M Rangefinder User Thinking About a Q2 Monochrome

[M2Pete]

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I have only ever used Leica M rangefinder camera (M2 and M-D 262). I love the photo taking process of the M's. I recently completed my quartet of lenses and am looking for a new savings project. I'm a sucker for the quirky more unusual camera models and am now looking at at obtaining a monochrome camera. In the M line the 9 is very hard to come by and the 10 is a bit out of my range, so I have been looking at the Q2 monochrome. I have exhaustingly explored the forum's photos and love the purity of the camera's files, it is something I something I've striven for in post processing of DNGs but never really accomplished.

My question for any Q2 users relates to its ergonomics and manual focusing. I have used a Fujis XPro2 and X100f in the past (prior to jumping to Leica digital), and while they mimic the M's form, they leave something to be desired. Is the Q the same? What distinguishes it from the Fuji in feeling more like a Leica M?

I know this is a question only I can really answer but I now live in Queensland, Australia and camera stores renting Leicas are not that common with out a trip of a few hundred Kilometers. Just looking for some input and why you like the Q2M.

Thanks!

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[bobtodrick]

I myself own a Q, but I have two friends with Q2M’s.

as you say the files are stunning…removing the Bayer Color filter array truly gives you a pure B&W image.

But as to your question…I have had two versions of the Fuji X100 and the reasons I switched to the Q was the manual focus and the full frame sensor… but mostly the M/F.   It truly is IMO the best out there.

Many Will agree https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4375105

[M2Pete]

16 hours ago, bobtodrick said:

I myself own a Q, but I have two friends with Q2M’s.

as you say the files are stunning…removing the Bayer Color filter array truly gives you a pure B&W image.

But as to your question…I have had two versions of the Fuji X100 and the reasons I switched to the Q was the manual focus and the full frame sensor… but mostly the M/F.   It truly is IMO the best out there.

Many Will agree https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4375105

Had not seen that dpreview thread before, thanks!

[Farrell Gallery]

I have a Q2, and used a Fuji X100F for nearly 6 years.....just treated myself to the Q. Whoever says the X100 series leaves something to be desired I think is wrong. It was my most beloved camera and went on many trips with me....I've published photography books and made large prints with files from that camera. I still use an XT-4...while the X100V has an improved lens over the F, both remain strong. The Leica is its own beast, and a worthy purchase. Not 4 times better, but better enough for me to justify the purchase. I think you can't go wrong, as long as you're committed to the monochrome aspect, and not just like the idea of it. 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Farrell Gallery

[cesc]

I am in a similar situation as the OP. I've always been shooting M bodies, analog and digital. Now I am owning only an M10 with a 35 FLE. BUT... I rent a Q2 last week,...and I felt it was sooo easy (probably too easy so I would loose the rangefinder experience) that I was thinking to sell all my actual gear and go to a Q2M. I am scared to miss one day my actual gear, but at the end, what matters is taking photos not gear. And the Q2M has a more practical use for my needs...  I will keep reading this post to see your comments.

[JoshuaR]

I've never owned a Q2M, but for a substantial period of time the Q2 was my only camera. (I sold it to move entirely to the M system—a move I sometimes regret! I could see going back to the Q system at some point.)

My experience was exactly as the poster on DPReview describes. I often used the camera in manual focus. One of my favorite things about the Q2 was the ease with which it's possible to switch from AF to MF. It's awesome to be shooting at maximum aperture and AF, making shallow-DOF portraits, then switch to zone focussing over an entire scene, getting everything in focus, just by quickly adjusting aperture and twisting the focus ring.  The feel of the ring is also very good.

I was also a longtime Fuji user (X-Pro3, X100F / V), and I'd say that three things make the Q2 different from the Fuji X cameras, which are excellent in their own right. First, there's just the fit-and-finish of the camera: it's completely silent, built like a rock, in the manner of an M. Second, there's the optical quality: I felt that it was an improvement on everything I had in the Fuji X system. (That might not be true anymore, given the newest Fuji bodies and lenses.) But most important to me was the digital cropping. It meant that I could leave the house with just the Q2 in hand and have access to focal lengths between 26mm and 75mm.

This all-in-one-ness is what I miss most about the Q2. Eventually, I got a little bored of the lens rendering; I was already enjoying my film Ms and wanted to be able to use older lenses on digital. But I often miss the convenience of the Q2 and think about jumping back.

[Driften]

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I have an X100v and just got the Q2 and think I'll be selling the fuji soon. The x100v is smaller and lighter if you don't use the 28mm or 50mm converter on it. I don't shoot JPG so the digital converter modes on the x100v aren't great. You can use it but in Lightroom it doesn't pass the cropping info like the Q2 does so you have to guess what you were going for. I love that the Q2 passes the info in the DNG's and I can change the crop if I want or leave it like I imagined when I took the picture. I like the lens and the manual focus much better on the Q2. I like and use the macro lens position as well. The Q2 is very straight forward for its operation and does what you need. It's easy to forget how to use the x100v if you don't use it all the time, but that's a minor thing. The x100v does have a built-in ND filter. The Q2 has more MP at a 35mm crop than the x100v does native. I liked the images I got from the Q I used to own and Q2 more than the x100v or any of the other fuji cameras I've used.

If you need something in a coat pocket, the x100v with it's native lens and no filter adapter works. If that's not so important, to me its a Q2 is better.

[clasami]

There is no comparisson between the x100v and the Q2 when it comes to MF and the EVF. The Q2 is miles ahead. MF with that lens is like MF with a manual focus lens. Period. Sold my Q2M, though, as the Q2 turns out to be more versatile.