Anybody move to a Q2M from an M monochrom?

[Peter Wright]

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If you shoot in the 28mm to 50mm range almost all the time, is there any logic to moving to a Q2M from the M Monochrom?  I am wondering if someone has done this and what the experience has been.

[trickness]

4 hours ago, Peter Wright said:

If you shoot in the 28mm to 50mm range almost all the time, is there any logic to moving to a Q2M from the M Monochrom?  I am wondering if someone has done this and what the experience has been.

I’ve had an M-P 240 in the past with 21 through 75 lenses. I now have an SL2 & a Q2M.

M10 Mono is a fantastic camera (as well it should be for nine grand). But it’s a rangefinder of course and it doesn’t include any lenses. If you enjoy shooting with a rangefinder, you know it is it’s own thing. Q2 and the M are cameras, but as different as chalk & cheese in most other regards. M - no autofocus, more than double the money with an equivalent 28 Summilux. But you can swap lenses of course. Image quality might be a little better on the M10M, dynamic range too, but not dramatically better. 
 

Do you want a compact, fixed lens 28mm camera with autofocus for 6k, or a rangefinder for 9k with no lens and the ability to use an array of focal lengths? 
 

What I have come to realize is that all these camera - the M, Q and SL - are their own thing, and none of them supersede or replace the others. It’s just about what you prefer. And I strongly feel that the best answer is to just get all of them, if one can afford that, and choose the right camera for the moment. Or get just one and use it until it falls apart. At the end of the day the quality of the photograph is not dependent on the camera, it’s dependent on the snapper. 

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[vedivv]

M10M offers better low-noise performance, but not so from the M9 monochrome, as Q2 has vastly superior sensor technology. But this is more a matter of shooting experience than image quality difference.  So you probably won't miss many shots from M to Q.  But nothing can replace the rangefinder experience with manual focusing, but I cursed my 240 for bad focus calibration many times.

[hdmesa]

On 4/17/2021 at 11:19 AM, Peter Wright said:

If you shoot in the 28mm to 50mm range almost all the time, is there any logic to moving to a Q2M from the M Monochrom?  I am wondering if someone has done this and what the experience has been.

You will gain access to other focal lengths and the more deliberate experience of using a rangefinder to focus. You will lose AF, easy-to-use close-focus/macro, and a significant amount of battery life.

Edited April 19, 2021 by hdmesa

[dancook]

I keep wondering about selling my M10M and 28Lux (I don't have any other leica currently), and getting a Q2 and Q2M and having some change...

[hdmesa]

13 hours ago, dancook said:

I keep wondering about selling my M10M and 28Lux (I don't have any other leica currently), and getting a Q2 and Q2M and having some change...

The Q2M is so good, I have about lost interest in shooting color at all.

Only caution: you'll never get sharp corners for landscape with the Q2M – too much software distortion correction is applied/required, and the medium-format clarity of the 47mp Q2M monochrome sensor combined with the fixed-lens Lux IQ makes it pretty obvious at 100% magnification. I don't know how good the 28 Lux for the M is in the corners, though, so maybe it wouldn't be a big change for you.

Edited April 20, 2021 by hdmesa

[Craig Clark]

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1 hour ago, hdmesa said:

The Q2M is so good, I have about lost interest in shooting color at all.

Only caution: you'll never get sharp corners for landscape with the Q2M – too much software distortion correction is applied/required, and the medium-format clarity of the 47mp Q2M monochrome sensor combined with the fixed-lens Lux IQ makes it pretty obvious at 100% magnification. I don't know how good the 28 Lux for the M is in the corners, though, so maybe it wouldn't be a big change for you.

I second this....I have to force myself to shoot color so my Q2 doesnt become an expensive paper weight.  

[rtai]

I went from film to the M10M and then tried a friend’s Q2M and loved it so much I bought one and now use it exclusively for street photography while the M10M is just sitting around. I really like the AF for the shots I was able to take. The 28mm was out of my comfort zone and no matter how close I got it seemed was never close enough but now I am hooked and can’t imagine street photography without a 28mm. Using the Q2M made me a better street photographer. 

Edited April 26, 2021 by rtai

[Peter Wright]

Interesting response.  Just the kind of experience I was looking to hear about.  Thanks,

[fotografr]

On 4/20/2021 at 4:17 AM, dancook said:

I keep wondering about selling my M10M and 28Lux (I don't have any other leica currently), and getting a Q2 and Q2M and having some change...

