Leica Q review finally up on Dpreview.com

[Guest VVJ]

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It's not that DP Review has a problem with Leica, it has to do with sales volume. DP Review is owned by Amazon. If these were selling in large volumes and Amazon could convert that to profit then the review would have been slightly different and more encouraging. It's no secret that the Sony products are all reviewed highlighting their strong points, neglecting most mention of their shortcomings. Then again they move volumes of Sony products. When that site was started it was very informative and impartial. When Jeff sold and began handing the reigns over things started changing. 

 

 

 

Thanks for reminding us once more that it is very hard, if not impossible, to find objective reviews on the web.

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[Rick]

Ok, just read the article.  Not too bad for what I was expecting from dpreview.  Most of their reviews get stuff wrong and this review had a few.  Overall, pretty balanced and I thought the reviewer actually liked the camera.

 

Rick

[Graafber]

 

I can't avoid the impression that dpreview has a difficult relationship with Leica and I can't quite figure out why. The can't seem to avoid remarks like >>I'm not an exuberant millionaire, nor am I a wealthy oil tycoon. So it can be difficult for me to get excited about new Leica product releases. << sprinkled here and there. In the review there's also a fair amount of complaint about the lack of customization. To me that's part of the charm. Everything is straightforward, clear and doesn't let complexity get in the way of taking good pictures. Just ask that guy, Adalsteinn ;-)

 

No other maker of 35mm or smaller format cameras seems to be able to (or perhaps want to) achieve the precision and quality that Leica does and that difference must manifest itself in the price somewhere. Also, although Leica equipment is expensive, I'm sure most users are not simply luxury shopping when they part with their money for a Q, M or whatever.

 

It's not that DP Review has a problem with Leica, it has to do with sales volume. DP Review is owned by Amazon. If these were selling in large volumes and Amazon could convert that to profit then the review would have been slightly different and more encouraging. It's no secret that the Sony products are all reviewed highlighting their strong points, neglecting most mention of their shortcomings. Then again they move volumes of Sony products. When that site was started it was very informative and impartial. When Jeff sold and began handing the reigns over things started changing.

Quit a statement. [emoji3]

[Jared]

It seemed like a fairly accurate review.  What I took away from it, which is consistent with what I had already gathered from other reviews, was the following:

 

* Construction and materials quality seem good

* Controls are well laid out, and simple, especially for traditionalists

* EVF is quite good

* Short on features and ability to customize--many would see this as a positive, but DPReview usually likes bells and whistles

* Touchscreen implementation is mediocre

* Menu structure is simple, but with some additional grouping might have been even faster to navigate

* Manual focusing is probably the best focus-by-wire to date

* Autofocus is much better than expected and is up there with what one expects from a modern contrast detection AF system (with some strange quirks in the menus)

* Performance is "brisk"

* Very good battery life by mirrorless standards

* Video is fine for casual use, but nothing more than that

* The camera is a good value by Leica standards, but Leica standards of value generally don't match the wider photography public

* Lens is fantastic

* Sensor is generally very good, especially if you shoot DNG, though not up to the standards set by Sony

* Worried about shadow banding--DPReview is (in my opinion) overly picky about the things they can directly measure like dynamic range, high ISO performance, number of stops of shadow lightening possible (related to DR), resolution, etc.  The last couple of years I have worried much more about ease of use, ergonomics, etc. since I think the cameras are all so good technically that I am much more likely to mess up a picture from poor technique or not getting the settings right than I am from lack of dynamic range, poor high ISO performance, or lack of resolution in my lens or camera.  Still, their statements seem accurate even if I don't agree with their importance.

 

Seems pretty accurate and pretty fair to me.  In general I think DP Review has avoided spending much time on Leica products both because of their limited appeal due to pricing, and because they, like most companies doing reviews, don't want to publish a bad review since it might hurt sponsors.  Given their testing metrics and emphasis, cameras like the 'T', X-Vario, and even the M(240) would not fair very well.  Thus they have avoided publishing reviews.  This is just my guess, of course, but I think it's well founded.  I doubt there is anything more complicated in their relationship with Leica.

 

- Jared

[lucerne]

It seemed like a fairly accurate review.  What I took away from it, which is consistent with what I had already gathered from other reviews, was the following:

Seems pretty accurate and pretty fair to me.  In general I think DP Review has avoided spending much time on Leica products both because of their limited appeal due to pricing, and because they, like most companies doing reviews, don't want to publish a bad review since it might hurt sponsors.  Given their testing metrics and emphasis, cameras like the 'T', X-Vario, and even the M(240) would not fair very well.  Thus they have avoided publishing reviews.  This is just my guess, of course, but I think it's well founded.  I doubt there is anything more complicated in their relationship with Leica.

