Q2 settings questions

[brickftl]

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first question: I want the FN button to only be for setting drive mode. In the edit FN menu, I was able to turn off all preset functions EXCEPT self timer. When I try to turn it off I get a message "active items cannot be deleted". What does that mean and bottom line, is there a way to get self timer off the FN button?

second question: under edit profiles: is there a way to edit the default profile?

Thanks!

[Leica Guy]

You must add Drive mode to the Fn list ON then select drive mode as the active one. Then you can go back in and set timer to OFF. I know, it’s cumbersome, but it’s the way it works. 

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[DexL]

Per the manual, Cannot be modified (default profile). I also would like this ability though... feels like another wishlist Firmware addition.

[brickftl]

thank you both!!!

[fredus]

These are the small details that really show Leica is not a software company  This is unnecessarily cumbersome for something so simple to code. Why don't they invest into good software engineering is beyond me.  

[BXL Gotham]

4 hours ago, fredus said:

These are the small details that really show Leica is not a software company  This is unnecessarily cumbersome for something so simple to code. Why don't they invest into good software engineering is beyond me.  

As someone who just took delivery of the Q2 yesterday, I had this same maddening experience and the same conclusion. Leica is in over its head in the digital world and doesn't seem to be any closer to digging out. You'd think with the partnership with Panasonic that they'd be getting some in-kind help in the software/firmware best practices department. Let me tell you that when I see all the video reviews extolling the brilliant simplicity of this and other Leica digital cameras, and then find these menu and settings issues, I am quite disappointed. While SONY may have a deep and cluttered menu, at least it is in many cases not this cumbersome to turn things on and off. Telling a user that you can't do X in a menu until some other state in the system is switched off, but not telling them where or giving them immediate choice to disable that in the same stroke, is a recipe for huge frustration., 

[Leica Guy]

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1 hour ago, BXL Gotham said:

As someone who just took delivery of the Q2 yesterday, I had this same maddening experience and the same conclusion. Leica is in over its head in the digital world and doesn't seem to be any closer to digging out. You'd think with the partnership with Panasonic that they'd be getting some in-kind help in the software/firmware best practices department. Let me tell you that when I see all the video reviews extolling the brilliant simplicity of this and other Leica digital cameras, and then find these menu and settings issues, I am quite disappointed. While SONY may have a deep and cluttered menu, at least it is in many cases not this cumbersome to turn things on and off. Telling a user that you can't do X in a menu until some other state in the system is switched off, but not telling them where or giving them immediate choice to disable that in the same stroke, is a recipe for huge frustration., 

I’m not going to defend Leica’s firmware development. I’ve raised my own issues with them mainly around the FOTOS app. However, before you become too jaded, I urge you to give the camera a chance to impress you. It’s a terrific camera for travel or general photography. The EVF is very bright and for me anyway, responsive. The weather sealing is a bonus and the sensor / lens combo is sharp. Have some fun before you pass final judgment. You might be surprised how much you like it. If not, sell it and enjoy your Sony. 

[brickftl]

2 minutes ago, Leica Guy said:

I’m not going to defend Leica’s firmware development. I’ve raised my own issues with them mainly around the FOTOS app. However, before you become too jaded, I urge you to give the camera a chance to impress you. It’s a terrific camera for travel or general photography. The EVF is very bright and for me anyway, responsive. The weather sealing is a bonus and the sensor / lens combo is sharp. Have some fun before you pass final judgment. You might be surprised how much you like it. If not, sell it and enjoy your Sony. 

agreed, and different uses/tools. I've got the Sony A7iii which is great for certain purposes, but more often than not my hands are on the Q2 (as they were with my Q). Initially I was a bit frustrated with the Q2 menu and seemingly reverting to settings before I changed them. But now I've got everything I wanted including button/dial settings in one of the personal settings and now it's all good.

[Miltz]

3 hours ago, BXL Gotham said:

As someone who just took delivery of the Q2 yesterday, I had this same maddening experience and the same conclusion. Leica is in over its head in the digital world and doesn't seem to be any closer to digging out. You'd think with the partnership with Panasonic that they'd be getting some in-kind help in the software/firmware best practices department. Let me tell you that when I see all the video reviews extolling the brilliant simplicity of this and other Leica digital cameras, and then find these menu and settings issues, I am quite disappointed. While SONY may have a deep and cluttered menu, at least it is in many cases not this cumbersome to turn things on and off. Telling a user that you can't do X in a menu until some other state in the system is switched off, but not telling them where or giving them immediate choice to disable that in the same stroke, is a recipe for huge frustration., 

I have to agree with you. This is why Leica fired all those people recently. They clearly know they need to step up their software game as the firmware/issues are why I returned my Q2. I can’t spend $5,000 on a camera that has those kind of issues. 

[DexL]

4 hours ago, BXL Gotham said:

As someone who just took delivery of the Q2 yesterday, I had this same maddening experience and the same conclusion. Leica is in over its head in the digital world and doesn't seem to be any closer to digging out. You'd think with the partnership with Panasonic that they'd be getting some in-kind help in the software/firmware best practices department. Let me tell you that when I see all the video reviews extolling the brilliant simplicity of this and other Leica digital cameras, and then find these menu and settings issues, I am quite disappointed. While SONY may have a deep and cluttered menu, at least it is in many cases not this cumbersome to turn things on and off. Telling a user that you can't do X in a menu until some other state in the system is switched off, but not telling them where or giving them immediate choice to disable that in the same stroke, is a recipe for huge frustration., 

Sold my Sony and even with the frustrating truths you point out I am so much happier with my Q2.  I carry it almost everywhere and I get so many more satisfying shots than I did with my Sony RXR1ii.  I also have confidence that I will see firmware updates to address many of the misses.  I agree with the Leica guy... this one deserves a chance.

