Q user? What is your age, or approximate age, etc.?

[huwm]

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59

Started as lad with Olympus OM then lost interest for a decade or so returning to Nikon then Canon DSLRs

Too big, missed that old Olympus so OMD EM 1(2) and EM 10 with too many lenses

Ditched for 'simpler and lighter' CL and TL2 but again acquired too many lenses

Ditched for Q2 and very happy, but I kept the CL and a couple of lenses, a Lumix 24-105(f4) and a couple of oldies, Leica 40(f2) and Canon 50(f1.4)

I pretty much use the Q2 exclusively though as it really is a go anywhere camera

[Daniel Spiry]

I am 66 years old architect and just bought myself a Q2M as a retirement present.  Started pursuing photography in 1973 while in college with a 1965 Nikon F.  Most recently was using a Fujifilm X100T and then a X-Pro2 because of the ability to shoot full analog manual in monochrome film simulation.  I told myself that if Leica ever launched a monochrome version of the Q that it would be the perfect camera for me.  Done!

[PhotoCruiser]

56, Dive instructor and dive operation owner travelling twice a year between Costa Rica, Switzerland and Italy
Started approx 1970 with my fathers Leica IIIg
Grandfather and uncle both photographers
Bought a Q and 3 month later the Q2 for a 4 month road trip because i am tired to haul my D800 and all glass around the world
Could not be more happy

Chris
 

Edited January 11, 2021 by PhotoCruiser

[nwphil]

Ok, I will play

55yo

My mother was the family photographer - some  P&S that she carried everywhere for family snapshots, and on occasion handled to me

First time I used a 'real" camera on my own, was my grandfathers' Agfa Isolette - 120 film b&w - I was probably 15 or 16 and got the "bug" since.

40 years later , although not my first Leica, bought the Q2M. Did consider other  MM versions but it was the simplified concept that sold me to it

[ianforber]

52

My dad was into photography and started me off in 1979 with a Ricoh 500G rangefinder, which I still have and use occasionally. He had an Olympus OM10 with a 50mm lens so, naturally, a few years of saving my pocket money resulted in me buying something completely different - a Minolta X-700 with 50mm f1.7 lens (still have and use).

That kept me going until early 2000s before I really got into landscape photography and bought a Mamiya 7 rangefinder with standard 80mm lens. A few years later, partly due to frustration at the time it took to get my slides developed and returned, I bout a Leica D-Lux 2 as a sort of digital notebook to use alongside the Mamiya. I found myself increasingly attracted to just working with the D-Lux so I sold the Mamiya and invested in a Nikon D7000 and a couple of zoom lenses. It was a good camera but never really enthused me into taking pictures and I got tired (literally) or dragging the kit up and down the hills, so I traded it for an Olympus EM5 Mark 2 with the 12-40 f2.8 zoom. Again, nice camera (and lens) but I hated the menu system and could never remember what all the buttons did. 

Now, I’ve packed the Olympus away and bought a Q2 because I wanted to get back to the simple camera experience of an aperture ring, shutter speed dial and not much else. Very happy. 

[falcon468]

I am 68, retired, and before COVID, an active traveler. I started with a Konica TC in 1977 and went through Olympus and Nikon camera systems. Stayed with Nikon until I bought a Lumix GX1 M4/3 to use for traveling. I was happy with my two cameras until I bought the Q as a retirement gift. I still use all three with the Q dedicated to international and some domestic travel photography.  

 

[sskim]

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52, Architect.  During my preteen years, I used to dread weekends when my dad would take me and my two sisters out to arboretums/botanical gardens to practice his photography hobby. Now, I reciprocate the same on my kids lol.  
 

Previous cameras Nikon FA, Nikon Coolpix 990,, Sony NEX-7, Fuji XT-1

When I bought my Q-P a few years ago, I really thought I would never look at another camera. I like everything about my Q-P.  
But I now have “curiosity” towards Hasselblad 907X 50C.  Anyone with me?

[SoarFM]

1 hour ago, sskim said:

But I now have “curiosity” towards Hasselblad 907X 50C.  Anyone with me?

I have the 907 and a few lenses. Not really a walkabout camera, but a real joy to use and I use it on a tripod 99% of time. 

For walkabout, Q2  or CL depending on mood and requirements. 

[Herr Barnack]

I am 63, will be 64 in August - still wondering how/when THAT happened. 😳

My first real camera was a Petri FT, back in the days of Moses.  Next was a Nikkormat EL, followed by a succession of Nikon SLRs and lenses.  Of the several Nikon SLRs I have owned over the years, the F3hp was my favorite.  That camera is just a tank of a camera with a comprehensive system of accessories to back it up.  In the back of my mind, I still think in terms of getting another copy of the F3hp  and a lens or two some day.

I got my first Leica in 2003, a black paint MP with a 50mm Summilux. 

I have used several different kinds of cameras - Hasselblad V system, Mamiya 7 II, Nikon SLRs and Hasselblad XPAN system.

