The Silver Q......almost perfect

[docdave]

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I recently bought the silver annodized Q from BH. It is, without question, a gorgeous camera and a complete joy to use. The simplicity of the menus is a welcome change from the normal excessive complexity of other menu systems. The photos are sharp and the bokeh is second to none.

 

However, I am very disappointed in the very limited choices presented for customization. This is a flaw that can be easily remedied and I have seen many shooters ask for the same thing. Why can't the delete button, movie button, or zoom button have the possibility to be reconfigured with a few options? I would bet that those three buttons are VERY little used by most shooters. I would love to have the ability to draw up some favorite features, e.g. going to touch focus and release, without having to menu dive. This would increase the smoothness of usage of this exceptional camera. It would certainly not takeaway from the "photo essentials" philosophy of Leica. Frankly, I am amazed that this simple type of functionality has not already been added in the previous firmware updates. I guess at this point it is probably hopeless to expect these changes. Too bad, because this is very close to a perfect camera.

 

Thank you for listening to my venting. I love this camera. If you haven't seen the silver version in person, please try to. It is an aesthetic masterpiece.

 

Merry Christmas to all!

 

Dave

[Tailwagger]

Picked mine up yesterday. Saw the silver, was tempted, but for my intended purpose I stuck with black.  Totally agree with your rant.  The zoom button is reconfigurable. but only to AF/AE locking.  It's rather infuriating that button cant be assigned to the EVF mode. I rarely use the LCD for composition and for battery life I leave the camera in EVF-Extended mode. But occasionally its nice to be able to use the LCD and touch focus, which means a deep dive into the menus. The inability to fully defeat video button, ala the M240, is rather annoying as well. 

 

There is a faint whiff of Sony in the camera in that buttons and configuration choices, the availability of various scene programs and such suggests that designers where trying to cater a broader clientele than just experienced shooters.  Its hard to argue with the sales success of the Q and perhaps those features have played a role in it. But for the more experienced and serious among us it be nice to be able to eliminate or at least repurpose such cruft from the shooting experience. 

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[ajmarton1]

I don't know.  I love the Q and like the simplicity of it.  No barriers to just letting your creativity come through like the old film Leicas.  It's typically the camera I will pick up when in a hurry and I have the M10, Monochrom and SL.  Andrew

[docdave]

My point is that if you have to do repeated menu diving in order to change basic settings then the camera starts to get in the way of a smooth shooting experience. If a person constantly shoots with one set of preferred parameters, then that would never become an issue. I understand that. However, I like to change things up depending on circumstances.

 

Even if Leica implemented a separate page where one could save favorite 4-5 settings, then I would be very happy with that. Doesn't the new Cl have that very feature.

 

I have hopes for a few more important additions with a new firmware update. This camera is so well loved by its owners that it would be a pity if Leica abandoned its ongoing improvement. Use all those unused buttons for something vital. For example, the prevailing common wisdom has always been to never delete individual images from a card for fear of compromising the file structure and integrity of the sd card. I do not know any photographer who uses the DELETE button on their camera for that purpose. Instead, have that button take you directly to a FAVORITES menu. Easy. What a wonderful change that would make to operational smoothness.

 

Thank you.

Dave