Reasons NOT to buy the Q3???

[-MR-]

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I actually wanted to buy the Leica Q3, after some research I have discarded this for now.
Reasons are many, many negative reports from users, also in the forums here.

Some quotes I often read, sometims in professional reviews:

1. blurry and unsharp EVF during / after focusing.
2. extremely long shutter lag / blackout
3. Long delay after switching on the camera  / long startup time
4. crops can't be enlarged in the EVF, you only see the frames which makes it extremely difficult to compose e.g. 70mm images.
5. dust penetration on sensor
6. AF is mediocre and often unreliable
7. EVF starts to struggle / gets laggy in higher Iso  as soon as the ambient light starts to dim
8. Quality of the paint: gets quickly scratched
9. quite disappointing battery life (even with 170,00 Euro (!) battery from Leica) - I know problem of most camreas with EFV and mirrorless

 I still think the Q3 is a great camera, but all these problems scare me to spend 6000 Euro. Especially points 1 - 3 are serious for me.

Leica itself wrote in an advertising "Accept nothing than perfection" :-))

What do you think? Suppose you had to find reasons not to buy the Q3, what would you say? What are your criticisms (besides the price)?

It's not about badmouthing the camera, but listing its flaws and quirks.  

Thank you!

ps

Dear Leica-developers: Give us a  firmware update to solve many of the issues above.
 

Edited October 24, 2023 by -MR-

[SrMi]

IMO, bad research. You have picked every negative comment that you could find and assembled it in a list. It does not represent what Q3 is about and how well it works. 

 

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[-MR-]

@SrMi
No, thats not true. There are many many people in German and English forums out there who wrote exactly this. Many professional reviewers mentioned some of these cons.

I am not sure with point 5 and 8 - but point 1 - 3 and 6 and 7 are  very often mentioned  and many users are unhappy with. 

As I said: It's not about badmouthing the camera, I am sure its a great camera but for 6000 Euro its hard to live with inadequacies.

I would be more than happy if you tell me: Forget these points, they are not true. Because Iam LOOKING for reasons TO buy the Q3. I really want it!
But can you say: Forget these points, they are unfounded?

Again: I just quote the cons. I dont own a Q3 so I have to trust in the opinions of the users and reviewers.

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by -MR-

[Sparkassenkunde]

You think you can’t live with any inefficiency on the Q3? Than move on and buy the camera that does everything you need! In real life none of the points mentioned matter to me - what matters to me is the fact that the Q3 makes me want to go out and take pictures! Do I take better pictures now? Probably not, but the process of taking them is much more satisfying than with my other gear or the cameras I owned so far. 

[-MR-]

vor 4 Minuten schrieb Sparkassenkunde:

the fact that the Q3 makes me want to go out and take pictures!

Good for you! Really! But this is a very personal and emotional position. Perhaps a kind of placebo effect because of "its a Leica". I see things a little more factually. And this means I consider possible technical problems and flaws on a 6000 Euro product. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by -MR-

[clasami]

vor 48 Minuten schrieb -MR-:

Butter bei die Fische = butter to the fishes (german speaking to say something straight ahead without messing around)

 

I actually wanted to buy the Leica Q3, after some research I have discarded this for now.
Reasons are many, many negative reports from users, also in the forums here:

1. blurry and unsharp EVF during / after focusing.
2. extremely long shutter lag / blackout
3. Long delay after switching on the camera  / long startup time
4. crops can't be enlarged in the EVF, you only see the frames which makes it extremely difficult to compose e.g. 70mm images.
5. dust penetration on sensor
6. AF is mediocre and often unreliable
7. EVF starts to struggle / gets laggy in higher Iso  as soon as the ambient light starts to dim
8. Quality of the paint: gets quickly scratched
9. quite disappointing battery life (even with 170,00 Euro (!) battery from Leica) - I know problem of most camreas with EFV and mirrorless

 I still think the Q3 is a great camera, but all these problems scare me to spend 6000 Euro. Especially points 1 - 3 are serious for me.

Leica itself wrote in an advertising "Accept nothing than perfection" :-))

What do you think? Suppose you had to find reasons not to buy the Q3, what would you say? What are your criticisms (besides the price)?

It's not about badmouthing the camera, but listing its flaws and quirks.  

Thank you!

ps

Dear Leica-developers: Give us a  firmware update to solve many of the issues above.
 

1. The EVF is a bit less sharp than that of the Q2 at the first magnification step. Makes MF a little less enjoybale. But one has to be picky to notice. Can probably be fixed by firmware update. Other than that, the EVF is great.

2. Shutter lag in single exposure mode. Goes away if one sets to 2 frames. Will probably be fixed by firmware update.

3. Mine starts in a second.

4. Same as Q2. I would like the crop to show enlarged in the EVF, too. But it is what is. At least there are frame lines - would wish the a7cR would have them.

