If you are looking for Leica X2 street photography, here’s a review with image samples of how this small Leica performs in the streets.
Leica X2 street Photography review
First of all it is light, and that’s great in order to have long shooting sessions and not have your hands hurt. But really the magic here is the lens. At 35mm (technically 36mm) this is made for street shooting and travel photography!
The Elmarit lens
It’s sitting comfortably between wide angle and telephoto, and at f2.8 it is also pretty good for low light photography.
While one of the biggest criticism against the Leica in the Leica X2 reviews is that it is on the slow side when it comes to autofocus, all of this is thrown out of the window when you shoot it manual. Push the up button and you have the back dial to find your focus and simply enjoy shooting, no focusing required. Manual focus ease if one of the biggest reasons for Leica X2 street photography.
Finding your shot
While the LCD screen is fine, you can also use the viewfinder (Optical viewfinder or electronic) in order to frame your images. For optical viewfinders you can get the Leica made ones, or any 35mm optical viewfinder made from other manufacturers for the M line.
Processing the images
While you can make some great street or environmental portraits with the lens wide open at f2.8, black and whites is the strength of Leica X2 street photography. Yes it does beautiful color images but in post production, the dynamic range offered by this camera produces some really contrasty images.
So if you like contrasty black and white images, the dynamic range is a strong point for Leica X2 street photography. The only thing is, don’t judge your images too hard on the screen as the low resolution really do not do the images justice.
Battery life
There’s also the battery life that can do about 450 shots so it’s perfect for all day shooting and not worried about your camera running out of juice.
Low light
If you are thinking of shooting at night, the low light capabilities are great up to ISO 3200. Over this the camera noise is really bad in my opinion. But even if the low light capabilities are not that great, you can always apply noise reduction afterwards in Lightroom.
Accessories
When it comes to accessories, you might want to get a wrist strap and the Leica grip, it really helps with the handling of the camera. If you are looking for a direct alternative, the Fujifilm X10 is the closest one.
Leica X2 street photography settings
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Aperture | f8 |
| Shutter Speed | Auto / No less then 125 |
| ISO | Auto / Not above 3200 |
| Focus | Manual |
If you want to shoot, simply turn on your camera, put it on manual focus.
Focus at about 3 meter and put your aperture at f8. Put your ISO on auto and start shooting! Everything within about 1.5 meter will be in reasonable focus.
Here’s more street photography with the Leica X2:
Conclusion
Due to the fact that you won’t really use the autofocus and how light and twisty the Leica X2 is, it is a wonderful street photography camera. It’s fine for night street photography too, and with a full battery you can get a full day’s worth of awesome images, It is highly recommended. Click here to check for best price.