Please explain the Q3 viewfinder experience

[geesbert]

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I use Q cameras since the days they came out both professionally and for my pleasure. I must have taken hundreds of thousands photos between the Q, the Q2, the Q2 mono and now the Q3. 
I really like this camera concept. 
 

but I am struggling with the Q3 viewfinder. 
 

1. Blackout is nasty. I heard of hunters facing the problem that they acquired the habit of closing their eyes involuntarily before a shot. It feels like that. 
 

2. what’s that thing with the resolution dropping significantly while focusing? When you focus suddenly your picture becomes a steppy mess, which kind of adds to (1.) 

 

3. The review image in the viewfinder looks oversharpened, especially hair looks a bit weird. 
 

 

it all feels like the graphic chip and the processor is not up to the task of this high resolution. It is especially evident when I use the Q3 alongside the Q2mono. None of any of my cameras ever did this. 
 

Can anyone explain what is happening here? It is really frustrating….

Edited August 27, 2023 by geesbert

[clasami]

vor 10 Minuten schrieb geesbert:

I use Q cameras since the days they came out both professionally and for my pleasure. I must have taken hundreds of thousands photos between the Q, the Q2, the Q2 mono and now the Q3. 
I really like this camera concept. 
 

but I am struggling with the Q3 viewfinder. 
 

1. Blackout is nasty. I heard of hunters facing the problem that they acquired the habit of closing their eyes involuntarily before a shot. It feels like that. 
 

2. what’s that thing with the resolution dropping significantly while focusing? When you focus suddenly your picture becomes a steppy mess, which kind of adds to (1.) 

 

3. The review image in the viewfinder looks oversharpened, especially hair looks a bit weird. 
 

 

it all feels like the graphic chip and the processor is not up to the task of this high resolution. It is especially evident when I use the Q3 alongside the Q2mono. None of any of my cameras ever did this. 
 

Can anyone explain what is happening here? It is really frustrating….

Yes, blackout is nasty. Much longer than on the Q2.

"Steppy Mess" when focussing - at 3x magnification? True, sharpness is lower than on the Q2. 6x mag hardly usable (on both).

[SJH]

I think it also depends on whether you’re using 60Hz or 120Hz, 60 seems far better to me.

At 60 the viewfinder experience of the Q3 is excellent, however, I’m finding that 120 isn’t great at all. The 120 setting reminds me of when EVF’s were 2.36!!

[geesbert]

1 hour ago, SJH said:

I think it also depends on whether you’re using 60Hz or 120Hz, 60 seems far better to me.

At 60 the viewfinder experience of the Q3 is excellent, however, I’m finding that 120 isn’t great at all. The 120 setting reminds me of when EVF’s were 2.36!!

I don't see a difference in those two settings.

 

Here I tried to film the problem with my phone through the viewfinder. You can clearly see the jitter:

 

jitter

 

No one mentions this in their reviews, am I hysterical?

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by geesbert

[clasami]

vor 12 Minuten schrieb geesbert:

I don't see a difference in those two settings.

 

Here I tried to film the problem with my phone through the viewfinder. You can clearly see the jitter:

 

jitter

 

No one mentions this in their reviews, am I hysterical?

 

 

So you are talking about a different kind of jitter when using AF. In fact, that doesn't bother me too much. The reduced sharpness in MF mode at 3x mag is more worrysome.

[SrMi]

I do not have complaints about Q3's EVF.

- The blackout time is shorter than in X2D, which is quite acceptable for my photography.

- The EVF shimmers only while focusing. I am using AF-S, and shimmering is barely noticeable. Shimmering is most noticeable in AF-C mode. Many other cameras also shimmer while focusing. I believe it is caused by lowering EVF resolution to focus quickly.

- I use focus peaking for manual focus. The red outline appears only when magnified. It does not hinder the framing. Therefore, I do not notice any issues with the magnified view.