I did that. No regrets (yet).

Edited May 1, 2021 by fotografr

[dancook]

23 minutes ago, fotografr said:

I did that. No regrets (yet).

well they are up for sale  tempted to get a 50mm 1.2 GM with the change 

[rtai]

Six weeks into the Q2M ownership I am considering selling it. The camera is great but maybe not for my shooting style. I had thought the Q2/Q2M was designed to be a camera for street photography but it is better suited for general snap shots I think. For street I shoot very close often zone focus with 1M to 3 M in focus and stopped down to at least f5.6 the way I set up my Hasselblad SWC. I don’t use the finder and instead shoot waist level. My other camera for street is the Rolleiflex because I like the up angle look.  The Q2M should be a dream because of the AF I can shoot at f1.7 to better isolate the subject in a street setting. But I find the AF to be hit and miss and too often miss unless the subject is right in front of the camera completely still otherwise the camera will focus elsewhere or won’t even trip. Multi field is frustrating because it is unpredictable where it will focus. If you look into the EVF and tap the shutter a few times each time you will see the little green rectangles change positions. Shooting waist level I have no ideal where it is focusing on. I assume logically it would focus on the biggest object closest to the lens but that’s not always true. Eye detection is useless to me because in a street setting there are eyes everywhere. And there are times when the subject is in front of me and I take the shot only to see later the shutter did not fire. Did I need to momentarily press it half way to lock focus? My Canon EOS 1 from the 90’s is smarter than that. So for the past few weeks I have decided to just set the lens to 1.5m, f8, shutter at 1/1000, auto iso and not worry about it. Sure enough focus 100% right on and shutter tripped every time I needed to do so. But then I already have the M10M and 28mm Summaron-M. So today I decided to sell the Q2M and before taking it to the camera shop on consignment went on a shoot. All that frustrating AF issues abound but got a few shots at f1.7 the Q2M absolutely nailed. I can’t zone with M10M and 28mm Summilux at f1.4 so the Q2M will stay for a while.

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Edited May 14, 2021 by rtai
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[jplomley]

7 hours ago, rtai said:

Six weeks into the Q2M ownership I am considering selling it. The camera is great but maybe not for my shooting style. I had thought the Q2/Q2M was designed to be a camera for street photography but it is better suited for general snap shots I think. For street I shoot very close often zone focus with 1M to 3 M in focus and stopped down to at least f5.6 the way I set up my Hasselblad SWC. I don’t use the finder and instead shoot waist level. My other camera for street is the Rolleiflex because I like the up angle look.  The Q2M should be a dream because of the AF I can shoot at f1.7 to better isolate the subject in a street setting. But I find the AF to be hit and miss and too often miss unless the subject is right in front of the camera completely still otherwise the camera will focus elsewhere or won’t even trip. Multi field is frustrating because it is unpredictable where it will focus. If you look into the EVF and tap the shutter a few times each time you will see the little green rectangles change positions. Shooting waist level I have no ideal where it is focusing on. I assume logically it would focus on the biggest object closest to the lens but that’s not always true. Eye detection is useless to me because in a street setting there are eyes everywhere. And there are times when the subject is in front of me and I take the shot only to see later the shutter did not fire. Did I need to momentarily press it half way to lock focus? My Canon EOS 1 from the 90’s is smarter than that. So for the past few weeks I have decided to just set the lens to 1.5m, f8, shutter at 1/1000, auto iso and not worry about it. Sure enough focus 100% right on and shutter tripped every time I needed to do so. But then I already have the M10M and 28mm Summaron-M. So today I decided to sell the Q2M and before taking it to the camera shop on consignment went on a shoot. All that frustrating AF issues abound but got a few shots at f1.7 the Q2M absolutely nailed. I can’t zone with M10M and 28mm Summilux at f1.4 so the Q2M will stay for a while.

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Fantastic image! I have a similar approach depending on the situation and the potential impact of raising the camera to my eye. I use an M10M with 24 Elmar, zone focus at 1.5-2.0m, 1/500th, Auto ISO, f/8.0 .......rarely ever miss a shot!

[T25UFO]

I have both.  The Q2M is a wonderful camera but the combination of M10M and 50mm APO is unbeatable.  The Q2M is my wide angle and the 50mm APO remains permanently glued to the M10M.

I haven’t tried the new 35mm APO yet, but might be tempted to sell the Q2M to part fund the purchase.  Of course would have to give up the 28mm option.