 

- Jared

 

Jared

it seems that you are describing a review written by a biased reviewer.   If a reviewer has a cosy relationship with a manufacturer, then the review will never be fair and objective.   If they have a bias towards a manufacturer that produces down to a price, then they will forever criticise the Leica price and alternatives that. - in their mind - represents best value for money.    

We don't need to read their reviews on this Leica website.  They will never be positive about Leica models unless Leica pay them. The same scenario existed in the days of desktop and laptop computers, when magazines wouldn't review models at random.  Getting an item reviewed involved bribery!   I don't need reassurance about making the right choice based on their view.  My first Leica purchase was an experiment.  No prior handling, and paid for in full.  Exciting from the moment I unpacked it.  No regrets after three years. My second purchase (Q) has not disappointed me, but I still prefer the M9.   DPReview wouldn't be able to describe why I feel this way. It's a personal feeling.

Anyway, Thanks for your efforts. 

[mija1789]

... The last couple of years I have worried much more about ease of use, ergonomics, etc. since I think the cameras are all so good technically that I am much more likely to mess up a picture from poor technique or not getting the settings right than I am from lack of dynamic range, poor high ISO performance, or lack of resolution in my lens or camera.

...

 

- Jared

 

 

Very true.

I met a friend this weekend and looked at his Sony. To simply switch to manual mode or single point focus mode, he has to dive deep down the menus instead of simply move 2 dials. Same thing when he returns to A mode or centre-weighted mode.

He kind of looked on the lack of bells and whistles of the Leica with envy.

But simplicity has never been a strong selling point ... The mirage of customisation capabilities makes the customers falsely believe that there is a higher value for money.

[Jared]

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Jared

it seems that you are describing a review written by a biased reviewer.   If a reviewer has a cosy relationship with a manufacturer, then the review will never be fair and objective.   If they have a bias towards a manufacturer that produces down to a price, then they will forever criticise the Leica price and alternatives that. - in their mind - represents best value for money.    

We don't need to read their reviews on this Leica website.  They will never be positive about Leica models unless Leica pay them. The same scenario existed in the days of desktop and laptop computers, when magazines wouldn't review models at random.  Getting an item reviewed involved bribery!   I don't need reassurance about making the right choice based on their view.  My first Leica purchase was an experiment.  No prior handling, and paid for in full.  Exciting from the moment I unpacked it.  No regrets after three years. My second purchase (Q) has not disappointed me, but I still prefer the M9.   DPReview wouldn't be able to describe why I feel this way. It's a personal feeling.

Anyway, Thanks for your efforts. 

 

 

DPReview seems to want cameras to be good at all things--fast autofocus and high frame rates for sports, huge dynamic range for landscapes, superb high ISO results for reportage, high megapixel counts for cropping, accurate colors for portrait work, and low prices for mass appeal.  That simply isn't what Leica produces--they make mostly specialist cameras that are superb at a few things but terrible at others.  I don't consider DPReview's approach unfair to Leica, they simply don't value the same features that I do.  Like you, I don't need their validation, but  I still find the review very useful because it is quite comprehensive.  While I don't agree with DPReview's priorities, I don't think they are biased against Leica.  It's just a different set of priorities.  That being said, the Q has a wider appeal than most other Leica products, and you see that reflected in the score.  There really wasn't much I would disagree with in the review, yet I still bought the camera as it's a good fit for my requirements--a better fit, in fact, than any other camera on the market.  I needed something to supplement my SL that would still have the lens and image quality that I expect from Leica, and that's exactly what I got.  Glad to hear you are enjoying your M9 and your Q.  

 

- Jared

[Joshua Lowe]

I can't avoid the impression that dpreview has a difficult relationship with Leica and I can't quite figure out why.  The can't seem to avoid remarks like >>I'm not an exuberant millionaire, nor am I a wealthy oil tycoon. So it can be difficult for me to get excited about new Leica product releases. << sprinkled here and there.  In the review there's also a fair amount of complaint about the lack of customization.  To me that's part of the charm.  Everything is straightforward, clear and doesn't let complexity get in the way of taking good pictures.  Just ask that guy, Adalsteinn ;-)

 

No other maker of 35mm or smaller format cameras seems to be able to (or perhaps want to) achieve the precision and quality that Leica does and that difference must manifest itself in the price somewhere.  Also, although Leica equipment is expensive, I'm sure most users are not simply luxury shopping when they part with their money for a Q, M or whatever.

dpreview is owned by Amazon.  Amazon pushes products that are high volume and low price.  

 

I stopped paying attention to dpreview when Phil Askey left.  His writeups and sample galleries in the early days of DSLRs were invaluable.