Q2 First impressions

[johntobias]

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Thought I’d scribble a few first impressions, the forum was useful to me so if this helps anyone swithering, ...you’re welcome

 

ok, quality of build...simply sublime, a real Leica in every sense of the word, serious heft but fits the hand perfectly. Immaculate down to the smallest detail

cap....the lens cap, while pretty....is useless...falls off in a strong breeze!...I quickly added a b&w protection filter and that with the lens hood means no need for a cap

strap...lovely black leather but designed for a midget....far to short, added peak design loops and I can swap between no strap, a PD leash, a PD cuff and my preferred option, an eddycam elk leather strap

battery life, great, fast card useful, I use a lexar v90 2000x one good for roughly 600 raw files (64GB)

thumb indent..useful but too shallow, you were right Dan......thumb grip ordered

also ordered the Leica protector as minimal bulk compared to the lim or arte di Mano (and I hate front grips )

now the meat of it.....those dng’s  are stunning I’m not keen on some of the jpgs produced but the BIG 88meg raw files are astonishing....if the M11 gets this sensor, you M guys are in for a real step up in output.

Manual focus......buttery smooth, a real Leica lens and so easy with the focus peaking...

Finally, that lens....the way I look at it is it is £4000 for a top spec Leica 28mm and they chuck in the body for free!

 

For the current Time and foreseeable future, I have found my holy grail camera

 

huge thanks to those that pushed me....this is night and day compared to my CL. (Which was actually very good too)

 

thank you all and sorry for the self indulgence 

[Timeslip]

52 minutes ago, johntobias said:

 

strap...lovely black leather but designed for a midget....far to short, added peak design loops and I can swap between no strap, a PD leash, a PD cuff and my preferred option, an eddycam elk leather strap

 

I am curious how you connected the PD loops.  I bought the EDDYCAM's (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1269904-REG/eddycam_0107_eddyconnection_camera_hook_for.html) , but settled on some older smaller ones.  Curious what you did... Also what color PD leash?

 

 

[johntobias]

The newer mini PD loops fit through the lugs no bother, got a grey leash...nice and long  (I’m 1.93m tall !) and instantly adjustable.....the eddycam strap I fitted with PD quick connects too....i like to use my camera on a tripod fairly often (I have a novoflex triopod with a magic ball head and mini-connect system so easy Peasy to remove strap for that Use

Edited May 11, 2020 by johntobias

[Timeslip]

I am curious which version you are using, and if you wouldn't mind taking a picture of it.  I believe I have the latest version (v4), and it is too thick to fit through the ring.

https://support.peakdesign.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000833866-2018-Anchor-Update

[johntobias]

They are available in thick and thin, the thin fits well without any split rings etc

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[johntobias]

My thin ones must be V3 ones.  

[T25UFO]

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2 hours ago, johntobias said:

Thought I’d scribble a few first impressions, the forum was useful to me so if this helps anyone swithering, ...you’re welcome

 

ok, quality of build...simply sublime, a real Leica in every sense of the word, serious heft but fits the hand perfectly. Immaculate down to the smallest detail

cap....the lens cap, while pretty....is useless...falls off in a strong breeze!...I quickly added a b&w protection filter and that with the lens hood means no need for a cap

strap...lovely black leather but designed for a midget....far to short, added peak design loops and I can swap between no strap, a PD leash, a PD cuff and my preferred option, an eddycam elk leather strap

battery life, great, fast card useful, I use a lexar v90 2000x one good for roughly 600 raw files (64GB)

thumb indent..useful but too shallow, you were right Dan......thumb grip ordered

also ordered the Leica protector as minimal bulk compared to the lim or arte di Mano (and I hate front grips )

now the meat of it.....those dng’s  are stunning I’m not keen on some of the jpgs produced but the BIG 88meg raw files are astonishing....if the M11 gets this sensor, you M guys are in for a real step up in output.

Manual focus......buttery smooth, a real Leica lens and so easy with the focus peaking...

Finally, that lens....the way I look at it is it is £4000 for a top spec Leica 28mm and they chuck in the body for free!

