NEW: Leica Q - Full Frame Compact with Leica M Feeling

[Jed Orme]

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You may end doing like me : bring in all the other gear you have, lenses flashes and all, knee in front of the salesguy and ask how much this second-hand would be worth for him in the deal...

That makes two of us!  But I did it over the phone so he couldn't see me in my kneeling position.  Also there are no Q's in stock at my Leica dealer right now so I am in agony while waiting for his phone call for me to bring my other gear in to make the trade when he has a Q for me.  Pretty soon I will have Jono Slack's "Hemingway" review committed to memory. 

[Jed Orme]

An email from Ken Hansen that arrived yesterday morning told me that he just got a shipment in from Leica (his first since the end of March); & that it contained only a couple of Q's, but that I could have one based on some prearranged terms he had offered to accept my M240 in trade.  That literally was all that it took to cause me to say yes, please dear sir!  And very shortly thereafter he had shipped it & was giving me the tracking confirmation that it would arrive where I live on Saturday.  And right now I am busy cramming my already overflowing brain with more "how to use a Q" info, so that a moment will not be wasted after it arrives before it can be put to use.  But I'm informed that the battery is without any charge ( including the spare I ordered from him), & it will require at least 3 hours to do this.  That will give me time for any last minute reference checking & organizing a first photos plan of attack.  But I have to admit that everything I have read about the Q makes it seem even easier to set up & use than the M, so I hopefully won't experience a very steep learning curve.  So now it is just a simple matter of patience, only a little more than 24 hours to wait - hah, easy to say but not so easy to put into practice!  More to follow.

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[microview]

I don't remember it taking as long as 3hrs to charge. With the charger, you don't get two LEDs, green flashing, as with the Ms. I think the green is constant when charging and goes out when cycle completed.

[mengyy]

Leica has introduced the Leica Q a full-frame compact camera with Summilux 28mm lens.

 

We have all information and product images in our blog and a first review of the Leica Q.

 

The specs at a glance:

• Full format 24 MP CMOS Sensor
• 28mm f1.7 Summilux lens
• Digital zoom option for 35 or 50 mm
• 3.68 MP EVF with digital frame selector
• Contrast autofocus
• Manual focussing with magnifier or focus peaking
• 1/16,000 electronic shutter
• max. ISO 50,000
• Continuous shooting with up to 10 fps
• Wifi / NFC

Question to you:

 

Is the Leica Q interesting for you?

 

Please vote above and comment below!

 

leica-q-forum.jpg

 

LUF

 

The votes state the obvious, whether current owners or fence sitters are looking for interchangeable lens camera equivalent of Q!  Even though I have the Q now, I would be glad to invest one into a changeable but not the size of SL! Size is a major form factor of mirrorless camera.  If Leica had launch a Q interchangeable instead of SL, they had probably and easily sold quadruple of them! I believe many of the Q's owners are first time buyer of Leica camera and Leica needs to seize this new found market.  Anyway, only my 2 cent!  

 

 Hope Leica learnt from the success of the Q!  Cheerio

[mengyy]

An email from Ken Hansen that arrived yesterday morning told me that he just got a shipment in from Leica (his first since the end of March); & that it contained only a couple of Q's, but that I could have one based on some prearranged terms he had offered to accept my M240 in trade.  That literally was all that it took to cause me to say yes, please dear sir!  And very shortly thereafter he had shipped it & was giving me the tracking confirmation that it would arrive where I live on Saturday.  And right now I am busy cramming my already overflowing brain with more "how to use a Q" info, so that a moment will not be wasted after it arrives before it can be put to use.  But I'm informed that the battery is without any charge ( including the spare I ordered from him), & it will require at least 3 hours to do this.  That will give me time for any last minute reference checking & organizing a first photos plan of attack.  But I have to admit that everything I have read about the Q makes it seem even easier to set up & use than the M, so I hopefully won't experience a very steep learning curve.  So now it is just a simple matter of patience, only a little more than 24 hours to wait - hah, easy to say but not so easy to put into practice!  More to follow.

