Leica unveils the X1, 'affordable' compact with a large sensor

With Leica, we're used to luxury cameras, out of the reach of mere mortals.  It's surprising, then, to see Oskar Barnack's famous brand releasing an affordable camera, on sale in Europe for a mere 1500 euros, with UK pricing to follow in December.  The Leica X1 will join the Sigma DP1 and SP2 as one of only a few compact cameras with a large sensor.  

At first sight, it's very obvious that this new X1 is a Leica.  The general styling is reminiscent of the brand's rangefinder cameras, like those in its M-series: flat and stylish.  It's a shame that the red logo is back though, as the M8.2 had a more discreet black version.

The Leica X1 is clearly aimed at expert photographers, with old-fashioned controls, a large CMOS sensor like on an SLR--16 x 24 mm for 12 Megapixels--and a lens with a fixed focal length, equivalent to a 36 mm in 24 x 36 with an aperture of f/2.8.  We could gripe about this choice of a hybrid lens, which is hardly wide-angle, but it's the direct descendent of Leica's earliest rangefinders, which had a standard 35 mm lens.


At least the competition is limited: only the Sigma DP1 (28 mm wide-angle) and DP2 (41 mm) have such large sensors on a compact camera.  The Ricoh GR Digital III, which we're testing at the moment (28 mm wide-angle, f/1.9)  is a smaller alternative with a fixed lens, but has a smaller sensor.

In some ways, the X1 could also compete with cameras that use the micro four-thirds standard, like the Olympus E-P1 and the Panasonic GF1.  However, the concept offered by each is quite different.  The lens on the X1 is fixed, but the camera itself is noticeably smaller: it's not just a centimetre shorter, but has the same thickness with its lens included as the others do without lens attached.  Nevertheless, Leica has managed to include a flash in a smaller camera with a larger sensor, unlike Olympus.  The GF1, on the other hand, has many more powerful automatic features, while the X1 seems cut out for use in manual modes.

As for the bad news, the 2.7'' screen has a resolution of just 230 000 pixels, which is rather stingy for such an expensive camera.  The minimal focal distance is 30 mm (in macro mode!) and a battery life of just 260 photos.  It does come with a copy of Adobe Lightroom, though, an excellent piece of software for working with photos in Windows and Mac OS X.