 

For the current Time and foreseeable future, I have found my holy grail camera

 

huge thanks to those that pushed me....this is night and day compared to my CL. (Which was actually very good too)

 

thank you all and sorry for the self indulgence 

Brilliant.  Great choice.  Now just save up for the M10 Mono with 50mm APO lens and you have the perfect combination 😃

[Leica Guy]

3 hours ago, johntobias said:

Thought I’d scribble a few first impressions, the forum was useful to me so if this helps anyone swithering, ...you’re welcome

 

ok, quality of build...simply sublime, a real Leica in every sense of the word, serious heft but fits the hand perfectly. Immaculate down to the smallest detail

cap....the lens cap, while pretty....is useless...falls off in a strong breeze!...I quickly added a b&w protection filter and that with the lens hood means no need for a cap

strap...lovely black leather but designed for a midget....far to short, added peak design loops and I can swap between no strap, a PD leash, a PD cuff and my preferred option, an eddycam elk leather strap

battery life, great, fast card useful, I use a lexar v90 2000x one good for roughly 600 raw files (64GB)

thumb indent..useful but too shallow, you were right Dan......thumb grip ordered

also ordered the Leica protector as minimal bulk compared to the lim or arte di Mano (and I hate front grips )

now the meat of it.....those dng’s  are stunning I’m not keen on some of the jpgs produced but the BIG 88meg raw files are astonishing....if the M11 gets this sensor, you M guys are in for a real step up in output.

Manual focus......buttery smooth, a real Leica lens and so easy with the focus peaking...

Finally, that lens....the way I look at it is it is £4000 for a top spec Leica 28mm and they chuck in the body for free!

 

For the current Time and foreseeable future, I have found my holy grail camera

 

huge thanks to those that pushed me....this is night and day compared to my CL. (Which was actually very good too)

 

thank you all and sorry for the self indulgence 

Congratulations John. You're on the way!!!

I never use the lens cap. I feel the lens hood and Leica UV filter protect the front element just fine. I have an Arte de Mano half case and their 120cm cotton strap. It works perfectly for me. You'll love the Thumbs Up. It works very well on the Q2. Yes, you definitely need a screen protector on the rear LCD. I literally never see the jpg's. I shoot RAW and expect to process every photo worth keeping. I recommend the Nitecore charger. Much smaller than the Leica charger and all it requires is a USB 2.0 port to charge. 

Off topic a bit, but I use a Canon MR-14EX II ring flash in manual mode on the Q2 to photograph macro mostly. It works extraordinarily well. It's an unusual accessory for this camera and I love it. Here's a couple of my Bee shots. 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[DiStil]

I own the Q2 some months now but I am new in the forum.

For a travel camera, the need for an external charger is a big minus. Also the lens cap is amateurishness at it’s best. Finally the iPad app version and the video controls through the app...why you need to pay more?

other than these three the camera is pretty much amazing! a jewel that you are happy to shoot with. The color depth and tonality as well as the b&w transformations work really well. Print your photos and you will love them.

the only real trap is that with this amazing optical performance some times you focus too much on the main subject that pops out rather than the composition. I find my self coming from the flat Nikon to becoming a weird version of pixel peeper while I admire the lens performance. But ok I will get over it. For sure its a tool that affected my photography as I learn to adopt to its uniqueness.

Questions:

how you put filter at the same time with the lens hood? it works? I thought I had to unscrew the hood to do this

 

 

[johntobias]

2 minutes ago, DiStil said:

 

Questions:

how you put filter at the same time with the lens hood? it works? I thought I had to unscrew the hood to do this

 

 

The hood screws to the OUTSIDE of the lens, the filter thread is INSIDE the lens diameter (49mm) so easy to use both  , to make it easy to add the filter, just temporarily remove the hood

also, yes.. the rendering , even in the viewfinder sometimes makes me forget composition !

[matted]

18 minutes ago, DiStil said:

I own the Q2 some months now but I am new in the forum.

For a travel camera, the need for an external charger is a big minus. Also the lens cap is amateurishness at it’s best. Finally the iPad app version and the video controls through the app...why you need to pay more?

 

 

I’ve been traveling with an external charger since getting my first digital camera so I don’t feel that is a big minus, but it certainly would be a nice addition in future Qs. I also don’t get all of the lens cap hate, and actually like the design. I think it quite clever that it fits both with or without the hood. 
 

Agreed about the app though! Should be included. I would maybe, POSSIBLY consider paying if the app worked reliably, but I have to try to connect 10-15 times  for it to work properly which is a PITA. 
 

12 hours ago, Leica Guy said:

Congratulations John. You're on the way!!!

I never use the lens cap. I feel the lens hood and Leica UV filter protect the front element just fine. I have an Arte de Mano half case and their 120cm cotton strap. It works perfectly for me. You'll love the Thumbs Up. It works very well on the Q2. Yes, you definitely need a screen protector on the rear LCD. I literally never see the jpg's. I shoot RAW and expect to process every photo worth keeping. I recommend the Nitecore charger. Much smaller than the Leica charger and all it requires is a USB 2.0 port to charge. 

My Arte de Mano case, and hand strap, and thumbs up just shipped. Can’t wait for them to arrive!

 

I was not planning on adding a screen protector, but your warning is giving me caution. Did you get the Leica one, or 3rd party?