Jed

 

My personal experience with Q is it's simplicity of usage but you had to live with the 28mm focal length and you will get used to it in no time.  With the next firmware update, you will definitely have a very stellar camera in Q.  Happy shooting! 

[Jed Orme]

Jed

 

My personal experience with Q is it's simplicity of usage but you had to live with the 28mm focal length and you will get used to it in no time.  With the next firmware update, you will definitely have a very stellar camera in Q.  Happy shooting! 

Now that I have had the Q for almost a month I am learning more about it every time I put it in use.  But more importantly I am also enjoying it more & more each time as well.  The fixed 28mm lens is a bit of a challenge, forcing me to move around much more to get the right perspective, & making me work harder to see the image in my mind before looking into the EVF.  But it feels perfect in hand & is a joy to carry around all day without tiring at all.  So I could not be happier with it & do indeed look to see with interest what improvements might follow with the next firmware update; if they turn out to be anything like those for the SL, it would indeed make for a very stellar camera!  Thanks for your good wishes as well.

[Coppereye]

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They say it has a digital "zoom" to 35mm or 50mm, but I don't think this is as good as an optical zoom. 

 

I know this is from a few months ago but if you read the manual you will see it refers to "Picture Trimming" The menu refers to digital zoom but it basically crops to 35mm or 50mm.  The cropping also occurs on the jpeg only if you shoot raw you still get the 28mm file.  

 

After a lifetime of using Canons and their L series zooms  - and envying the Leica Glass (and coolness of course) I switched to the M240 last December.  I've built up a small range of lenses Summicron 50mm (not the APO) and the awesome 90mm and will probably add the new 35mm Summicron 

 

I shoot Weddings, Portraits etc and the M suits my style and I find that people feel less intimidated with a Leica and a 50mm Summicron than a 5D will 70-200mm f2.8

 

What I have always struggled with is that take everywhere camera.  The one that sits in your bag that you can pick up and shoot at a moments notice.  I didn't want a small compact with a small zoom, or anything with a setting dial on the top (I'm not being pompous - I use A or M so the rest are wasted) 

The Fuji's looked like a possibility and so did the Olympus.  At this years Photography Show I went to  the Leica stand and played with the Q (after the Fuji X100 something and the Olympus D something) It is (for me) heaven the size is perfect for my hands (the fuji was too small) the easy option to switch from Autofocus to Manual is so easy 

 

I really really love this camera - I have bought a new go everywhere bag to go with it (Peak Design) - The 28mm takes some getting used to but it opens up new images - lets face it learning something or looking at a things through a different perspective is good for all of us !!

[Hektor6644]

 

Hi:

 

I'm back in this forum.  I left after I sold my X-1. However, I'm going to get the Leica Q, maybe. It comes with a true Leica Fixed Lens, which is a good thing.  Not being able to change the lens, it will prevent me from chasing after other Leica lenses   . I will wait until  after Photokina, this September.  These are changing times and too many rumors.

 

Best regards,

 

Hektor

[Hektor6644]

 

I got tracking number.  Yes, I did order the Q from Herrington Catalog, which was highly recommended by a very trusted member in Nikonians.  It is arriving tomorrow or Wednesday - overnight shipping. I also got the 49mm B+W UV filter from Amazon and the Q leather case from B&H. All arriving tomorrow. I'm really excited about this purchase.

 

My father had a full-fledged dark room.  He had Zeiss cameras.  His best friend and a neighbor of ours had nothing but Leica cameras. His wife would not even hear about a dark room in his house.  Therefore, he used to come, at all times - had a key to the house - to use my father's dark room.  For that my father used borrow his fiend's Leica cameras and shoot with them.  Therefore, ever since I was 8-9, my dream camera was a Leica. I just could not afford a Leica and 3-4 lenses. They came to at least $25,000.

 

Hektor

[SonomaBear]

The Leica Q has rekindled my photographic spirit, an important moment to be sure.  

Having learned in the early 50s for my grandfather, we shot TLRs with no meters...

