First time Leica buyer/user... Not happy with Quality Control

[Stuart Richardson]

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Mine moves slightly if you try to move the focus ring. I think this is inevitable given that the locking mechanism is a small tab stop that you have to press in to release. The focusing ring is smooth in operation and locks securely, so it is not something I ever noticed until I checked right now. I should also note that I checked my grandmother's 1932 Leica IIIb with 50mm Summar that has a metal locking tab and seems to have been made for a single block of brass, and it also jiggles slightly when you try to move the lens when the tab is locked. Dust in the viewfinder would bother me, but not the issue you describe with the focusing ring.

DOF scales have always been subjective, and these days are more of an aesthetic thing than actually practically useful, I think...they are probably reliable if you are using them for prints smaller than 11x14 or 16x20 inches, but if you go in looking at 100% on a 47mp camera, you will likely find that the depth of field is not as big as you might imagine. The best way to focus is to focus on the most important compositional element and/or choose as small of an f stop as is practical given your current lighting and ISO. Modern Leica cameras on P tend to choose fairly wide f stops...often wider than encompasses the entire DOF. I suspect it is because they are at their sharpest at the point of focus around 2.8-4.8, and they tend to stick to those apertures. On the SL2, the 50mm APO Summicron often defaults to f4.5, even in bright daylight, which is not enough DOF for a lot of images. You have to resort to AE or M to get enough depth of field at times. The Q2 behaves like this as well.

Edited July 24, 2022 by Stuart Richardson

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[SirBlunder]

13 minutes ago, Stuart Richardson said:

Mine moves slightly if you try to move the focus ring. I think this is inevitable given that the locking mechanism is a small tab stop that you have to press in to release. The focusing ring is smooth in operation and locks securely, so it is not something I ever noticed until I checked right now. I should also note that I checked my grandmother's 1932 Leica IIIb with 50mm Summar that has a metal locking tab and seems to have been made for a single block of brass, and it also jiggles slightly when you try to move the lens when the tab is locked. Dust in the viewfinder would bother me, but not the issue you describe with the focusing ring.

DOF scales have always been subjective, and these days are more of an aesthetic thing than actually practically useful, I think...they are probably reliable if you are using them for prints smaller than 11x14 or 16x20 inches, but if you go in looking at 100% on a 47mp camera, you will likely find that the depth of field is not as big as you might imagine. The best way to focus is to focus on the most important compositional element and/or choose as small of an f stop as is practical given your current lighting and ISO. Modern Leica cameras on P tend to choose fairly wide f stops...often wider than encompasses the entire DOF. I suspect it is because they are at their sharpest at the point of focus around 2.8-4.8, and they tend to stick to those apertures. On the SL2, the 50mm APO Summicron often defaults to f4.5, even in bright daylight, which is not enough DOF for a lot of images. You have to resort to AE or M to get enough depth of field at times. The Q2 behaves like this as well.

Thanks for the response. 

My focus ring also "gives" slightly when in MF mode (not locked in AF). As in, when you shift the focus back and forth, the ring itself moves VERY SLIGHTLY before the focus changes. I'm probably not explaining it perfectly. I can try to make a video later. 

[ejg1890]

On 7/22/2022 at 11:30 PM, SirBlunder said:

It seemed brand new, though obviously I can’t be sure. 
 

Do you have a q2? Any of the same issues as I’m having?

I bought a used Q2M from Adorama in February and it appeared brand new. Everything was packaged as of brand new. Not say yours isn’t brand new just sharing my experience. 

[bobtodrick]

Can't be sure...but wouldn't be surprised if they are sending you demo models or returns.

I've had a Q for three years not...based on my results I've three friends who've purchased Q's...two have purchased Q2's and one an M10 Monochrom.

All have been flawless (so seven total).

The reviews for Adorama are not great  https://ca.trustpilot.com/review/www.adorama.com

Since many dealers do not have stock of Q2's this does lead me to believe you are not getting factory fresh units.

