Large-sensor compact

Leica X Vario

The Leica X Vario is a large-sensor compact with a APS-C sensor measuring 23.6 × 15.8 mm and 16 megapixels. Its crop factor is 1.52×, so a 50 mm lens frames like 76 mm on full frame. Every number below is calculated for this exact sensor.

APS-C1.52× crop16 MP
1.52×
Crop factor
23.6×15.8 mm
Sensor size
373 mm²
Area · 43% of full frame
16 MP
Resolution
4.79 µm
Pixel pitch
f/7.1
Diffraction-limited aperture

Specifications#

Brand
Leica
Model
X Vario
Sensor size
23.6 × 15.8 mm (APS-C)
Crop factor
1.52×
Resolution
16 MP (4,928 × 3,272 px)
Fastest shutter
1/2,000 s
Continuous shooting
5 fps
Weight
680 g (24.0 oz)
Sensor type
CMOS
AF points / area
11 focus points
Dimensions
133 x 73 x 95mm (5.24 x 2.87 x 3.74 inches)
Lens
28-70mm equivalent
Drive
5 frames per second

Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.

Sensor size compared#

Medium format 44 × 33 mmFull frame (35 mm)Leica X VarioFour Thirds / Micro Four Thirds1" (one-inch) sensor
The Leica X Vario sensor (highlighted) drawn to scale against common formats. Its area is 43% of a full-frame sensor, which collects about 1.2 stops less total light at the same exposure.

Focal length equivalents & field of view#

Multiply any focal length by 1.52 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.

Lens on this cameraFull-frame equivalentHorizontalVerticalDiagonal
8 mm12 mm111.7°89.3°121.2°
10 mm15 mm99.4°76.6°109.7°
12 mm18 mm89.0°66.7°99.6°
14 mm21 mm80.3°58.9°90.8°
16 mm24 mm72.8°52.6°83.2°
18 mm27 mm66.5°47.4°76.5°
20 mm30 mm61.1°43.1°70.8°
24 mm37 mm52.4°36.4°61.2°
28 mm43 mm45.7°31.5°53.8°
35 mm53 mm37.3°25.4°44.2°
40 mm61 mm32.9°22.3°39.1°
50 mm76 mm26.6°18.0°31.7°
56 mm85 mm23.8°16.1°28.5°
70 mm107 mm19.1°12.9°22.9°
85 mm129 mm15.8°10.6°19.0°
100 mm152 mm13.5°9.0°16.2°
135 mm206 mm10.0°6.7°12.0°
200 mm305 mm6.8°4.5°8.1°
300 mm457 mm4.5°3.0°5.4°
400 mm609 mm3.4°2.3°4.1°
600 mm914 mm2.3°1.5°2.7°
800 mm1219 mm1.7°1.1°2.0°

Depth of field table#

Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 19.7 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor). Detailed tables: 24 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/2.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/2.8.

FocalAperture50.0 cm1.00 m2.00 m3.00 m5.00 m10.0 mHyperfocal
14 mmf/1.88.9 cm36.8 cm1.65 m4.57 m48.2 m∞5.54 m
14 mmf/2.813.9 cm60.1 cm3.25 m17.1 m∞∞3.57 m
14 mmf/420.3 cm94.0 cm8.80 m∞∞∞2.50 m
14 mmf/846.1 cm4.26 m∞∞∞∞1.26 m
28 mmf/1.82.1 cm8.8 cm35.9 cm82.1 cm2.37 m11.3 m22.1 m
28 mmf/2.83.3 cm13.7 cm56.6 cm1.31 m3.98 m27.6 m14.2 m
28 mmf/44.8 cm19.7 cm82.5 cm1.97 m6.66 m∞9.98 m
28 mmf/89.6 cm40.6 cm1.88 m5.57 m5.5 km∞5.00 m
48 mmf/1.80.7 cm2.9 cm12.0 cm27.3 cm76.6 cm3.14 m65.0 m
48 mmf/2.81.1 cm4.6 cm18.7 cm42.6 cm1.20 m5.05 m41.8 m
48 mmf/41.5 cm6.5 cm26.8 cm61.2 cm1.74 m7.70 m29.3 m
48 mmf/83.1 cm13.1 cm54.4 cm1.26 m3.82 m25.3 m14.7 m
78 mmf/1.80.2 cm1.1 cm4.5 cm10.2 cm28.7 cm1.16 m172 m
78 mmf/2.80.4 cm1.7 cm7.0 cm15.9 cm44.7 cm1.81 m110 m
78 mmf/40.5 cm2.4 cm10.0 cm22.7 cm64.0 cm2.61 m77.3 m
78 mmf/81.1 cm4.8 cm20.0 cm45.7 cm1.30 m5.50 m38.7 m

