Leica Q - Landscape/ISO and Leica Service

[fizzy]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi guys,

 

I am absolutely new to Leica and I am thinking to purchase a Leica Q but still have a few questions. I was in a local Leica store to test the Q. I was really impressed by the AF and the sharpness already at 1.7. I really like the bokeh.

 

Unfortunately the guy couldn't tell me anything about costs of repairing the Q and was really reserved when I was asking him about the Leica Service. The price for Leica in general is pretty high so do I buy also excellent service with it? Did you have already experience with repairing the Q? What are the typical pain points on a leica except the brassing? 

 

Furthermore I am wondering if you have any experience in shooting with high iso with the Q? I checked until ISO 3200 and it was still ok but what are your experience on long term? Also the q has the stabilizer so might be not the case that I use more than 3200...

 

Last but not least do you have any experience in shooting landscape with the Q? I will go to Canada next year for a long trip and I am thinking to only take the Q with me... Usually I am with 18-20mm in landscape, so I will miss wide angel but on the other hand maybe I can arrange myself with the 28mm... 

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and experiences!

 

 

[Donzo98]

The Q is amazing... it is my daily walkaround camera.

 

I also have an SL with a variety of lenses.

 

As far as service goes... I have not needed it, but I hear the service is NOT GOOD. Slow as molasses according to some here.

 

On the other hand though... it didn't stop me from buying anything

 

I have the Q, SL 24-90. 50 SL 90-280 and Noctilux.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[prk60091]

My 2cents:

I have the Q and have had other Leica’s in the past.

My Q has not needed service. A couple of my older Leica’s have needed service. My experience with service with Leica US has been very slow but very good.

[Deliberate1]

Welcome to the forum, and  to the world of Leica cameras.

I cannot speak to your questions regarding the Q. I do not yet own one, but that will be resolved on delivery of a silver model on Wednesday.

That said, I have an M9 and an S 006, both of which required attention.. The M9 has a defect in the CCD  sensor that made it susceptible to corrosion. And mine was no exception. Leica did replace the sensor at no charge, which took approximately four months. It no longer provides this service gratis. My S 006 body has worked flawlessly. But the motors in the S lenses have yet another defect - as I understand it, a gear that disables the auto-focus when it fails. Again, Leica repaired it without charge. And that fix took only two weeks, to Germany and return to the States. 

No complex device of this kind is immune from flaws and failure. I have found Leica service to be quite responsive. The sensor repair delay may be a function of having demand for the repair exceeding the availability of replacement sensors.

None of these experiences has in any way diminished my appreciation for these devices . The images and shooting experience are unparalleled for me. That said, should you decide to by into the Leica family, I would suggest making  your purchase through a Leica dealer. I have done much business with Leica Miami and have found them to be extraordinarily responsive when the need arises. I would like to think that items for repair that travel to Germany from a Leica affiliate are treated more attentively. And it is good to have a go-between if bad things truly happen.

Finally, there are no deals to be had on new, so far as I could find in my recent search. You can check Ebay to see how the used market preserves the Q's value. That said, each of the Leica's I have bought were regarded as used, but Leica Certified. They were indistinguishable from new and come with a full warranty. You will save a few bucks as well over new. If you are interested in this option, feel free to email me and I will tell you where I purchased mine. It appears that the dealer has another silver Certified available.

Best of luck. Possessing a Leica will not make you a better photographer. But using it to its full potential will.

Cheers,

David

[Michael Kersting]

Hey Fizzy,

 

I own a Leica Q for around one year and love to take landscapes photos with it. Check out the landscape photos on my flickr account:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33859053@N06/

 

If you have any question to how I do these landscape photos send me a message and I explain my equipment.

 

If you want a travel camera with huge potential and you stick to street, travel, reportage, landscapes, close up and portrait photography, then the Leica Q is perfect.

 

Happy new year 

 

Greets Michael

[stuny]

Fabian -

 

Welcome to the Forum.  Since you live in Germany some of the delays in service will not apply to you.  Even though the Leica importer/service department for the United States is within a half hour drive of my home, and even though I've always found them very responsive in the 17 years I've had Leicas, at times some service could only be done in Germany.  All of your service would be done in your home country, thereby eliminating the transoceanic shipping we in the United State must endure.

 

The Q is a much simpler design than the M and SL models with which it shares sensor and software, so the chances of needing service are reduced.

 

The Q is the 10th Leica I've owned, but only for one week so I can comment no further regarding your concerns. 

[lucerne]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Fizzy

I've owned my Q for more than two years. It has travelled with me to India, Hong Kong, Egypt, Singapore and Turkey. The camera has never missed a beat or failed to capture a shot. For all day shooting make sure you carry an extra battery.

Now the downside. I had previously used a Leica M9 together with a selection of Leica lenses. The M9 had very limited ISO range so I was excited to have the enhanced ISO range of the Q. Unfortunately, I became frustrated with the inflexibility of the 28mm view. I also found myself taking a "Point and Shoot" approach and lost interest in the creativity aspect of photography. As a result, last week I traded my M9 and M240 for an M10 and that's what I'll take on my January expedition to India. I'm really looking forward to getting back to true rangefinder operations.

