Hi John,I keep looking for the outstanding IQ I would expect from this camera but have yet to see it. The colors appear to be over saturated in most of the images I have seen posted with fine detail smeared away and a lack of sharp/crisp focus. They do not appear to match the X1 or X2 so far. I'm looking on a calibrated iMac 27' so I don't think it is my monitor. Green grass and reds seem to be the most over saturated colors and it gives images that P&S look. I would like to see side by side comparison shots of the same subject taken with an X100s or XE-1 in good light and in low light. Perhaps one of you can provide some RAW files for download and comparison.
in my experience there are 2 factors with most digital Leicas:
1) I believe the lenses are very good in regards to colors and "punch".
2) Leica tweaks profiles/basic settings toward a "punchy" saturated image. (By the way I believe those glossy IMac displays are optimized in the same way)
So what you find oversaturated could be a combination of those 2 factors lens and profile.
However I dont find the images from the vario to have a P&S look, because they have much finer grain, and while colors are strong/saturated they do match very good what I remember to have seen in reality (I know subjective). Also tonal transition with the vario look much finer to me compared to P&S. P&S often have a more "digital" look. Specially in regards to skin color, where I find the vario pretty good.
You can e-mail me and I can send you some raws if you like the next days.
Still images and color from Fuji have a different color look than those from Leica, so I guess it is also a matter of taste what one likes.