Equivalent aperture#

Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.

Aperture on this cameraFull-frame equivalent (depth of field)Hyperfocal at 28 mm
f/1.2f/1.833.2 m
f/1.4f/2.128.5 m
f/1.8f/2.722.1 m
f/2f/3.019.9 m
f/2.8f/4.314.2 m
f/4f/6.19.98 m
f/5.6f/8.57.14 m
f/8f/12.25.00 m

Diffraction & pixel pitch#

With 4.79 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/7.1. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/3.9 and f/7; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.

ApertureAiry disk diameterSpread overAt 100% view
f/2.83.8 µm0.8 pxsharp
f/45.4 µm1.1 pxsharp
f/5.67.5 µm1.6 pxsharp
f/810.7 µm2.2 pxslight softening
f/1114.8 µm3.1 pxvisibly soft
f/1621.5 µm4.5 pxvisibly soft
f/2229.5 µm6.2 pxvisibly soft

Maximum print sizes#

At 16 MP the Leica X Vario produces 4,928 × 3,272 pixel images. See the 16 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.

ResolutionTypical useInchesCentimetres
300 DPIPhoto-lab quality16.4 × 10.9 in42 × 28 cm
240 DPIFine-art inkjet20.5 × 13.6 in52 × 35 cm
200 DPIWall print24.6 × 16.4 in63 × 42 cm
150 DPIPoster, viewed from 1 m+32.9 × 21.8 in83 × 55 cm

Night-sky exposure limits#

Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.

Focal length500 ruleNPF f/1.8NPF f/2.8NPF f/4
9 mm (14 mm eq.)36.5 s23.0 s26.9 s31.5 s
13 mm (20 mm eq.)25.2 s15.9 s18.6 s21.8 s
16 mm (24 mm eq.)20.5 s12.9 s15.1 s17.7 s
23 mm (35 mm eq.)14.3 s9.0 s10.5 s12.3 s
33 mm (50 mm eq.)9.9 s6.3 s7.3 s8.6 s

Open the NPF / 500 rule calculator →

Handheld shutter speed guide#

The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.

Focal lengthNo stabilisation (1/equiv. focal)With 3-stop ISWith 5-stop IBIS
16 mm1/25 s0.3 s1.3 s
33 mm1/50 s1/6 s0.6 s
66 mm1/100 s1/13 s0.3 s
131 mm1/200 s1/25 s1/6 s

Lens#

The Leica X Vario has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 1.52.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the crop factor of the Leica X Vario?

The Leica X Vario has a crop factor of 1.52× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 28.4 mm vs 43.3 mm).

What size is the Leica X Vario sensor?

23.6 × 15.8 mm (APS-C), an area of 373 mm² — 43% of full frame.

Is the Leica X Vario full frame?

No — its sensor is APS-C, which is 2.3× smaller in area than full frame.

How many megapixels does the Leica X Vario have?

16 megapixels (4,928 × 3,272 pixels), enough for a 16 × 11 inch print at 300 DPI.

How long can I expose the night sky with the Leica X Vario?

With a 13 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 19 s.

Sources & licences#

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources

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