 

[anonymoose]

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The long blackout period is oddly the number one reason I didn't trade my Q2 in for a Q3 when the time came. Seems weird to me that it would be such a dealbreaker, but it really ruined the experience of shooting for me.

[Miltz]

I wish it was bigger as using it with glasses seems only okay. I need to smash my face against the screen to use it. I find myself using the LCD screen a lot more since it’s so much better than the awful screen on the Q2 which to me was easily the worst screen I ever used on a camera lol.

[adrianh]

This was my main shock when I got the Q3, I just expected more. Especially given Leica's know how on optics (that also play a major role in an EVF besides of the screen itself). As I look alternatively through a 9# Mil EVF it is even harder for me to understand how they messed it up here. 

I like the Q3 nevertheless ...

[jmschuh]

 

In the viewfinder, which has a much higher resolution than in the Q2, the objects that you focus on are not really sharp. I noticed this in the test shots for the  problem with the image distortions when focusing that I can not read writings on book spines in the viewfinder or they do not appear so sharp (I never had this with the Q2).

At first I thought, you just set the diopter correction correctly yesterday, why isn't what the camera focuses really sharp in the viewfinder. But then I noticed that the AF field boundary at my central AF field is crisp and the writing at the bottom of the viewfinder, up to the numbers for exposure compensation is also perfectly sharp, so it can't be the dioptric correction.

However, what the camera shows as in focus in the viewfinder I don't feel is really sharp at all. Or as if somehow resolution is missing to display details accurately. But from a technical point of view, this can't be the case, especially in comparison to the Q2.

So that we don't misunderstand each other: The Q3 focuses in the right place, without problems, in the enlarged review of the photos you can see that too. But in the viewfinder, it doesn't look really sharp after focusing.

In addition to the high power consumption at 120 fps, I have so far avoided this high frequency, because it was the case with the Q2 that the displayed resolution was lower at 120 fps, you could clearly see that in the small fonts in the viewfinder. If this is also the case with the Q3, then it is of course possible that the blur error that exists at 60 fps does not appear so clearly in the viewfinder image. We know the phenomenon: If we have a blurred image and reduce the number of pixels, it appears much sharper. Of course, this could also be the reason here.

The blurring at 60 fps that occurs after focusing is really annoying.

 

[jmschuh]

Am 27.8.2023 um 14:01 schrieb geesbert:

No one mentions this in their reviews, am I hysterical?

No, I have the same problem and find it annoying. With AF-S it is still tolerable, with AF-C it is much worse.

[BJohn]

6 hours ago, jmschuh said:

 

In the viewfinder, which has a much higher resolution than in the Q2, the objects that you focus on are not really sharp. I noticed this in the test shots for the  problem with the image distortions when focusing that I can not read writings on book spines in the viewfinder or they do not appear so sharp (I never had this with the Q2).

At first I thought, you just set the diopter correction correctly yesterday, why isn't what the camera focuses really sharp in the viewfinder. But then I noticed that the AF field boundary at my central AF field is crisp and the writing at the bottom of the viewfinder, up to the numbers for exposure compensation is also perfectly sharp, so it can't be the dioptric correction.

However, what the camera shows as in focus in the viewfinder I don't feel is really sharp at all. Or as if somehow resolution is missing to display details accurately. But from a technical point of view, this can't be the case, especially in comparison to the Q2.

So that we don't misunderstand each other: The Q3 focuses in the right place, without problems, in the enlarged review of the photos you can see that too. But in the viewfinder, it doesn't look really sharp after focusing.

In addition to the high power consumption at 120 fps, I have so far avoided this high frequency, because it was the case with the Q2 that the displayed resolution was lower at 120 fps, you could clearly see that in the small fonts in the viewfinder. If this is also the case with the Q3, then it is of course possible that the blur error that exists at 60 fps does not appear so clearly in the viewfinder image. We know the phenomenon: If we have a blurred image and reduce the number of pixels, it appears much sharper. Of course, this could also be the reason here.