Edited July 24, 2022 by bobtodrick

[clasami]

No problems at all with my Q2M.

The Inifinity marking on the lens is very accurate. But you still have to sort of "calibrate" to find the exact infinity point (which may or may not be the center of the infinity symbol). Lenses expand and contract in different temperatues, that's why there is no "hard stop" at infinity for most lenses. The DoF scale on the lens is pretty accurate based on the CoC for FF.

My focus ring has no play.

[SirBlunder]

1 hour ago, bobtodrick said:

Can't be sure...but wouldn't be surprised if they are sending you demo models or returns.

I've had a Q for three years not...based on my results I've three friends who've purchased Q's...two have purchased Q2's and one an M10 Monochrom.

All have been flawless (so seven total).

The reviews for Adorama are not great  https://ca.trustpilot.com/review/www.adorama.com

Since many dealers do not have stock of Q2's this does lead me to believe you are not getting factory fresh units.

Interesting. Sounds like I’ve had a uniquely unlucky experience. Whatever.

Now I’m torn between trying to return (for a refund) to Adorama (despite several weeks of use and 1,000 shots taken), or just having the unit I have repaired.

Both are far less than ideal.

[LocalHero1953]

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Q2 Reporter here. No dust in the EVF. If I try hard, I can just feel slight movement in the focus ring when locked on AF, none at all in MF. The depth of field thing is a non-issue. That scale applies to film cameras, not 47mp sensors with one of Leica's best lenses. (I still use the scale for street photography, but then my standards are not high for that stuff).

[ianforber]

No jiggle here

[bobtodrick]

3 hours ago, SirBlunder said:

Interesting. Sounds like I’ve had a uniquely unlucky experience. Whatever.

Now I’m torn between trying to return (for a refund) to Adorama (despite several weeks of use and 1,000 shots taken), or just having the unit I have repaired.

Both are far less than ideal.

I will say this...I've had the shutter replaced in my M4 film camera a year ago...and a pair of Leica bino's repaired...if Adorama actually sends your camera to Leica NJ and not some repair shop they deal with...you will get a like new camera back and should be covered under warranty.  From my experience their repair dept is top notch.

[SirBlunder]

2 hours ago, bobtodrick said:

I will say this...I've had the shutter replaced in my M4 film camera a year ago...and a pair of Leica bino's repaired...if Adorama actually sends your camera to Leica NJ and not some repair shop they deal with...you will get a like new camera back and should be covered under warranty.  From my experience their repair dept is top notch.

Good to know but.. what’s timing like? My wife is due first week of September. Would rather not be camera-less at any point after that happens.

Adorama wrote me back, said they’d accept a refund if the camera were perfect, which it virtually is despite my using it quite a bit. Would need to figure out how to remove the screen protector. 
 

What’s also frustrating is that I’m not seeing any more in stock. Would need to go with B&H or just wait for Leica Miami to get more. 

[Renata]

42 minutes ago, SirBlunder said:

What’s also frustrating is that I’m not seeing any more in stock. Would need to go with B&H or just wait for Leica Miami to get more. 

Pop Flash, Camera West, Classic Connection - they all have the Q2 in stock.

[SirBlunder]

20 minutes ago, Renata said:

Pop Flash, Camera West, Classic Connection - they all have the Q2 in stock.

Thanks. I'm actually thinking I'll just wait for Leica Miami to have one in stock at this point. I don't love shipping around ~$6,000 worth of camera equipment. With my luck, that's the next thing to go wrong!

[clasami]

vor 13 Stunden schrieb LocalHero1953:

Q2 Reporter here. No dust in the EVF. If I try hard, I can just feel slight movement in the focus ring when locked on AF, none at all in MF. The depth of field thing is a non-issue. That scale applies to film cameras, not 47mp sensors with one of Leica's best lenses. (I still use the scale for street photography, but then my standards are not high for that stuff).

