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Should I buy a Q?


pebbles

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I own both an M-P240 and the Q. Different feelings shooting the two bodies but I definitely do not regret to have bought both (my wallet is though...).

The Q is simply an astonishing piece of tech (AF, wi-fi), with a gorgeous Summilux f/1.7 on top. Do a 28mm (fixed) lens bother you? Well, it took me some time to get comfortable with this focal (coming from 35mm/50mm/90mm experience on my M) but once you get on with it it is awesome.

Small, light, inobtrusive, great IQ it is a joy shooting a Q.  :p

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Lens focal length is so very subjective... but

I love the FF28mm for many things i do...

My all time favorite was a 57mm film lens back in the 60s -- but a 50 gives me room to crop edges.

Shooting a 40mm is preferred to 35mm in my practice... yes, I am weird.

A second fixed focal length Q for me would be the 50mm -- only because the 50mm length at 8MP is still good but 24MP would be perfect.

Dear Leica: an M camera with EVF like the SL would be in my bad in less than 6 seconds...

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  • 2 weeks later...

What setup would you guys recommend for 4-5k$ budget for street photography? Go for Q or used M body with equivalent lens? Any tips?

 

I would go with the Q for several reasons:

1. It would be new, with warranty.

2. It is a bit more discrete but not by much unless you black out the dot.

3. The wifi adds a new dimension.  Smartphone can download the image for you to send to an editor, facebook, or whatever.

4. Street photography may be helped by auto-focus.  I still manually focus, often to the side edge while focus, then center the image and capture instantly.

5. Try to find a 28mm f1.7 this good anywhere else.  The 28mm f2 is excellent too but expensive.

Good luck -- I love my Q for the street.

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Choosing between M and a Q, really boils down to if you are happy with a fixed lens and added features like autofocus and a superb built in EVF vs a camera that is totally manual yet you can grow with it as your lens choices are so many. I have both. If I were to pick between the two, for my needs, would go for the M. But if you like a lightening fast autofocus, and can be happy with one lens, the Q is superb. If they made the Q in several versions, a 28, a 35, and a 50.....if I didn't already have M lenses I would consider all three....but that is dreamland.

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Am not so sure about the combo theory. I have the M9 and the Q. These two tools are soooo different in philosophy and user interface  that they do not serve well as the classic two bodies kit.

I have both the M240 and the Q. 

 

 

As a combo the M with a 50mm together with the Q also makes a great "2 body - 28+50" kit. 

 

 

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Am not so sure about the combo theory. I have the M9 and the Q. These two tools are soooo different in philosophy and user interface  that they do not serve well as the classic two bodies kit.

Ecaton this makes me curious : does this mean in practice that when you go out, you choose one and leave the other at home?

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Am not so sure about the combo theory. I have the M9 and the Q. These two tools are soooo different in philosophy and user interface  that they do not serve well as the classic two bodies kit.

It works perfectly for me. Same controls and similar ergonomics. Just different focusing.

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Ecaton this makes me curious : does this mean in practice that when you go out, you choose one and leave the other at home?

 

Yes, it's either or. Looking through a RF window for framing and focusing or at lcds for framing ain't the same.

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I work with a FF Canon 5D MK3, MFT Olympus EM 5 MK2 and took all three with my on my recent trip to Hong Kong. I love all 3 cameras having their own special look and field to work on. The choice between all three ended up in the ranking of Leica Q first, then Olympus and the Canon came third. This had nothing to do with IQ but with versatility. Lastly the 28 m lens plus its macro function provided the best coverage for the purposes I had: architecture, landscape, street and a few closeups of vegetation. The Q was most reliabel even in heavy rainstorm consitions. The Canon 5D is unbeatable with a wideangle lens but simply too heavy to carry along a whole day with endless walking. The Olympus EM5 is excellent and would have been quite satisfactory as well if there would not have been the Q.

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Yes, it's either or. Looking through a RF window for framing and focusing or at lcds for framing ain't the same.

 

Individual preference, perhaps.  I use a Q and an M.  Both are usually with me.  I typically use the Q in manual focus mode.  I do not use the LCD.  Given that set-up I don't find the differences all that jarring.  Sure, sometimes I wish the M would zoom in like the Q and other times I wish the Q would give me split images.  Mostly I find the cameras quite compatible.

 

The M has a 75mm lens.  I find the choice between 28mm and 75mm just about right.

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If you like the Q feeling it and photographing with it. Buy it. It will bring you very much joy. If the Q isn't enough, you could buy an M9 any time, even cheaper than the months before, so there is no hurry. Just decide what feels well today. The unforseable future shows a new M which is so wonderful, that maybe you want to combine the Q with this M.

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Well, don't do it for me. It's quite expensive for a fixed lens system. The idea of cropping as a necessity in advance does not attract me.

 

I have a D-lux4 next to my M9 which I can use for macro if I want. I can also buy an Elmar90 for less than a Q if I want macro in very high quality.

 

Yes indeed the idea seems practical, one camera fits all on your city-trip, but I know for sure that I get that little irritation every time I realize that I would *have to* crop in certain situations.

And if I want to make good things I have to feel good about my tools.

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I guess you do, the EVF is a LCD as well. Looking through a RF window is different.

 

 

True, that.   I apparently don't find the difference as jarring as you.  I think I know what you are talking about, though.  On my X100 switching between optical and electronic viewfinder was almost painful.   The Q EVF is so much better.

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Why do people go on so much about the Q's 28mm and that that a 35mm Q would be so much better? The Q allows you to crop in to 35mm and yes, I know that that wastes some of the Mp but why does that matter so much? After all how many of us have out photos displayed on a loop on a 50"screen?

 

I think people often forget that the Q is aimed mainly at people who just want one good camera that they can take everywhere and take decent pictures with without having to lug around bags filled with 100 lenses. Rangefinder may be a different and unique experience but it aint for everyone. And some people would rather have a camera with AF than experience the uniqueness of RF.

 

Instead of begging Leica for a Q with different lens we should be asking them to perfect the existing one. Make it weather proof, use a 36Mp sensor and a few other twiches and the Q would be perfect.

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Why do people go on so much about the Q's 28mm and that that a 35mm Q would be so much better? The Q allows you to crop in to 35mm and yes, I know that that wastes some of the Mp but why does that matter so much? After all how many of us have out photos displayed on a loop on a 50"screen?

 

I think people often forget that the Q is aimed mainly at people who just want one good camera that they can take everywhere and take decent pictures with without having to lug around bags filled with 100 lenses. Rangefinder may be a different and unique experience but it aint for everyone. And some people would rather have a camera with AF than experience the uniqueness of RF.

 

Instead of begging Leica for a Q with different lens we should be asking them to perfect the existing one. Make it weather proof, use a 36Mp sensor and a few other twiches and the Q would be perfect.

I absolutely agree. The Q is now my main travel camera. I only take a DSLR and bag of lenses for special subjects like wildlife or architecture that demands T/S lenses or extreme wide angle.

 

I'll vote for a more modern sensor that does not exhibit high ISO banding along with a more distinct detent on the on off switch. Add holding magnification in manual focus and I'm even happier than today and I love today's Q.

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