The blurring at 60 fps that occurs after focusing is really annoying.

 

Just a quick jump in as I am short before buying a Q3: is that a real disadvantage in comparison to the Q2 or is the VF sharpness / overall experience, despite having more resolution, just not better than with the Q2? Cause prices for Q2 are dropping heavily at the moment

[geesbert]

I think it is a massive blemish on the Q3. It is irritating. I will get used to it, but it is still shocking when I switch between my Q2m and my Q3. 
 

I ordered my Q3 unseen, as my Q2 really showed it’s age and started to fail. I think if I had used the Q3 before buying I wouldn’t have bought it. 
 

IQ is not that much better and I do not really need any of the features. 
 

I liked my Q2 much more than my Q3. I hope Firmware will fix it a but, but I do not have much hope. 
 

try before you buy

[clasami]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb BJohn:

Just a quick jump in as I am short before buying a Q3: is that a real disadvantage in comparison to the Q2 or is the VF sharpness / overall experience, despite having more resolution, just not better than with the Q2? Cause prices for Q2 are dropping heavily at the moment

It is not as sharp. Not by a lot, but noticable. Can be fixed, I hope. But the Q3 is still worth the money.

[Le Chef]

4 hours ago, geesbert said:

my Q2 really showed it’s age and started to fail

Can you explain how it’s showing it’s age, and what is starting to fail?

[geesbert]

I used this camera really a lot. It didn’t feel as tight as it used to do. It still worked perfectly, never failed, but I didn’t feel confident using it for paid jobs or as my sole travel camera. 
 

 

[huwm]

On 8/31/2023 at 10:49 AM, jmschuh said:

 

In the viewfinder, which has a much higher resolution than in the Q2, the objects that you focus on are not really sharp. I noticed this in the test shots for the  problem with the image distortions when focusing that I can not read writings on book spines in the viewfinder or they do not appear so sharp (I never had this with the Q2).

At first I thought, you just set the diopter correction correctly yesterday, why isn't what the camera focuses really sharp in the viewfinder. But then I noticed that the AF field boundary at my central AF field is crisp and the writing at the bottom of the viewfinder, up to the numbers for exposure compensation is also perfectly sharp, so it can't be the dioptric correction.

However, what the camera shows as in focus in the viewfinder I don't feel is really sharp at all. Or as if somehow resolution is missing to display details accurately. But from a technical point of view, this can't be the case, especially in comparison to the Q2.

So that we don't misunderstand each other: The Q3 focuses in the right place, without problems, in the enlarged review of the photos you can see that too. But in the viewfinder, it doesn't look really sharp after focusing.

In addition to the high power consumption at 120 fps, I have so far avoided this high frequency, because it was the case with the Q2 that the displayed resolution was lower at 120 fps, you could clearly see that in the small fonts in the viewfinder. If this is also the case with the Q3, then it is of course possible that the blur error that exists at 60 fps does not appear so clearly in the viewfinder image. We know the phenomenon: If we have a blurred image and reduce the number of pixels, it appears much sharper. Of course, this could also be the reason here.

The blurring at 60 fps that occurs after focusing is really annoying.

 

Hi

Did you get a sort for this

Just got a Q3 and it's maddening, having traded in a perfectly functioning Q2!

[Miltz]

Having the camera since August I can officially say I love the camera, but the EVF is trash. My Nikon Z6 is much better. The thing is I’m not a EVF guy so it doesn’t really bother me. If I was a EVF person then the Q3 would have gotten returned. Anyone you thinks the Q3 EVF is good hasn’t seen what’s available. lol 

it would be nice if Leica did some work on the firmware.

[huwm]

I’m starting to use the lcd a lot more but I am a viewfinder sort of guy

come on Leica 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[Le Chef]

I simply don’t have a blackout problem with my Q3. I don’t think I’m doing anything particularly unusual, so find it hard to understand what others are doing that causes the problem.