?

Sony A6000 series of Cameras have the same size WITH a built-in EVF !

I tried. I really tried. I had one of these about 18 months ago. A Leica. Finally a Leica. I had wanted something Leica for...well a long time. I drove 2 hours to the guys house. Looked it over, turned it in my hands (may have even sniffed it) and paid the stupid amount we had agreed on. Got it home. Showed my wife...."Oh. Another camera. Are you finally happy?". I replied with the biggest grin "Honey...it's a Leica". She looked at me with that "he'll sell this in another 2 weeks look, then said, oh....a Leica". So about 2.5 weeks later it was on Facebook again. The internal time keeping battery had died. Common apparently with these X2's. I got onto Leica Australia and the cost to replace it was well Leica priced. So I got rid of it. I haven't had a Leica since 🙂

6:06 That's what she said!

How about a review of the old Canon 10d?

The best point and shoot Leica is the Lumix LX-5.

The film sequences are recorded with an iPhone? How did you edit it?😊

I think it’s hilarious that she talks about colors and shooting jpegs with this camera but it has raw so you can do anything you want in post…

these leica x is a confusing camera bcos in similar price theres T variant that have interchangeable lens (i really want the leica T)

Other than the typical Leica aesthetics, there is nothing from this camera that jumps out to me. Might as well just grab one of the older generation Fuji X100s for the smaller form factor.

Had the x1 . The battery would last up to 40 pictures.

Leika what are you doing? I agree 100%. Why not make a modern model of such a camera?

The OG X100 is a better option from that 2012 era. Bar none.

Always hold your camera with two hands, not too tightly, to minimize handshake (which I could actually see).