All my Canon gear lay fallow while I borrowed a Q.  

Now I want to (1) buy the Q; (2) buy a full-frame camera to use all my Canon glass.   If I win the lottery, maybe an SL with adapter...

 

But Good Lord Almighty Above, I adore the Q!

Edited July 21, 2016 by SonomaBear

[soizic]

Solitude

 

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[Leica Guy]

The Leica Q has rekindled my photographic spirit, an important moment to be sure.

Having learned in the early 50s for my grandfather, we shot TLRs with no meters...

All my Canon gear lay fallow while I borrowed a Q.

Now I want to (1) buy the Q; (2) buy a full-frame camera to use all my Canon glass. If I win the lottery, maybe an SL with adapter...

 

But Good Lord Almighty Above, I adore the Q!

Like you, the Q has brought pure fun back into my photography. You'll learn that it's a very capable camera and in my case far better than my skills as a photographer. What I most enjoy is every time I pick it up it feels great in my hands. The ergonomics are superb. Enjoy the journey. I bought an Arte de Mano half case and strap. Truly a work of art and a real nice addition to protect the Q. There's lots of discussion about cases and straps on other threads.

[likealot]

I do not understand the shortage issues with the Leica Q at all. I can understand delays in the first half of the year because of unexpected demand however this has been going on since the Q was releassed. Which leads me to think that either Leica are utterly rubbish at adjusting to customer demand or they are intentionally not addressing the shortage issue as a marketing ploy to create a hype and keep customer demand high.

[LarryLeica]

Are you in the US? I believe I'm looking at a two week wait but I could be wrong.

[Belle123]

Just remember or know that Leica is a small company. Not into mass production like Sony or Canon. More will come. Be patient and you will be rewarded. Is worth the wait. Mine took a few weeks.

[likealot]

Larry I am in UK and everywhere I check says that the Q is out of stock or on backorder.

 

bblady, I understand they are a small company and I truly am delighted to see their continued success however the way they're handling the demand for the Q is rather concerning. Considering the fast pace of progress that competitors such as Fuji and Sony are making I do wonder how long it will be before Leica's reputation ceases to keep them afloat. On one hand it is concerning if they're unable to address production capacity issues and on the other hand it is concerning if they're purposefully not addressing such issues in order to keep demand and prices high. I'm sorry to sound negative but it's been a year since the launch of Q and we are still at the point we were at the start.

[LarryLeica]

Have you put your name on a list? I've always had to be patient when buying Leica's products, and I have owned the M8 and M9.

 

The good side of the relative scarcity is that resale prices for Leica's cameras and lenses tend to be high.

 

I'm willing to wait. I tried a bunch of digital cameras at B&H over the weekend, not the Q, and they all seemed overly complicated to me. I didn't like any of them. I'm hoping the Q is simple yet powerful enough to keep me happy for years.

Edited September 14, 2016 by LarryLeica

[DrQ]

Hi:

 

I'm back in this forum.  I left after I sold my X-1. However, I'm going to get the Leica Q, maybe. It comes with a true Leica Fixed Lens, which is a good thing.  Not being able to change the lens, it will prevent me from chasing after other Leica lenses   . I will wait until  after Photokina, this September.  These are changing times and too many rumors.

 

Best regards,

 

Hektor

Nothing hints at a successor of the Q?

[jaapv]

I do not understand the shortage issues with the Leica Q at all. I can understand delays in the first half of the year because of unexpected demand however this has been going on since the Q was releassed. Which leads me to think that either Leica are utterly rubbish at adjusting to customer demand or they are intentionally not addressing the shortage issue as a marketing ploy to create a hype and keep customer demand high.

"t Aint that simple. Despite being a modern camera the Q is still mainly hand-assembled. Training technicians takes time, and when demand slackens one cannot simply sack them - certainly not in Germany. So there is no robot assembly line with a rheostat one can turn up.

The result: a constant production level with occasionally waiting customers.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[microview]

Limited edition Q with carbon body just introduced for Japan's customers, says Leica Rumours.