My first digital camera of any kind was the M240 which I got in 2014; a couple of years later, I upgraded to the M-P 240 Safari which I still have.  In November of 2019, I bit the bullet, sold off my XPAN II and 45mm lens and got the Q2.  Since I got the M-P 240 the XPAN had sat inactive for years which is why I decided to sell it.  The Q2 does not sit gathering dust. 

For me, the biggest problem with film photography is developing the film - it is a lot of work and is time consuming.  I have hand problems and loading film onto the developing reels is not at all easy these days.  The M-P 240 had spoiled me with its ease of use and quick processing of images. 

I was hooked on the M system from the time I got my MP back in 2003 - rangefinder photography just resonates with me; it is a completely different ethos from SLR photography and 120 format.  The M system rangefinder mechanism is so much better than the rangefinder mechanisms found in either the XPAN or Mamiya 7 II that I had been accustomed to using. 

At present, my main cameras are the Q2 and the M10 Monochrom; the M-P 240 has been retired to back up camera status, and my M4-P doesn't get out much at all; I am trying to discipline myself to use the M4-P regularly, though.  Even if it does not get much use, I will always keep that little jewel of a camera.

Before the arrival of the Q2, I really didn't have much interest in the original Q.  When the Q2 was released, the massive upgrades it brought with it got my attention.  I got the Q2 thinking it would be my back up camera, but it has become my primary color camera and my daily carry camera.  When I'm going out specifically to make images, I will bring the M 10 Mono and my 50/2.4 Summarit and 28/2.8 Elmarit about 50% of the time; the rest of the time, I will bring just the Q2.

Sometimes I will mix it up a little by bringing the M10 Mono with the 28mm and the Q2.  Sticking with the 28mm focal length but having the option of the Q2 and the M10 Mono often presents some unexpected image making possibilities.  When I bring one or the other, many times I will end up needing whichever camera I didn't bring on that particular day.

 

Unsolicited advice 

For photographers who are younger than me - if photography is in your blood, if it is something you truly love and is not just a part time distraction or hobby, I would urge you:  Make photography a priority in your life.  I got away from photography for many years - decades - and I ended up regretting it. 

Make sacrifices for your photography - tighten your belt, get a second job, save up for a year (or two if necessary) or sell your car; get that Leica M camera and lens you ache for.  Find a way or make a way - in the long haul, you won't regret it.   

JMHO but a photographer is far better off with an M camera and a lens or maybe two than with Pelican cases full of Nikon/Canon DSLRs and huge, heavy lenses or a 120 format kit with multiple lenses that weigh you down and make your shoulders ache after carrying them around for an hour or two.  Learn to travel light.  Think less gear, more photographs.

Also:  Make sacrifices to be able to attend photography workshops or to travel to places you want to see and photograph (COVID-19 permitting).  You are young (or middle aged) only once, then you get old and achy like me.  Don't let your best years slip by. 

Regrets come from not doing and having what you want in this life.  Never once have I heard a fellow photographer say, "Damn, I should have never bought that Leica/attended that workshop/flown to Nepal for two weeks to make images!"

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Herr Barnack

[RoySmith]

Age 67, Retired Physician. My first camera was a Pentax Spotmatic F with a 50mm/f1.4 Takumar. I spent 6 months delivering pizza in the evenings to buy that. I then used A Canon Elan film camera before going digital with a Canon 5D/7D/5D Mkiii/7D Mkii  and ++ lenses.

when Leica released the M9 I couldn’t resist. I added 15mm,18mm,24mm,28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90 mm M Mount lenses.

Then came the SL to replace the Canon 5D mkiii. I now have 3 Leica L lenses - 24-90 VE, 16-35 VE, and 50mm lux.

Most recently I got a Q2 which is great for walking around and travel. I found the M9 with the 28mm cron and the 50mm lux a great travel combo.

I do general photography, and enjoy travel, initially with the M and now with the Q2.

I use an iPhone 11 Pro especially when X-country skiing and cycling. On cycle tours I used the M9 ( Italy Scotland and France) and last fall the Q2 in Sicily and Croatia.

I still use the Canon 7D Mkii with 17-55, and 100-400 for wilderness canoe and kayak trips, although my pelican case has never failed me and I may risk the Leica equipment in the future. The canon outfit was good for BIF.

Over time I’m learning that the imagination and skill is more important than the equipment. I’m trying to convince myself that I don’t need the SL2-s !

[Herr Barnack]

40 minutes ago, RoySmith said:

...Over time I’m learning that the imagination and skill is more important than the equipment. I’m trying to convince myself that I don’t need the SL2-s !

True, but if you sell off your SL2s and lenses, you will kick yourself.  Trust me - it's just a matter of time. 

[Jwils15]

I am 73, took up photography when I retired 7 years ago. Started with Leica X2 now have 2 X1’s the X2 and XE, which have been missing their outings, since I bought a Q. Trying to make up my mind on tl2, w Visoflex, or go with another Q or Q2or Q2m. Not sure which one will win or wait and see and see if Leica rumors come true. Does anyone know if the Visoflex on tl2 would work on the X2?                                           I was introduced to Leica in VietNam, by war photographer Catherine LeRoy, she used M2 as go to but also had Nikon on neck strap. I have always wanted try film but never did, and with all the digital choices don’t know if I will.