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Review Q3 Half Case from Lim's

MindsEye

By MindsEye
in Leica Q3 / Leica Q2 / Leica Q

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MindsEye

MindsEye

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Here are my first impressions of Lim's Q3 Half case (with in-built grip and Arca-Swiss rails)

Photos below

Comfort and Fit

My Q3 half case arrived today (2 days from S. Korea.) It’s definitely less bulky and lighter than I expected. It has nice leather and I think, a beautiful fit and finish commensurate with the camera. Before it arrived I had bought the Leica thumb support and expected I’d be sending the half case back because the thumb rest provided some much needed support, grip and balance. So I’m pleasantly surprised how nicely this half case rounds out the whole package. It not only looks nice but provides great balance, comfort, and confident support. The very slight extra height solves the pinky problem too. In short, it improved upon the thumb support enough that it's worth keeping the half case also.

Practicality

Best of all it is also very practical in its design. In addition to a grip, you can easily remove/insert both SD card and battery. It also has an Arca Swiss dovetail built in. Even though there is really no need to remove the case, it has a flush mounted flat screwdriver held in by a magnet so that you won’t be searching for one to remove it if you so desire.

Tripods

I tried it on three tripods, all with ball heads and Arca Swiss style plates: My Gitzo Traveler with RRS, Gitzo Explorer with Linhoff Profi II ball and a Kirk plate, and Letiz minipod with a Sunway QR plate. All work well with the only caveat being that with a smaller QR plate, the rear rail on the case may not be fully gripped edge to edge (see photos below.) The front rail was not a problem with any of my tripods/QR plates. This assumes you need/want to be able to center the lens on your tripod. I haven’t used lever release plates in many years so I don’t know how they would work. LR plates were always a problem for me as far as compatibility whereas the classic knob type plates I have now, work with just about everything.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It’s pretty!

• Perfect fit

• Comfortable- rounded to match curves of camera

• Very light, also slender/not bulky

• Easy removal/insertion of SD card and battery

• Solves pinky problem/place to rest your little finger (I have average sized hands/Men’s medium in U.S.)

• Strong magnet holds flush mounted screw driver for retaining screw, completely unobtrusive

• Reasonable price especially compared to Leica brand which has no grip or Arca Swiss rails

Cons (pretty minor ones really)

• Depending on your tripod QR plate, you may not be able to center the lens exactly while having the rear rail of the case fully gripped by the plate edge to edge. The front case rail is not an issue. If you don't need/want the lens centered, it's not an issue.

• It’s possible if you hold the camera in your hand all day you might feel the edge of the grip in your palm. This is only conjecture right now as everything is smooth and rounded but I haven’t carried it in my hand all day yet.

These are just initial impressions. I’ll report back after I shoot with it for awhile.

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An overall view (above) The Etsy website has lots of other photos.

Here (above) is the Q3 with lens centered on my Gitzo Traveler with RRS ball head and 38mm wide plate. Compare this with the other photo to get an idea of the portion of the case's rear rail not being held edge to edge by the QR plate (about 7 mm)

This photo (above) shows where the Q3 sits with the case's rails fully in the QR plate from edge to edge

With my wider (63mm) Kirk plate on Linhof Profi II ball head (above), it isn't really a problem centering the lens as there seems to be enough length of the case's rails gripped by the QR plate to hold the Q3 securely

Edited by MindsEye
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MindsEye

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8 hours ago, JetBlack said:

@MindsEye Nice quick review! My grip came in today as well, but I have yet to test it.

This is my second grip from Lim's. First one from original Q.

Thanks! As you can tell, the case was a pleasant surprise for me. Enjoy yours!

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MindsEye

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3 hours ago, 1945 Mouton said:

Great review. I also got mine a couple of days ago and the quality and fit are top notch. Besides the half case, I also bought their thumb support, which also fit perfectly. 

Thank you! I wish I had not been so quick to buy the Leica thumb rest. If the cases are any indication, the thumb support is likely just as good and a fraction of the price. But that shouldn't surprise me. Glad it is working out for you 

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8 hours ago, Ozymandias said:

Ah yes, mine is also on its way. I had the black LIMS for my Q2M, but this time have opted for the brown leather version for the Q3. It looked quite good in the promotional shots, so hope it looks okay in real life!

Paul

Guessing it will be equally nice and as high quality as your previous one. Enjoy.

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brickftl

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I received mine. While I agree with all the comments above, I've decided to not use it because I prefer the minimalist feel of the camera without it. If the Q3 body gets a few scratches that impact selling the Q3 in 4 or 5 years, so be it.

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12 hours ago, DQ03 said:

MindsEye, does the half-case interfere with popping out the screen from the bottom? Your photos don’t show it is an issue but I just want a confirmation. Thanks much.

No issues with tilting/using the rear screen. I also forgot to mention that there is also full access to the side ports. The only issue I noticed is the right button of the four way controller is close to the case edge. It only took me a few presses to get used to it but it's something you'd likely notice at first. I personally don't see it as a problem but YMMV.

Hope this helps.

Joel

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33 minutes ago, Richard K said:

Ah, right! Great photos on your website BTW. What did you use for the B&W?

Thanks for the kudos on my photos! The first five or six in my black and white gallery I shot on the Q3. The rest are from various cameras, mostly Fujifilm and Sony. I'm adding more Q3 photos as I shoot them- Like many folks I've only had it a couple months.

Here is my dedicated Q3 gallery I created if you want to see my favorite Q3 images (most are monochrome)

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8 hours ago, Richard K said:

Thanks for the link. I currently own the Q2M but would like to return to colour as well. It looks like the Q3 will provide more than enough quality for both.

I agree the Q3 does great with both color and black and white. When/if Leica comes out with a Q3M it will no doubt have astounding quality. However, I think it's useful having the color information underneath to fine tune tonality with monochrome images. And if you haven't tried it yet, infrared opens up a whole new world with monochrome. 

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