colonel Posted January 22, 2019 Share #1 Posted January 22, 2019 Advertisement (gone after registration) The silver surfer. Is this a mature shooter or a photo freedom loving alien ? I would suggest a mature alien: “I am not a god. I have never created life ... but I have lived. That is enough. So I will fight to preserve that same opportunity — to love, to dream, to soar amongst the stars — for all those yet to come. Many likes will be lost in the battle ahead — but their efforts will ensure that some remain to remember their deeds. And, like the gods, they will truly live forever ... even after they are gone” — Silver Surfer (Marvel) A bit dramatic perhaps, but for those that ascribe something a bit higher to their photography. Capturing the mood perhaps, or an emotion, encapsulating the moment or the freedom to surf life until we are called to the great Magnum in the sky, there are few digital devices that get to the first rung. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The first camera that added the special to digital for me was the Canon 5D. This mis-shapen lump of mirror and plastic produced pictures with acuity and emotion not typically available to the amateur before. Together with Canon classics like the 50mm f1.2, it managed to jump into the moment with clarity and poise. The next camera that was something special was the Leica M8. I have still never been able to replicate the combination of 3D, weird colours and sharpness which gave photos an unworldly character but somehow drew out the individual through their pores. The M8 had unacceptable noise, but the M9 built on it, losing a bit of its bite but adding a modicum of ISO performance quorate to 640 and pushable to 1250 in a snap. The M9 was a landmark camera. It’s combination of size and performance at the time was unique. Even extreme low light performance with the Q is of course great including focus (with no light assist) and way off centre focus point: It’s not since the M9 that I found digital emotion until the Q. The word digital is important. Nothing beats people on film and nothing beats the feeling of a fully loaded M7 or MP ready to roll. But the sheer cost of developing, the time involved in the developing cycle (for people like me who don’t develop at home) and the uncertainty on whether the processor will muck up or lose your scroll, is not practical for me all the time these days. The size of the Q is just right. The RX1 Zeiss lens and Sony sensor are just as good but the speed and control doesn’t match up, and unless you need the tiny size, the Q is better everywhere .... Then there are the colours. The Q somehow produces that kodachromish ethereal 3D photo first spotted on the M8 and ended with the M9. The lens is as good or better as the latest Elmarit and perhaps the greatest 28mm I have ever used. As the whole camera is about the same cost as the M lens on its own, its not a bad package. Always unable to actually get the word value out of my throat when talking about Leica, but as a custom designed device from a small company with many hand made components, its really not bad at all. Using the Q is extremely well thought out. The body is compact without being small. It’s thin without being skinny and the lens is well buried but still robust, befitting its 1.7 aperture. Fixed lens is always a big debate. For my photography I like to use between 28 and 90 mostly. As it’s a 28mm with crop one can get to 50mm which is good enough for most things for me. The X100 series and RX1 are at 35mm and no amount of cropping can get back to 28mm It’s the sharpness at 1.7 which really shines. The full aperture range is really useful. Perhaps when we get to 200mp cameras they will become optically zoomless ? Of course fixed lens and the general speedy nature of the camera means that fleeting moments are not lost, even if the camera has to be switched on Every street camera is called upon to do black and white. With the Q its scintillating Colour depth maintains itself, even in low light where ISO is challenged The silver version really impressed me. I think (from what I hear) the anodised finish is more hardy then the paint of the black version and the lens, which looks plasticy in pictures, looks terrific in real life and is mostly a metal piece. When I started my Leica journey I always bought black. More stealthy I thought, however the silver is more beautiful and as I continue to enjoy pretty things in general in life, I prefer to stick to beauty these days. Frankly the silver doesn’t make much difference. If you are holding a camera up to someone’s face it doesn’t matter what colour it is, and silver looks older making people less interested in it at a distance. Where will the Q go in the future ? I would be surprised if Leica changed anything about the shape or controls in the next iteration. Perhaps a few tweaks, but expect the main event to be a higher resolution sensor, more focus points, Bluetooth and a faster cpu, and that’s about it. So in summary this beautiful object of art, and it really feels like it, which takes exceptional street and travel pictures, is the classic I have been waiting for. 6 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The first camera that added the special to digital for me was the Canon 5D. This mis-shapen lump of mirror and plastic produced pictures with acuity and emotion not typically available to the amateur before. Together with Canon classics like the 50mm f1.2, it managed to jump into the moment with clarity and poise. The next camera that was something special was the Leica M8. I have still never been able to replicate the combination of 3D, weird colours and sharpness which gave photos an unworldly character but somehow drew out the individual