Keep my lovely Q2 or ? … add ?

[thierry40]

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Good day all, I am no professional photographer, rather a beginner amateur and will remain so, amateur!
I bought my lovely and handy Q2R last year enjoying it on landscape shots (see Instagram t_des_landes if interested). 
a pro photographer told me I should go for a medium format rather… and pointed at the hasselblad X2D 100C. 
apart from the budget issue (which is one to consider!) would that make any huge difference for what I am doing ? 
appreciate in advance ideas from you guys with much more experience. 

best 

Thierry 

[frame-it]

58 minutes ago, thierry40 said:

would that make any huge difference for what I am doing ? 

not really, unless you plan to print really big.

Edited March 26, 2023 by frame-it

[Marc B-C]

Thiery, I am certainly no pro and amateur too and would suggest that your pro photographer is talking out of his hat. Unless you have particular GAS for a new camera or are materially not happy with what you get from the 28mm lensed Q2, you will not achieve anything relevant if your shots are only posted online or not printed at billboard poster size. The only thing you will have is a depleted bank balance. 🙂 

[T25UFO]

1 hour ago, thierry40 said:

Good day all, I am no professional photographer, rather a beginner amateur and will remain so, amateur!
I bought my lovely and handy Q2R last year enjoying it on landscape shots (see Instagram t_des_landes if interested). 
a pro photographer told me I should go for a medium format rather… and pointed at the hasselblad X2D 100C. 
apart from the budget issue (which is one to consider!) would that make any huge difference for what I am doing ? 
appreciate in advance ideas from you guys with much more experience. 

best 

Thierry 

What answer do you expect when asking the question in a Leica forum?  Perhaps ask the same question here:

https://www.hasselbladdigitalforum.com

and compare the results!  The X2D is a wonderful camera and you will find several Leica forum members using it [some with M glass] alongside their Leica cameras, but you will be spending over GBP 10,000 for the body and one lens.  And I doubt you will stop at one lens.

Do you use an SD card slot to transfer images from the Q2R to your computer?  If so, you won't be able to do that with the X2D because it doesn't use SD cards - only CFexpress plus internal storage.  The file sizes are huge and unless you're using a really up to date computer, you may require more processing power, so add that to your budget.

[Casey Jefferson]

I won't go into detail but I'm a nutshell, you don't need them. 

My experience with even the GFX 50R was that it I won't be able to enjoy it without zooming in and pixel peep those files, and upon down sizing the files they are just... meh to me. Not saying X2D and the system is the same, but Leica is doing things different enough that people recognize the uniqueness but can't quite put it in words and won't be winning any test chart comparison.

[Farrell Gallery]

Can you give valid reasons why you've outgrown the Q2 and need a medium format? If not, you don't need it. 

[bobtodrick]

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Put me in the ‘if you’re not making huge prints you don’t need it’ camp.

A friend of mine with a Fuji GFX 50 (and I with my original Q) spent an afternoon together shooting the same outdoor scenes.  Neither of us checked the images while shooting…the idea being that if we looked at the images after we wouldn’t be sure if the were ours.

We then took our respective memory cards to a friend who is a custom printer and had him pick two very similar scenes and print 16x20” prints.

As I thought would happen, neither of us could tell which images came from which camera til our printer told us.

You don’t want to fall into the ‘gear hound’ trap…no matter what you buy today there will be a camera with better specs tomorrow.

And by the way…I work with pro photographers everyday…I don’t know one who would have given you that advice 🥵

[Le Chef]

On other forums you see the anxious chasing to remove perceived spec deficiencies (“The last three pixels in the top left corner of the screen are blurry when you blow them up to 2x normal size - should I be concerned and upgrade to the X+1 to launch later this year with a flippy-flappy screen and a 120MP sensor?”)

The question to consider is whether your skills have exhausted the abilities of your current camera or not. Only you can answer that…

Edited March 26, 2023 by Le Chef

[Blackadder978]

When I started out on my photography journey 40 years ago, a Hasselblad middleformat was my dream camera. Today I could afford one if I wanted to, but the quality of cameras in general has evolved so much, I would not give me any benefit, just disadvantages. It is expensive, heavy kit and I would not see the difference to what my Nikons and the Q2 deliver the way I shoot. They still have a reason to exist, but as amateurs, will we ever see the very slight differences if we have good full frame kit already?

[liggy]

I have a GFX100S and it’s an excellent system. When pixel peeping and obviously with longer focal lengths you’ll be able to tell a difference imo. 
That said I use the Q2 way more than the GFX.  Mush better as a daily carry kit.  