 

 

I am also fairly new to the Q2 and am absolutely loving it. It has made me consider getting rid of all my other cameras as it does just about everything, and does it extremely well. The AF can keep up with my kids, and it also can come close to replicating the M experience with its great EVF and nice manual controls. The lens quality is superlative and the RAW files are great with a lot of headroom for adjustments and cropping.

 

I have no use for JPGs out of camera so can’t comment on those... if I was to change anything about the camera I think I would redesign the little lock button to go from AF to MF and back... I think I found the Q’s click stop much more natural to my hands. I would also love to have a 2 or 3 way tilt LCD, even though it would harm the beautiful design and construction of the camera a little bit. I did not realize how accustomed I had become to using the one on my Fugi ILCs until I didn’t have one in the Q2!

[johntobias]

The Q2 screen is already Gorilla Glass but I added a german made flexi-glass protector (like all my cameras in the past...brilliant quality, no airbubbles and really strong    £4.50 from germany via ebay...arrived in 5 days.

 

[Chippy_boy]

16 minutes ago, johntobias said:

The Q2 screen is already Gorilla Glass but I added a german made flexi-glass protector (like all my cameras in the past...brilliant quality, no airbubbles and really strong    £4.50 from germany via ebay...arrived in 5 days.

 

Do you mind telling me which one? I have avoided using a protector so far because of mixed reports of most of them. If you can recommend a good one, I might try it.

[johntobias]

This is the one......works brilliantly  totally invisible and a bargain price

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leica-Q2-Schutzpanzer-Glass-Foil-9H-Foil-Display-Glass-Protection-Film

 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by johntobias

[DiStil]

Thanks for the info as well guys. And thank you OP for opening the thread. It is useful.

 

not sure I will completely get rid of all my other equipment as I find the 28mm distortion not ideal for some cares such as more close up portraits. Unless it’s hands. Hands close up is marvelous 🙂
 

what filters you recommend that don’t affect the optical performance? With 47mp I am afraid that cheaper filters will kill the active resolution 

Edited May 12, 2020 by DiStil

[matted]

24 minutes ago, DiStil said:

Thanks for the info as well guys. And thank you OP for opening the thread. It is useful.

 

not sure I will completely get rid of all my other equipment as I find the 28mm distortion not ideal for some cares such as more close up portraits. Unless it’s hands. Hands close up is marvelous 🙂
 

what filters you recommend that don’t affect the optical performance? With 47mp I am afraid that cheaper filters will kill the active resolution 

I think the distortion you mention is perspective distortion and not inherent to the lens. I think switching to 35mm or 50mm crop and aiming for the same composition (and therefore backing up a bit) would eliminate much of the distortion that is bothering you for such shots. 

[johntobias]

31 minutes ago, DiStil said:

 

what filters you recommend that don’t affect the optical performance? With 47mp I am afraid that cheaper filters will kill the active resolution 

I’ve had some bad filter experience over the years...even from Hoya so I stick to either Leica filters, B&W filters or Heliopan Filters...never had a prob with any of these...My Q2 has a B&W protection filter....quality glass and a slim mount....can hardly even notice it under the lens hood but peace of mind is immense , esp on a camera with a fixed lens.

[Leica Guy]

1 hour ago, matted said:

I think the distortion you mention is perspective distortion and not inherent to the lens. I think switching to 35mm or 50mm crop and aiming for the same composition (and therefore backing up a bit) would eliminate much of the distortion that is bothering you for such shots. 

The Q2 is not great for portraits. It works, but a focal length much closer to 70-100 would be better. I agree with using the 50 crop. I also recommend stepping back a little. You lose a little resolution, but the perspective with the Q2 28mm lens would be more flattering. 
 

The problem is simply the 28 mm focal length and not the Q2. It would be the same with an M10 and a 28 Summilux. 
 

I don’t want to scare the new Q2 users. The camera is excellent and even portraits turn out pretty well. It’s just a longer focal length is more flattering for serious portrait work. 

[DiStil]

Yes this is what I mean as well.

Environmental portraits though are Still amazing. Meaning more people or people with more of their body and the surrounding environment appearing in the picture. The far away I am the better it is.

This also push you to think more about the composition and the surrounding areas.

but I don’t think I can get same results with using a native 50mm lens if I want to isolate neck and head on a shot. Maybe similar but I still believe the nose will be different.

for kids though or babies is perfect. Kids and babies can look very nice with some different field of view. I got the Leica for my newborns and they look amazing through that lens.

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[T25UFO]

7 hours ago, DiStil said:

what filters you recommend that don’t affect the optical performance? With 47mp I am afraid that cheaper filters will kill the active resolution 

A lot people here use B+W but I now use filters from Breakthrough Photography.  Excellent glass and extremely well made.  I previously bought direct from the USA - shipping is free and usually arrives within a week - but they now have a UK website.  Highly recommended.