Q2 and Q2 monochrome

[hdmesa]

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Having had the M10-R, M10M, Q2, and Q2M (this is all my opinion, so don't get ruffled, please):

The Q2M produces more satisfying monochrome files over the M10M, provided you like 28mm. The resolution advantage of the Q2M is much larger than 7mp would suggest, so differences in sensor design and/or processing must be at work. 100% viewing of Q2M files is stunning.

For color, the M10-R is far better than the SL2/Q2: better color, better highlight recovery, better highlight falloff, better low ISO.

For Q and M together, I recommend the M10-R and Q2M.

That said, I think my final combination will be the SL2-S + M lenses and Q2M. To my eye, the SL2-S color signature, highlight recovery, and highlight rolloff is leagues ahead of every other Leica. It is the true heir to the original Q and SL – most everything since has been three steps forward, two steps back.

Edited July 31, 2021 by hdmesa

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[Snipe10]

Interesting thread, have the Q2M inbound and hadn't thought of adding the Q2. Was thinking about the CL or CL2, when it becomes available but the the Q2M and Q2 is intriguing. Think I'll play with the Q2M for a bit but there will be times I'd like color even though I prefer b&w.

[intermediatic]

I haven’t been back to this thread for a while, but I’m still enjoying both cameras. It may have been a mistake to buy the M10R and M10M before buying these as I’ve barely touched them. I have rediscovered why I always loved 28mm lenses, something that was my signature in the 2000s when I had my Contax G kit but that stopped when I moved to the NYC area and couldn’t find any good E6 developers. I am also using my Sigma FP-L a bit. Although it’s crazy fiddly, the added resolution over the Ms is significant and, when it works, it has no parallel. I’m afraid that for all the talk about how the M’s allow you to slow down, I need precisely the opposite. This summer I’ve been spending a bit of time with the family and they do get quite frustrated when I fall behind because I am photographing something so the automatic nature of these cameras really helps. 

As far as the two: the Q2M has far superior ultra low light performance to the Q2 and the way the noise is rendered at low light levels is so much better that it gets used in such conditions.