IMO the huge difference with a Hassy kit will be size of the the hole in your wallet.  
Beautifully designed camera though.  

[thierry40]

Thanks a lot guys 😀 you all helped remove the doubt and I’ll carry on with the Q2 … 

[bobtodrick]

6 minutes ago, thierry40 said:

Thanks a lot guys 😀 you all helped remove the doubt and I’ll carry on with the Q2 … 

I think at this point I’m time you are making the right decision.

At some point in the future to may decide to specialize…if you decide you like making wall size landscape prints you may want/need medium format…but for 98% of the average photographer’s everyday camera there is none better than a Q/Q2 😀

[thierry40]

28 minutes ago, bobtodrick said:

I think at this point I’m time you are making the right decision.

At some point in the future to may decide to specialize…if you decide you like making wall size landscape prints you may want/need medium format…but for 98% of the average photographer’s everyday camera there is none better than a Q/Q2 😀

That is exactly what I am going to do indeed 

- keep learning having fun with that camera that is anyhow way beyond my knowledge at the moment and I’ll keep the money to print good shots … at normal size 😂

[dpitt]

2 hours ago, thierry40 said:

That is exactly what I am going to do indeed 

- keep learning having fun with that camera that is anyhow way beyond my knowledge at the moment and I’ll keep the money to print good shots … at normal size 😂

Good plan. IMO the most logical step up from the Q2R would rather be a move towards a FF system camera to give you more choices in focal lengths. Choose carefully because you do not want to do a step back in quality. My candidates would be the SL2 or the M11.

Compared to the MF systems you will still have a flexible and easy to use system comparable to the Leica Q. And in case of the M11 you will even gain a bit in the size and weight department when using small compact lenses. Of course the M11 will lose the autofocus capability you have with the Q now. Some users will refrain from that, but I think for landscape photography you will not miss AF at all. Even if you had bad experience with MF before, the M is still worth a try because the MF works much better than on most other systems.

[Le Chef]

With a Q2 you already have effectively 28, 35, and 50mm facial lengths without buying or carrying another lens. At some point down the track, if all the gossip is to be believed, a 60MP Q3 will give you even more in the same size and weight package.

[thierry40]

14 hours ago, dpitt said:

Good plan. IMO the most logical step up from the Q2R would rather be a move towards a FF system camera to give you more choices in focal lengths. Choose carefully because you do not want to do a step back in quality. My candidates would be the SL2 or the M11.

Compared to the MF systems you will still have a flexible and easy to use system comparable to the Leica Q. And in case of the M11 you will even gain a bit in the size and weight department when using small compact lenses. Of course the M11 will lose the autofocus capability you have with the Q now. Some users will refrain from that, but I think for landscape photography you will not miss AF at all. Even if you had bad experience with MF before, the M is still worth a try because the MF works much better than on most other systems.

Thanks a lot, I actually rarely use the AF indeed 

[Herr Barnack]

@thierry40 I think you are on the right track in keeping your Q2. 

The Q2 is a truly great everyday carry camera.  That is the primary role that my Q2 fills.  It also serves as a backup to my M10M or M-P 240 when I'm traveling.

The Q2 offers a lot - OIS, weather sealing, f/1.7 maximum aperture in its 28mm lens and macro capability. 

If you want to make prints, the 47 mp of the Q2 will make huge exhibit quality prints.  My 24 mp M-P 240 has made exhibit quality prints at 24x36 inch size.  The Q2 will do double that if you want, provided you do not radically crop the file.

Trading off your Q2 for the Hasselblad X2D 100C would give you more megapixels (which seems to me like overkill), and you would incur a massive cash outlay to acquire the X2D 100C and a couple of lenses.  You would also end up with a larger, heavier kit to carry around than you have with the Q2.

My Magic 8 Ball says "keep your Q2." 😎

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Herr Barnack

[Casey Jefferson]

I just played around with the X2D with the 38mm, judging from the back screen, the images came out phenomenal, but I immediately noticed two problems:

1. Focus doesn't always fall on the exact point desired, means you need to punch in and check focus or use smaller aperture.

2. It's worse when you try to focus and recompose, plane of focus will inevitably shifted. This is mostly in line with most if not all other mirrorless lenses or similar aperture.

Those two points instantly kill the fun of shooting imho. Q2 for some weird reason allows focus and recompose liberally even at wide open, either due to the relatively larger dof or leica tuned the lens or something (but then even the large aperture lenses on M focus and recompose just fine).

Anyone still have a lust for the X2D, I do highly encourage you to try out in person. I put it down after noticing the two point and no longer have any thoughts of it, plus it's a lot larger size by side with the Q2...