New Gear: Leica X1

If you're in the market for a very expensive digital camera, but aren't quite swanky enough for Leica's $8,000 M9, you can step down to the $2,200 X1. The sensor inside is a 12.2 megapixel, APS-C CMOS sensor, which has more in common with those found in DSLRs than those typically found in compacts. The lens is a fixed 24mm (35mm equivalent) F2.8 ELMARIT that isn't interchangeable. The rest of the important details and images are after the break.

--11 point AF metering

--Shutter speeds: 30 seconds to 1/2000 of a second
--JPEG and DNG recording
--4272 x 2856 maximum resolution
--3 FPS up to 6 images maximum shooting speed
--Optional optical viewfinder attaches to hot shoe ($350)
--HDMI out despite the total lack of video capability
--Battery life of approximately 260 images
--2.7-inch LCD (with a somewhat disappointing 230k pixels)
--ISO from 100 to 3200
--Included license for Adobe Lightroom