The early 2010s were the golden age of compact cameras. Many of us stopped calling them point and shoots and instead called them things like serious compacts, fixed lens cameras, or compact cameras. This era gave us the Fujifilm X100 series, the Ricoh GR series, the Panasonix LX100, Canon G1x and many others. During this time, Leica tended to clone Panasonic cameras. But for a while, they also broke off and did their own thing. These cameras were called the X series — and to this day, I still admire how gorgeous they were and how I wanted to bring them everywhere with me.
The Leica X Series
Unlike the Panasonic LX100 and various other Panasonic compact cameas, the Leica X series of cameras touted a full APS-C sensor. These cameras were around before a time when smartphones became so good that the Japanese manufacturers gave up on the compact camera market. However, Leica showed that they didn’t want to get out of it, and that they wanted to support photographers who wanted compacts. So they set out to make some of the most memorable ones of the era.
In 2011, the Phoblographer completed our Leica X1 review. This admirable camera boasted nice image quality, a quiet shutter, and large physical dials that we loved. But it was slow to focus and had a slow lens too. That never stopped us from making great photos with it though.
In 2012, the Leica X2 launched and we completed our review. This is where things really started to show promise. It got an optional EVF borrowed from the same tech Olympus used. It also boasted a new pop-up flash, more megapixels, and a wider ISO range. It was modelled to look a bit like the older M2 and M3. Though one could also say that it was like the Minilux film cameras too. I vividly remember enjoying the hell out of this camera and how it seamlessly blended into hangout time with friends.
In 2013, they came out with the X Vario, which had a zoom lens. Lots of journalists liked this camera; but it’s also basically the size of the current Q cameras. It goes without saying that this one wasn’t talked about all that much.
Finally in 2014, the Leica XE was launched. This was the pinnacle of the series and wore the hell out of the silver and brown get up it showed up in to capture our hearts. With this camera, Leica really started to not hold back. In fact, this was the first camera I felt I could truly trust to shoot at above ISO 6400. Additionally, Leica added in a beautiful LCD screen, nice dials, incredible RAW file versatility, improved autofocus, better battery life, and a few beautiful special editions. It was pretty pricey for the time too; though today, that would be a price tag that photographers would immediately spend.
Trust me when I say that even looking back to my review of this camera makes me want to purchase one right now. But in the end, this series didn’t make it because there were other APS-C compact cameras on the market. With so many options out there, fewer people bought the Leica. And eventually, the entire product category collapsed — though even today, I highly value using an APS-C compact camera. For working journalists, compact cameras are incredibly important. Sometimes our loadout doesn’t have the room or space to carry a whole lot of gear and we don’t need an interchangeable lens camera. Instead, we need solid optical zoom and an image quality that shines through. Trust me, there are several compact cameras that can do this today.
Evolution into the Q Series
Eventually, the Leica X series was replaced by the Leica Q series. When the Leica Q launched in 2015, I remember talking about it openly with Steve Huff at a Sony press event. We discussed how fast the autofocus was, to which Sony stated that it wasn’t faster than theirs. But Steve and I both agreed, this camera was going to change things; and it indeed was faster. From there, the Leica Q2 came and then the Leica Q3. I’ve seen the Q3 out in the wild and in the hands of photographers who don’t call themselves content creators. It’s instead used by documentary photographers, long-time legends like Jamel Shabazz, and wedding photographers. It’s meant to capture photographs in a compact body and for you to bring with you everywhere.
The Golden Age of Compact Cameras
Talking about these cameras gets me very excited. I really wish that good compact cameras made a return with APS-C sensors or full frame ones. The Fujifilm X100vi feels like a toy that was given an update that the company phoned in. Ricoh has yet to add weather resistance to their cameras. And I’ve spoken with Sony engineers about the RX1R replacement — and it seems like it’s actively being considered.
Look, content creation doesn’t aim to be in museums and end up in history books. It aims to get in and get out quickly. But your love of photography shouldn’t be the same thing. I hope these compact cameras eventually start to realize that there was a market for them that loved them for who they were.