[BXL Gotham]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I assure you that after $5k and change and merely a few days I have no plans to scuttle this Leica. I fully intend to examine what I believe will prove to be its superlative capabilities despite its digital software shortcomings. I expect to be keeping both the RX1 (i and ii) as well as this Q2. I have never sold a single camera I’ve bought, rather I find special uses for them. 

More to come and thanks for the encouragement. 

[lykaman]

8 hours ago, BXL Gotham said:

As someone who just took delivery of the Q2 yesterday, I had this same maddening experience and the same conclusion. Leica is in over its head in the digital world and doesn't seem to be any closer to digging out. You'd think with the partnership with Panasonic that they'd be getting some in-kind help in the software/firmware best practices department. Let me tell you that when I see all the video reviews extolling the brilliant simplicity of this and other Leica digital cameras, and then find these menu and settings issues, I am quite disappointed. While SONY may have a deep and cluttered menu, at least it is in many cases not this cumbersome to turn things on and off. Telling a user that you can't do X in a menu until some other state in the system is switched off, but not telling them where or giving them immediate choice to disable that in the same stroke, is a recipe for huge frustration., 

I'm amazed, firstly you buy a camera without actually finding out ALL about it's Pro's N Con's.. Instruction books are readily accessible online.. Leica's are about results, not necessarily the photographers mindset/convenience..(older Ferraris where pigs to sit in and drive, but they got the job done for which they where designed, winning races) Adapt & Overcome -- 

Edited August 25, 2019 by lykaman

[BXL Gotham]

47 minutes ago, lykaman said:

I'm amazed, firstly you buy a camera without actually finding out ALL about it's Pro's N Con's.. Instruction books are readily accessible online.. Leica's are about results, not necessarily the photographers mindset/convenience..(older Ferraris where pigs to sit in and drive, but they got the job done for which they where designed, winning races) Adapt & Overcome -- 

You're amazed yet people here have pointed out that the exact expectation that I had for the Q2's AEL behavior was on the original Q, but somehow switched around. So you want to tell me this is some brilliant forethought by Leica, a company and a product platform that's about results? Please, this is really unconvincing. The reality is that the Q2 is a digital camera that in this digital day and age ought to have a very simple set of familiar options that are present in not only nearly all cameras today, but their own prior variant. 

By the way, do you own the Q or the Q2? Seems others here who do share my amazement at the lack of this feature, not your amazement that I didn't google the manual to see if something so trivial was left out.

[BXL Gotham]

5 hours ago, Miltz said:

I have to agree with you. This is why Leica fired all those people recently. They clearly know they need to step up their software game as the firmware/issues are why I returned my Q2. I can’t spend $5,000 on a camera that has those kind of issues. 

Wow, they fired their software team or some significant part of it? OK, I guess this further undermines lykaman's post. Clearly Leica wasn't amazed.

[lykaman]

Sorry BXL I cannot agree with you, I very much doubt Leica fired a team of R&D Technicians because of a Software glitch, all software has glitches, that's why Updates exist. It's more likely the Project was completed and signed Off. (The Q2 is now in the marketplace). Miltz, the Q2 has remarkable software & matched lenses, because You cannot adapt or get your head round the Menu is not Leica's fault.. Everything with Software from F1 cars to the ISS has some glitches/issues, we all manage to work around them.. I'm real pleased you returned your Q2, somehow or other I feel the next owner will be over the moon with it's photographic rendition and of course fully accept the few software shortcomings for the pleasure of ownership..  L

[jaapv]

18 hours ago, brickftl said:

first question: I want the FN button to only be for setting drive mode. In the edit FN menu, I was able to turn off all preset functions EXCEPT self timer. When I try to turn it off I get a message "active items cannot be deleted". What does that mean and bottom line, is there a way to get self timer off the FN button?

second question: under edit profiles: is there a way to edit the default profile?

Thanks!

Suggestion, set the timer to "off"  in favourites (assuming that the system is the same on the Q as on the CL) to deactivate it and then remove it from the  fN menu.

[brickftl]

7 hours ago, lykaman said:

I'm amazed, firstly you buy a camera without actually finding out ALL about it's Pro's N Con's.. Instruction books are readily accessible online.. Leica's are about results, not necessarily the photographers mindset/convenience..(older Ferraris where pigs to sit in and drive, but they got the job done for which they where designed, winning races) Adapt & Overcome -- 

I expect you're in the very small minority of Q or Q2 owners who read the manual cover to cover before deciding to buy.

That said, there are quirks/annoyances with all cameras I've owned, none of them causing me to regret by decision to buy. Instead you just work around them. The Q2 is no different, and on balance I love it just as I did my Q.

[Alain88]

vor 47 Minuten schrieb brickftl:

I expect you're in the very small minority of Q or Q2 owners who read the manual cover to cover before deciding to buy.

That said, there are quirks/annoyances with all cameras I've owned, none of them causing me to regret by decision to buy. Instead you just work around them. The Q2 is no different, and on balance I love it just as I did my Q.

Personnaly I did it. And I tested the camera as much as needed to answer my question before spending so much money.

I'm very happy they don't have sony's menu (And I think they never will because it's not Leica's DNA). The only annoying thing to me is the back focus button to hold (and the set button not resetting the focus target)... So I let it on the crop mode, very usefull to think about other composition possibilities. All I need is there: Aperture, Speed and ISO dials, focus, expo and shooting modes are in favorite on the menu so fast to acces for my use.

Moreover, I don't see as an issue to not allow the user to delete a setting from the shortcut buttons if it's the activ setting. It would have been nice to specify to the developper that this thing could be done and how the system should behave in this case. But it was not the case apparently, and for the number of times you need to change your shorcut list it's not realy an issue.