The end of the road for me…

[acg69]

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I decided to sell my Q2 and I did. Got a really great price for it and it felt right, given that the next iteration will be out in a while. Looking back at the time I spent with it (and Leica for that matter) I can safely say that it has been overall extremely positive. So, just a few quick thoughts on the pros and cons I experienced with it:

Pros

* Image Quality - not much to say here; nothing short of incredible, especially in good light and low ISO.

* Size and weight - never an issue to carry it around all day with me, unobtrusive and even stealthy

* Macro capabilities - especially with the ELPRO 52; good enough for what I needed at least

* Build quality - a tank…

* Simple operation - minimal and lean, feeling like an old, analog camera with the best implementation of PASM out of any other brand (along with Fuji)

 

Cons

* No tilt screen…

* Bad digital zoom implementation, especially at the long end… A relic of the past at the expense of usability

* 28mm proved too wide for my taste; I have always been a 35mm guy:)

* Not really good at high ISO, never felt I could trust it to shoot at anything over 3200

 

So what am I getting? When I decided to sell it, I was sure I was getting the SL2-s with the 24-70 f/2.8 in October in order to make use of the current promotion worth 650 euro for the bundle; not bad. I was really keen on the low light capabilities of the camera and the same (almost) menu and operation that I came to appreciate on the Q2. Not necessarily happy to get a zoom lens (especially with all the it’s-a-rebranded-Sigma talk) and the 1.7 kg weight… As I was going back and forth on the pros and cons of the camera, I decided to expand the options to include the Hasselblad X1Dii 50C and eventually even the new X2D, either one with the 4/45P lens which is a 35mm equivalent in FF terms and it is small and light (not to mention inexpensive at 1000 euro). Eventually I opted for the X2D in order to take advantage of the tilt screen, the IBIS and the PDAF. All this at a weight of about 1.2 kg, a full half a kilo less than the Leica combo. I tried it at the store and it feels great in the hand. Performance-wise, I am expecting great things from it and I hope to be able to get one or two more lenses eventually, maybe the new XCD 90 f/2.5 and the 120 macro, but these will have to wait for a while. I will be happy to report back once I am familiar with it.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for being so cordial and nice; it is a great group and a very knowledgeable one and I really enjoyed being a part of it. Take care and happy shooting:)