The DoF applies to Film and 47MP sensors if the resulting image is of a certain size and viewed from a certain distance. The scale on the Q2M works just fine if images are viewed on a PC or TV screen with the appropriate and normal viewing distance. Of course it doesn't if one peeps at 100%.

[viramati]

sadly the MF scale really is not at all accurate and has been discussed before. On the other hand it can be used for zone focussing stopped down but you need to memorise the positions through trial and error. A shame for a camera of it's price

 

Edited July 26, 2022 by viramati

[SrMi]

4 hours ago, viramati said:

sadly the MF scale really is not at all accurate and has been discussed before. On the other hand it can be used for zone focussing stopped down but you need to memorise the positions through trial and error. A shame for a camera of it's price

 

It should be enough to use one or two stops less. E.g., when shooting at f/8, you should look at either the f/5.6 or f/4 markings.

[jonoslack]

On 7/24/2022 at 4:27 PM, SirBlunder said:

Can anybody else chime in? Is their focus ring 100% fixed when AF is locked? E.g. no "jiggle" at all

I just bought a Q2 reporter, and my focus ring has a very tiny amount of play when AF is locked as well - I wouldn't consider it a problem, the AF is still properly locked. No dust in my EVF though.

Best

Jono

[SrMi]

On 7/24/2022 at 8:27 AM, SirBlunder said:

Can anybody else chime in? Is their focus ring 100% fixed when AF is locked? E.g. no "jiggle" at all

There is a bit of a "jiggle" when AF is locked. Looks normal to me as it does not affect focusing.

[SAronian]

On 7/24/2022 at 8:27 AM, SirBlunder said:

Can anybody else chime in? Is their focus ring 100% fixed when AF is locked? E.g. no "jiggle" at all

Bought a Q2 Monochrom new from Camera West which came in a sealed box. No dust or other issues, but focus ring has a slight amount of play when locked in AF mode. Manual focus is smooth and precise with no lag or looseness while turning.

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[SirBlunder]

14 hours ago, SAronian said:

Bought a Q2 Monochrom new from Camera West which came in a sealed box. No dust or other issues, but focus ring has a slight amount of play when locked in AF mode. Manual focus is smooth and precise with no lag or looseness while turning.

Interesting. Seems like a mixed bag. What bothers me more about mine (the one I'm going to send back to Adorama next week) is that there's also some "give" in MF mode. I.e. you can jiggle it back and forth before moving the actual focus point ever so slightly (probably less than 1mm, but still drives me crazy). 

 

THAT SAID, to me, the much bigger issue, and by far the main reason I'm sending it back, is the dust in the EVF. If there's dust in there now... more can probably get in? And what if it settles on the sensor? Is the camera's weather sealing (an important reason I bought the Q2 over the Q honestly) not as good as it should be and, down the road, will I have more issues? 

[Anakronox]

6 minutes ago, SirBlunder said:

Interesting. Seems like a mixed bag. What bothers me more about mine (the one I'm going to send back to Adorama next week) is that there's also some "give" in MF mode. I.e. you can jiggle it back and forth before moving the actual focus point ever so slightly (probably less than 1mm, but still drives me crazy). 

 

THAT SAID, to me, the much bigger issue, and by far the main reason I'm sending it back, is the dust in the EVF. If there's dust in there now... more can probably get in? And what if it settles on the sensor? Is the camera's weather sealing (an important reason I bought the Q2 over the Q honestly) not as good as it should be and, down the road, will I have more issues? 

I can say from my experience with 2x Q2s (sold one, bought another because I realized I messed up with the sale) and a Q2M that I have had no issues with dust or moisture ingress.  I don’t worry about shooting it in rain, snowfall, at the beach or in nature.  I haven’t taped up any of the mic ports either.  Sorry to hear that you’re having problems and best of luck getting yours replaced.