As regards reliability. My Q was owned from new and it seems like early releases were not as well sealed as promoted. Consequently, dust built up on the sensor but this was quickly cleaned by my London service centre. Then the viewfinder seemed to be damaged and a further quick repair was necessary. Leica twice provided parcel collection and return at no cost. Repairs were under warranty so best advice is to buy new. Everything is fine now but I can't comment on possible costs for out of warranty service. Just bear in mind that Leica will always provide labels for secure courier transport to Wetzlar when you report and agree a service.

I've owned four and now have two. I'm a happy user.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

[fizzy]

hey guys, many thanks! I was imagine to purchase a Q second hand to save around 1000€/1200$ so Leica warranty would be already expired. I have to question myself if the 1k is worth to lose the leica warranty but when I read your experience there is not much trouble to except from the Q.

 

I agree with you Gordon: For me the price of the Q is very high and I am also concerned that I will lose flexibility. Also the Q is not that small to just put it in the pocket of my jacket like the X100F from Fuji. So you are even less flexible to take the Q everywhere you want without even noticing the camera. On the other hand side I am a fan of prime lenses and the "inflexibility" makes me more calm during a shooting and the Q offers a much higher BQ with 1.7 than the X100F with 2.8 (ff comparison). Tough choice in general 

Edited January 3, 2018 by fizzy

[stuny]

Lower price, lower ultimate quality of image, but significantly smaller and lighter than the Q, and is has a 1.7 lens, is the D-Lux 109.  You might want to look into it.

[Le Chef]

I'm still learning how to get more out of my photography from my 109. It's a great camera but has obvious quantitative deficiencies when it comes to sensor size etc. I'm still considering a Q (and being "encouraged" to think about GX8, Pen-F, Leica CL as replacements for the 109). In my case my gut says keep the 109 and add a Q. If one fails I have the other. If I need telephoto I have that with the 109. In the meantime I need to get out and take some more shots before I forget how to do it!

Edited January 3, 2018 by Le Chef

[fizzy]

hey guys, thanks but a 109 is not really an option.

 

I have two more questions about the Q: 

 

- Does the LCD and or EVF from the Leica Q adapt to the change of iso and or shutter/aperture and shows the actual exposure already in the display? 

- Do you see any distortion from the 28mm? I read somewhere that the dng file has already a Leica profile integrated so it might be the case that distortion is removed? Because usually I prefer 35mm over 28mm because of slightly distortion.

Edited January 5, 2018 by fizzy

[Michael Kersting]

hey guys, thanks but a 109 is not really an option.

 

I have two more questions about the Q: 

 

- Does the LCD and or EVF from the Leica Q adapt to the change of iso and or shutter/aperture and shows the actual exposure already in the display? 

- Do you see any distortion from the 28mm? I read somewhere that the dng file has already a Leica profile integrated so it might be the case that distortion is removed? Because usually I prefer 35mm over 28mm because of slightly distortion.

 

What 35mm lens did you use till today. If it is not a high grade Zeiss, Fuji or Leica lenses, forged about asking about the quality of the Summilux 28mm from the Leica Q. You get with ist, what Leica stands for. Top notch lens manufacturing and optics. The only alternative in 35mm I see is the Summicron-M 35mm and the only that slightly beats this 28mm is the actual Summilux-M 35mm. 

 

I love myself 35mm Lenses, but I think this 28mm Lens has made me a better photographer, because I have to learn more to use it and get closer.

[HighlandK]

hey guys, thanks but a 109 is not really an option.

 

I have two more questions about the Q:

 

- Does the LCD and or EVF from the Leica Q adapt to the change of iso and or shutter/aperture and shows the actual exposure already in the display?

- Do you see any distortion from the 28mm? I read somewhere that the dng file has already a Leica profile integrated so it might be the case that distortion is removed? Because usually I prefer 35mm over 28mm because of slightly distortion.

To answer your first questionthat is the default setting on a half press of the shutter but you can set it not to do that and stay bright. That is essential when working in manual mode with some settings and especially when using a radio trigger and studio strobes. See https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/280234-question-about-q-and-flash-use/

 

On the second question I understand there is an embedded lens profile which Lightroom uses and in my experience the lens does not display noticeable distortion other than what is pretty standard with a 28mm focal length. Others more expert/discerning than me may have a mor detailed view!

Edited January 5, 2018 by HighlandK

[fizzy]

Hey Guys,

 

thanks again for all your answers. Just to let you know I decided to purchase a Q second hand. Found an attractive offer for 3000€/3600$ in excellent conditions in my town. I am super looking forward and hope it was the right decision to decide for Leica and not for Sony R1RXII or Fuji X100F. ;-)

[Leica Guy]

Can’t speak relative to the Sony, but I owned three versions of the Fuji X100 and I loved them all for different reasons. However, once I moved to the Q, it was a whole new ballgame. I love the Q’s ergonomics, simplicity of controls, option for manual focusing and focus peaking, option for macro closeups..... Finally, the Image Quality of the full frame sensor and super sharp f/1.7 lens are superb. The Q is not perfect, but it’s loads of fun and puts that (fun) back in photography. Enjoy.