Bought my first Leica 3 weeks ago

[Blackadder978]

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Hi everyone, my name is Anna and I live at Lake Constance in Germany. 

I am a lifelong photographer, but with long cameraless spaces inbetween. I started my journey with a Contax in the eighties and when I moved to digital bought my first Nikon and Nikon is still my main kit, DSLR and mirrorless side by side. Nowerdays I mostly shoot landscapes but took the winter darkness to branch out into tabletop. Portrait and wildlife feature occasionally. I usualy never leave the house without a camera, there might be a good shot missed 🙂 So I was looking for the smallest full format kit that gives me something resembling the quality I am used to from my Nikons, tall order and not much to choose from. 

I went to our local Leica store to have a look at the Q2, not really expecting to like it, hoping not to like it thanks to its pricetag, instead it came instantly to life in my hands. It felt good in my big hands, user interface easy to use and sturdy. Since I am not a wide angle shooter most of the time, the 28mm was the thing that gave me pause for thought if I would really use it. So I bought a preloved one for a good price, so that in case I would not really love it, I can sell it witout big loss. 

I like the Q2 very much, even with the 28 mm still a challenge. Interestingly, I converted most pictures to B&W which brings me right back to my early photography days. The thought to have the Q2M is now following me around, since it has the way better ISO performance. I fell down the red dot rabbithole, lets see where that will take me. 

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[Marc B-C]

Welcome @Blackadder978.

I too made the same move from Nikon to Leica (via Fuji) and now the Q2 is the only camera I have (alongside my 'phone). I could not be happier with the Q2 and the fixed lens is of no hindrance to me for my photography.

[Blackadder978]

I do not see that the Q2 would be able to replace my Nikon gear, I really love my long lenses which I use rather often for landscape and tabletop needs my trusty 105 macro. The Q2 fits the blank space of „very small gear that fits into my handbag“ and will accompany the Nikons on landscape outings as well. 

[dpitt]

7 hours ago, Blackadder978 said:

...So I was looking for the smallest full format kit that gives me something resembling the quality I am used to from my Nikons, tall order and not much to choose from. 
...

Exactly the reason why I moved from my Nikon DSLR to Leica M8 15 years ago. I never looked back... The Q is a great companion to your current gear, and with some cropping it can compete with most standard zooms on any Nikon.

1 hour ago, Blackadder978 said:

I do not see that the Q2 would be able to replace my Nikon gear, I really love my long lenses which I use rather often for landscape and tabletop needs my trusty 105 macro. The Q2 fits the blank space of „very small gear that fits into my handbag“ and will accompany the Nikons on landscape outings as well. 

Be warned. Leica gear infects you with a bug the moment you touch it 🙂

Replacing Nikon DSLR is possible. Over time I wanted to have the same IQ and ease of use for everything I do. I use my Leica M9 + lenses up to 135mm for compact and light 'take everywhere kit' and the Leica SL + R lenses for long tele and macro.
 

[Sandokan]

Welcome Anna, for me the Q2 is great because you can get very close to fill the frame with the macro or use it wide and capture the foreground and things happening in the middleground. I am down the Rhine from you.