Leica HG-DC1 Wireless Handgrip & Leica Drop XL Wireless Charger?

[kirkmc]

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I don’t understand why Leica didn’t make the charging pad with an outline of the camera to make it easy to line up. Anyone who has ever used induction charging (with the exception of Apple MagSafe) knows that it’s very difficult to get devices correctly positioned on charging pads. 

[ChrisGA]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb nicci78:

this video just killed the whole concept

I tested it in the Leica Store Wetzlar (I live near by) and it is exactly as the video shows. 
So you have a camera with a nice ergonomic format with the pad with also a nice format but both do not fit in the middle. 
So it is not a nice pad to present your camera while charging on a table or behind some glassdoor in a desk…

The pad original was made to charge two devices. So you even can charge the Q3 and a mobile at the same time (dit it in the store).

It is a small point…but Leica loves to be perfect. And perfect is a middle alignment on a charging-pad, I think. 
 

Perhaps I will buy it later because of my Leica-addiction (-; 

Edited June 27, 2023 by ChrisGA

[nicci78]

The video just show two issues : 

1. how small the charging coil on the Q3 handgrip is. Making the target even harder to hit than your typical smartphone with bigger coil on their back. 
2. Leica is too lazy and did not redesigned the guts of Native Nation charging mat. It still has two coils at the same position as the cheaper original version. Hence the offset charging position. Leica should have add magnets for proper alignement. Something more akin to Apple MagSafe. 

I think that it is a miss, you'll end up throwing the mat by the window each time you wake up with a still empty Q3 battery. After fighting every night with frustrating tiny target you'll end up pluging the USB-C directly to the camera. 

Or just buy several Q3 battery for the same price and switch between them from time to time. 

 

The stupidity of the Q3 handgrip, is that you still have to remove it to get access to the SD card. Otherwise you can use Fotos App or plug a USB-C cable directly to your computer or smartphones or tablets. In the latter case, isn't it easier to let it plugged in for proper charging ? 

Edited June 27, 2023 by nicci78

[kirkmc]

Given the weight of the camera, I don’t think magnets would help much. When I put my iPhone on a MagSafe charging mat, I feel the magnets pull it into position. The Q3 is about the weight of a half dozen iPhones.
 

USB-C makes much more sense than induction charging.

[nicci78]

just few magnets for proper invisible alignement not the stick it on the mat à la magsafe.

 

The video is stating the only cue for proper charging is that the camera is going to sleep mode when properly align. That means that you can only put it one way : the screen towards you. Otherwise how can you tell with the lens in front ? Two charging indicator LED on the front and on the back would have helped. 

 

[ChrisGA]

I can not understand why Leica did this in this way. After 10 Minutes testing with the store-employees in Wetzlar we looked at each other considered, that this is grap.

Didn’t they test their prototypes with customers? I live 10 km from Wetzlar….(-;

[Psrkn]

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I like the Q3 handgrip. It's very comfortable for me to hold onto the camera. It also has a handgrip base that I can rest my little finger on that is a plus for me. With all the negatives that I have heard about this handgrip, I understand totally. For now, I just created a visual boundary where I will place my camera on the charging pad. It works every time and I don't have to worry about aligning my camera to the pad. I have the pad just for my convenience to charge my Q3.

Here are

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two photos to show how I did it using gravel tape.

[Psrkn]

Here's another photo:

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[haelio]

11 hours ago, Psrkn said:

I like the Q3 handgrip. It's very comfortable for me to hold onto the camera. It also has a handgrip base that I can rest my little finger on that is a plus for me. With all the negatives that I have heard about this handgrip, I understand totally. For now, I just created a visual boundary where I will place my camera on the charging pad. It works every time and I don't have to worry about aligning my camera to the pad. I have the pad just for my convenience to charge my Q3.

Here are

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

two photos to show how I did it using gravel tape.

No one is stating that it is impossible to get a charge from the mat, just that it is an incredibly shoddy implementation overall, let alone for a company with Leica's attention to detail and asking price. I don't pay $6K + and another several hundred dollars to end up with a jerry rigged mat with tape on it. That's just me though, I'm glad that you've found a workflow that you're happy with!

If Leica release an M11-style handgrip for the Q3, my Q3 grip is going on eBay the next day.

[photoray]

Ridiculous accessories.  I bought all of them to try, but I am an admitted Leica addict who loves his Q3.

The grip is functional if you need one, but the wireless charging system is a total joke.  I agree with everything that has been pointed out here as a problem.  The weak charging and alignment issues with the base are hard to believe. We go from the brilliant new 60 MP sensor to wireless charging junk all in one new product launch.

I shoot for sustained periods with the Q3 in the field, and my 4 new higher capacity batteries work for me.  It is good that Leica lowered the price to a rock bottom (for Leica) $170 each.  I wish Leica had not waisted the resources on the wireless accessories though. 

Plus, If they wanted to dabble with video (8k, why?), how about spending that time on developing a solution for inputing external microphone audio.  I am kind of surprised that the advisors at Panasonic didn't force the point.  Supposedly, a firmware upgrade will provide functionality through an existing port.  We'll see.  Instead, we can wait for now and ponder the decision making process at the Leica Marketing department.

The Q3 is a wonderful camera for my purposes, but what the hell is going on with the rest of this stuff?

End of rant.