through their pores. The M8 had unacceptable noise, but the M9 built on it, losing a bit of its bite but adding a modicum of ISO performance quorate to 640 and pushable to 1250 in a snap. The M9 was a landmark camera. It’s combination of size and performance at the time was unique. Even extreme low light performance with the Q is of course great including focus (with no light assist) and way off centre focus point: It’s not since the M9 that I found digital emotion until the Q. The word digital is important. Nothing beats people on film and nothing beats the feeling of a fully loaded M7 or MP ready to roll. But the sheer cost of developing, the time involved in the developing cycle (for people like me who don’t develop at home) and the uncertainty on whether the processor will muck up or lose your scroll, is not practical for me all the time these days. The size of the Q is just right. The RX1 Zeiss lens and Sony sensor are just as good but the speed and control doesn’t match up, and unless you need the tiny size, the Q is better everywhere .... Then there are the colours. The Q somehow produces that kodachromish ethereal 3D photo first spotted on the M8 and ended with the M9. The lens is as good or better as the latest Elmarit and perhaps the greatest 28mm I have ever used. As the whole camera is about the same cost as the M lens on its own, its not a bad package. Always unable to actually get the word value out of my throat when talking about Leica, but as a custom designed device from a small company with many hand made components, its really not bad at all. Using the Q is extremely well thought out. The body is compact without being small. It’s thin without being skinny and the lens is well buried but still robust, befitting its 1.7 aperture. Fixed lens is always a big debate. For my photography I like to use between 28 and 90 mostly. As it’s a 28mm with crop one can get to 50mm which is good enough for most things for me. The X100 series and RX1 are at 35mm and no amount of cropping can get back to 28mm It’s the sharpness at 1.7 which really shines. The full aperture range is really useful. Perhaps when we get to 200mp cameras they will become optically zoomless ? Of course fixed lens and the general speedy nature of the camera means that fleeting moments are not lost, even if the camera has to be switched on Every street camera is called upon to do black and white. With the Q its scintillating Colour depth maintains itself, even in low light where ISO is challenged The silver version really impressed me. I think (from what I hear) the anodised finish is more hardy then the paint of the black version and the lens, which looks plasticy in pictures, looks terrific in real life and is mostly a metal piece. When I started my Leica journey I always bought black. More stealthy I thought, however the silver is more beautiful and as I continue to enjoy pretty things in general in life, I prefer to stick to beauty these days. Frankly the silver doesn’t make much difference. If you are holding a camera up to someone’s face it doesn’t matter what colour it is, and silver looks older making people less interested in it at a distance. Where will the Q go in the future ? I would be surprised if Leica changed anything about the shape or controls in the next iteration. Perhaps a few tweaks, but expect the main event to be a higher resolution sensor, more focus points, Bluetooth and a faster cpu, and that’s about it. So in summary this beautiful object of art, and it really feels like it, which takes exceptional street and travel pictures, is the classic I have been waiting for. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/293549-encounter-with-the-silver-surfer-aka-q-silver/?do=findComment&comment=3669500'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 22, 2019 Posted January 22, 2019 Hi colonel, Take a look here Encounter with the Silver Surfer, aka Q Silver. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ropo54 Posted January 22, 2019 Share #2 Posted January 22, 2019 Thanks, Colonel, for that superb review. The Q is, 'as they say', quite special. Rob 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexS Posted January 29, 2019 Share #3 Posted January 29, 2019 Beautiful review, thanks. How come the Leica logo appears dark grey/black (at closer view it is red?). Looks great, would be a good thing for a special edition. The silver edition looks beautiful. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bags27 Posted January 29, 2019 Share #4 Posted January 29, 2019 (edited) What a beautiful essay and wonderful photos! That's a better "ode to the Q" than Leica itself has produced. They ought to have you create their copy. The next Q is on the horizon, and rumor has it that it will only change by the "size" (not literally) of the sensor--to something in the high 40s MPS-wise. That will, in crop mode, cover pretty much the normal range of the M, which will make for interesting competition. But "larger" sensors come with their own challenges. I am currently lusting for an M6, but my film Nikon sits mostly unused right now. Despite the immense aesthetic satisfaction of film that you note, I, too, don't home develop and share your similar frustrations with the post-shooting process. again, thanks! Edited January 29, 2019 by bags27 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share #5 Posted January 29, 2019 1 hour ago, LexS said: Beautiful review, thanks. How come the Leica logo appears dark grey/black (at closer view it is red?). Looks great, would be a good thing for a special edition. The silver edition looks beautiful. yes its red iphone art Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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