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Leica Q - Another perspective


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Sorry, but after the week of shooting with the Q my verdict is simple ( dont want to offend anybody).

Q is "wanna be M" for less money. And the 28 1.7 would never substitute the 28 2.0 and for sure 28 1.4 

What an unneccessary comment!  Leica users know exactly where the Q fits into their kit.  My Porsche Boxster isn't a 911 (which I owned previously), but it has served its purpose for 10 years.  I'll be taking my Q (with autofocus available when required), on my next international trip and I'll leave the rangefinder at home.  Horses for courses, - as we say!  

Edited by lucerne
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I had sold off my M240 and moved to the Fuji xpro1, 100T and xt1 due to problems with focusing the M. Turns out I gave glaucoma. Anyway thought my Leica days were behind me. Sold off the X100 and bought the Q on release. 28 and 50 are my 2 favourite lenses for reportage shooting so I'm in heaven with this camera. If they release a 50mm version I will all over it as well. Gotta love a camera where you don't even need to take the manual out of the box. Other than some hopefull firmware tweeks I cannot find a fault with this camera. 

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Both the AF and the MF are the best I have seen (better than D90, last SLR I had) and I am hypercritical of these two elements on any camera.  Certainly, for those of us with less than perfect eye sight this is the Leica we have waited for.  Rumor now has it the Leica will be announcing a new FF camera with interchangeable AF lenses and that it will be available in time for Christmas.  May not have a RF according to the rumors but instead use an EVF like the Q.  Rumor doesn't say whether it will use legacy lenses or not.  It could be interesting!

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Both the AF and the MF are the best I have seen (better than D90, last SLR I had) and I am hypercritical of these two elements on any camera.  Certainly, for those of us with less than perfect eye sight this is the Leica we have waited for.  Rumor now has it the Leica will be announcing a new FF camera with interchangeable AF lenses and that it will be available in time for Christmas.  May not have a RF according to the rumors but instead use an EVF like the Q.  Rumor doesn't say whether it will use legacy lenses or not.  It could be interesting!

 

From all the comments I have seen so far I love the Q. The only thing that has held me back is the new camera that Leica are supposedly bringing out later in the year. Shame we haven't got a thread for rumours in this forum.

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Sorry, but after the week of shooting with the Q my verdict is simple ( dont want to offend anybody).

Q is "wanna be M" for less money. And the 28 1.7 would never substitute the 28 2.0 and for sure 28 1.4 

Strange, my experience is different and since my M9 has seen my Q it behaves like a wanna be Q.  ;)

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MY REVIEW OF THE LEICA Q

 

 

CONCLUSION

This is going to come as a shock to many of you but: I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! I thought I would get this out first so you can stop reading if you chose.

 

This is the first digital Leica that has actually met and in some ways exceeded my expectations.  First, it is quick, second AF is really-really fast, the fastest I have measured beating out the Olympus EM5-II and several Panasonics.  That is saying something considering the size and resolution of the sensor.  The AF is very accurate with one of the lowest miss rates I have encountered and I have gone through a slew of cameras from Fuji, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic.  It is up with the best of them or better.

 

FIRMWARE

This camera has exhibited the best software out of the box of any Leica I have tried.  Fewer bugs is a good thing.  The flaws it has can mostly be remedied in firmware and that is the one area Leica is slow to remedy so it is a good thing that most of these are minor irritations and not deal breakers.  Leica needs to learn to listen better to their customers.  We have been clamoring for years for a smaller fast AF camera similar to the CL.  While it would be nice to have interchangeable lenses and more profitable to Leica in the long run, a good single focal length can suffice for many of us not using the camera in a professional setting.

 

ERGONOMICS

The ergonomics are the best of any camera I have handled with everything intuitive and following good photographic principals that are tried and true (aperture setting on the lens, shutter speed dial on the top plate, etc.).  The simplicity of operation is excellent though not perfect.  There are a few operations requiring diving into a menu that should be more readily available to be useful.  For example AF mode is buried in a menu and not assigned or assignable to a dedicated button.  Further, one cannot toggle a feature like touch focus to be on or off while still being able to use one point.  Logically touch AF is one point with the point selected by the user rather than the camera.  Therefore, it would make sense to enable or disable the touch screen as desired but not disable the shutter button from activating AF.  The same can be said for face detection.  In many systems you can activate or deactivate face detection separately from the other AF selections and the camera will use face detection if it can and if not revert to the other selection if the feature is activated.  The result of making these deeper menu items is that they get used less frequently.

 

The EVF is superb and works well in bright sunlight like we have here in Southern California.  The LCD is also very good and viewable even in fairly bright sunlight but I find the EVF so good that I use it much more.

 

IMAGE QUALITY

The image quality is simply outstanding with a crispness that is a Leica signature that I really love.  As good as the XV and T were, when I compare shots taken of the same subject under similar light conditions there really is no comparison.  While I don’t own an M240, from what I have seen the images are just as good in good light and better in low light.  I haven’t seen a camera that produces any better image.  Additionally, the dynamic range is very good and the files are very malleable in LR with both highlight recover and shadow recovery matching or beating any other camera I have tried including the Sony A7II.

