Leica Q2 ( A noisy camera ! ) Your views please

[Casey Jefferson]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I just got myself a Q2 after using M240 for 3 years. A side by side comparison is very revealing, at ISO3200 the Q2 is noisier, to match up the M240 a noise reduction of 20 in LR required to match them. But since I'm using 35 summicron ASPH on the M240 wide open performance isn't sharp, after noise reduction the Q2 still a little sharper. So in real world scenario you can just shoot to your hearts content with the Q2 wide open at night with shutter speed like 1/30 and you rarely go beyond ISO2000.

If that still doesn't satisfy the need for low light one can always go with the original Q, and in real world it seems to offer a stop better ISO performance compared to M240, so it's more than a stop better than Q2.

[Daniel C.1975]

vor 6 Stunden schrieb howard_cummer:

I returned my Q2 for a Q2 monochrome because I didn't like the noise levels at high ISOs (6400) on the Q2. I can use my Nikon Z9 on auto ISO to 12,800 without thinking about it very much. The Q2 monochrome is exemplary in its high ISO performance. I have now acquired another Q2 and am now finding my way through various noise reducing programs to improve the Q2's high ISO noise performance. For my taste the Topaz Ai program produces skin tones which are too plastic unless manipulated a lot from the auto settings. The best I have found is DxO Pure Raw which I will likely buy. Frankly when the Q2 was being reviewed for release I am surprised that Leica would release such a nicely designed camera with such a noisy at high ISOs sensor. Its performance is far far behind the latest standards. A comparison photo of my friend Hans making dinner - at iso 6,400 - shot in RAW and one sample processed in DxO  - the other unprocessed.

Howard

 

 

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!

Yes, especially compared to the SL2s the Q2 is not the camera with the lowest noise, but it is also not the worst.

The above picture does not reflect what I experience with the Q2, except I‘ve messed up my exposure and need to correct more than usual in PP, again the SL2s is much, much more forgiving in this regard. What the Q2 really does not appreciate is an extreme lift of the shadows in PP.

So I wonder how much lifting took place?

 

My max acceptable ISO is 6400 on the Q2, with some pain already. Still, my usual results are not as bad as the above.

 

Attached a picture at ISO5000 at f1.7 and 1/50s. It was very gloomy with very bad artificial light, so in fact a photographers nightmare.  Some lifting of the darker areas took place in PP as I underexposed a bit too much. Standard B&W work in LR with no special denoising-tool. I don‘t want too prove how great the Q2 in high-iso is, because it isn‘t. But it‘s not that bad, just know you tool  

[jaapv]

It is not the sensor as such. Mostly it is the amount of noise processing in-camera. Nikon has always been more aggressive than Leica in this respect. 

[Samgt]

I have only owned a Q2 for less than a month.  My experience has been that if I limit my ISO manually and not leave it to AUTO, I get better results.

[Marc B-C]

This is a close crop of a Q2 shot at 3200iso, run via DXO Prime Raw 3 and then exported as a JPG. I see nothing noisy about this. Click to enlarge.

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!

Edited April 2, 2023 by Marc B-C

[howard_cummer]

Yes, thanks for sharing, I agree that DX0 works like a charm on both ISO 3200 and ISO 6400 - better than Topaz Ai in my experience. I am forced to use DxO on the photos I want to keep at those higher ISOs.  Beautifully designed as the Q2 is - I think in camera noise reduction should have been automatically applied - like Nikon does on my Z9 - as Jaap mentioned in an earlier comment Nikon uses a stronger noise reduction program. My Q2 monochrome has completely different noise characteristics and is readily useable to ISO 6400. For future Q models I would suggest Leica consider using its Panasonic connections to obtain a Sony sensor which has better noise characteristics at high ISOs - even if achieved with more automatically applied in camera noise reduction. Just my two cents.

[jaapv]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Also to consider: Exposing liberally ( and not agonizing over highlights) reduces noise considerably. Keep the shadows above the noise floor as much as possible. The Histogram is your friend, get it as full as possible. Use blinkies to see if you really need to protect those specific highlights On static subjects you can exposure bracket and merge. 

[Pedro B]

Hey! I was lucky to be in Antelope Canyon last month and decided to shoot at ISO 800, considering you do not have much time to be constantly adjusting your settings. I am not sure if I am pissed or concerned at the outcome.

Low lights are… horrible. 
 

my old and reliable D600 seems to have done a better job. Yes! The D600!!!