 

NIGGLES & QUIBBLES

The following are minor things that could and should be addressed by Leica in a firmware update.  In my opinion, none of these are deal breakers but they would improve and enhance the operation of the camera.

 

1.     Provide a higher resolution JPG for image review so that at maximum magnification one does not obtain a poorer image than at the step one below maximum.

2.     Provide a means to scroll through multiple images at magnification without having to first reduce to standard view size.

3.     Allow for DNG only and an optional lossless compression.

4.     Allow assignment of the focus mode to a button

5.     Allow use of the video record button as an assignable function button.

6.     Adjustable EVF for brightness, contrast and color and add contrast and color adjustment to LCD.

7.     Ability to use LCD only for menu and playback functions.

8.     Use of touch panel for a quick menu like the T’s

All of these are minor and not deal breakers for me though they might be for others.  There are some issues with the histogram which is basically unusable but you can turn on blinkies and that is probably just as useful.

 

BOTTOM LINE

This is a great camera worthy of the Leica name and one I actually plan to keep for a while.  I am really enjoying using it and I like the results I am obtaining.  I highly recommend this camera to anyone that can live with a single lens at 28mm focal length.

 

A Leica surpasses John`s Bar. 

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Strange, my experience is different and since my M9 has seen my Q it behaves like a wanna be Q.  ;)

 

So what do we have?

Rangefinder vs AF

optical viewfinder vs EVF

weatherproof vs ?

a whole range of lenses vs fixed focal length

a little more weight/size vs a little more compact

super high price vs high price

 

For me the T seems the more useful combination with the M, but I can see how for some people a Q could replace both a M and a T, or a Q could be a nice addition for certain occasions/light travel.

 

M vs Q I personally really like the flexibility to change lenses and I prefer an optical viewfinder.

However I admit that the AF of the Q has some real advantages as well, and if one likes 28mm the optical viewfinder of the M is too tight, and the Q feels more balanced and has -IMO- an ideal size for a camera.

 

Good thing we have the possibility to choose what we individually like/prefer.

 

One thing Leica did well with the Q in comparison with the T: The Q had a usable firmware/speed in the moment coming to the market; The T had an unacceptable slow firmware at the beginning and even the T is pretty fast today (except the Telezoom) it is still in many peoples heads that the T is a slow camera-which it is not (anymore)

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I've been using 28mm more and more for the last year (the wide end of the X Vario) and have been saving for an 28mm M lens for some time.  When the Q came out I went and tried it immediately and was quite impressed.  In the end though, I bought the 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit ASPH instead and love it so far.  I have yet to try it on MY M cameras (M Monochrom 1 and M-E) as they are both at New Jersey for sensor replacement, but it is fabulous on the loaner M240 they sent me.

 

Playing with the Q also made me appreciate the virtues of my X and X Vario more.  Despite the great M kit, the X113 is actually my favorite and most used camera.

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Ecaton,

 

The good news is that I have now had it for almost a month and still love this camera.  It does what I need the way I need it done.  I liken it to a good wife, by your side when needed, always ready, good disposition, fabulous performance and reliable.

 

Now, I'm probably in more trouble than when chastising Leica for not doing their best with the T and the XV.  :D  :D

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I use my M's for landscape, but my M246 mostly for street. I like having two cameras to faciltate any required FL changes without delay. I often use 28mm for landscape and mostly have used the 35 for street. However, lately I found myself using the 28 for street much more often. Sure I crop when I want to. I print 16x20 most of the time. And yes I use the EVF on all M240 platform cameras I own when needed and without problem.

 

So I bought the Q for those times where in the past I have missed street shots due to having taken too long for precise focus, obviously excluding zone focusing. Also I found my RX-1 35mm lens sometimes a little too narrow for up close work. Of course, as others have mentioned, the AF is fast, accurate and necessary for many fast developing scenes. Failing eyesight makes the Q a must have for me.

 

 

 

 

Louis Foubare: Fluidity and Unpredictability in Street Photography « The Leica Camera

Edited by algrove
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Having tested Q shots versus M240 shots with a 35 lux, the IQ is identical. Unfortunately the T was not in the same league in terms of DR and "leica" look. I use the T for reference shots at sites, the M for carefully composed shots with the appropriate lens and the Q as the go-to because I'm getting the M look much quicker with an almost 100% perfect focus rate. In fact, MF'ing the Q is exceptional when I need to get through an object that may catch the AF.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dropped into the Leica store in Munich yesterday to 'meet' the Q. Brilliant concept and design, looks and feels like I thought it would. Chapeau Wetzlar, I'm sorely tempted! Comparing it to my film Ms the Q appears a little front heavy. That may be due to the lens’s weighty AF technology, the lightweight body or a combination of both. I’m sure there are enough owners out there who can put me right.

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