5. Not for me so far.

6. Depends on the mode. Spot AF is spot on. Face/Exe, Peorple detect is a mess

7. True

8. Don't see any scratches. And so what. It is not a collectors item.

9. I took 490 images with the camera on all the time during a 5 hour event. Not bad.

Butter bei die Fische - I don't like fish. Seems to me you are actively trying to keep yourself from buying the camera.

[SrMi]

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13 minutes ago, -MR- said:

Good for you! Really! But this is a very personal and emotional position. Perhaps a kind of placebo effect because of "its a Leica". I see things a little more factually. And this means I consider possible technical problems and flaws on a 6000 Euro product. 

If you want factual information, you need to use it and decide whether the mentioned issue matters to you. After using Q3 for a while, this is my opinion (I also own and use a1, z8, X2D, SL2, M11):

1) Not an issue

2) Not an issue

3) Not an issue

4) Not an issue

5) Not an issue

6) Not an issue

7) Not an issue

8 ) Not an issue

9) Not an issue

Some owners feel differently about those issues, which has been discussed in appropriate threads.

In my book, the only question is whether it is worth upgrading from Q2 to Q3.

Edited October 24, 2023 by SrMi

[clasami]

vor 8 Minuten schrieb SrMi:

If you want factual information, you need to use it and decide whether the mentioned issue matters to you. After using Q3 for a while, this is my opinion (I also own and use a1, z8, X2D, SL2, M11):

1) Not an issue

2) Not an issue

3) Not an issue

4) Not an issue

5) Not an issue

6) Not an issue

7) Not an issue

8 ) Not an issue

9) Not an issue

Some owners feel differently about those issues, which has been discussed in appropriate threads.

In my book, the only question is whether it is worth upgrading from Q2 to Q3.

They may not be "issues" - but a nunber of them certainly need to be addressed by Leica given that it is a premium camera.

[newtoleica]

very strange post... I don't have a Q3 either but I don't assemble a public list of the reasons I'm using to justify not having one... without even having picked a camera up and tried it myself. Sometimes forums are just pain weird....

[David Wien]

There is no question that the paint job could be better for a €6,000 canera. I dont know about scratches, but I have seen many photos of Q2/3 cameras with paint missing from edges and corners.

This is not a show stopper for me, but I dont understand why Leica dont do better in this area.

David

Edited October 24, 2023 by David Wien

[clasami]

vor einer Stunde schrieb David Wien:

There is no question that the paint job could be better for a €6,000 canera. I dont know about scratches, but I have seen many photos of Q2/3 cameras with paint missing from edges and corners.

This is not a show stopper for me, but I dont understand why Leica dont do better in this area.

David

It is paint! If you use the camera, the paint will come off eventually. On an a6400, an A1 and a Leica. Treat the scratches as medals of honor for using the camera. That is, if you are not transfixed on resale value, which is surprisingly low, anyway, as I am currently experiencing with my Q2.

[brickftl]

I'm sure the list of problems is 100 times worse than you report. Best for you to steer clear of the Q3. 

Despite that I think I'll continue to live with the crushing disappointment of mine. 

[Le Chef]

I wouldn’t touch one if I were you (to the OP). Complete waste of your time and money and far too big a risk. And I would avoid trying to cross the road as well: leave it to others to take the risk.

[YvonneS]

Just to share my experience after three and a half months of using my Q3 (taken more then 6000 pictures)

1. blurry and unsharp EVF during / after focusing. Did not see this at any time
2. extremely long shutter lag / blackout. Did not happen to me at all
3. Long delay after switching on the camera  / long startup time Happens sometimes
4. crops can't be enlarged in the EVF, you only see the frames which makes it extremely difficult to compose e.g. 70mm images. The guiding lines are very helpfull and after the shot I can check the result in the jpg. For me no problem when using the crop factor.
5. dust penetration on sensor So far not
6. AF is mediocre and often unreliable. My photos are superb sharp. AF is working great. With many people in the frame it can get a bit confusing/overwhelming with all those squares
7. EVF starts to struggle / gets laggy in higher Iso  as soon as the ambient light starts to dim. Not my experience, used it up to the highest ISO and last week many at 6400 ISO
8. Quality of the paint: gets quickly scratched. Not more then with all the cameras or lenses I have used before
9. quite disappointing battery life. Never had an empty battery, one day had a red blinking one, used it many days for the whole day taking photos (but have the habit to turn it off in between)

[M11 for me]

I think that often it is better just not to buy into the Leica brand when the price comes into the discussion. Leica is and will always be more expensive than other brands. The best price vs. image quality ratio is certainly with other brands. Many buy Fuji or Sony. They both offer small body options.

vor 8 Stunden schrieb -MR-:

I still think the Q3 is a great camera, but all these problems scare me to spend 6000 Euro.

I wonder why a Q3 came into your evaluation at all. But I strongly suspect that you might just need a justification to buy a Leica despite your never ending list of negative points 😉.

Lets assume that you come to the solution that the Q3 is not for you. Then your next option is Sony (or whatever). Then you can restart your thing again and again?

This is a funny way of how to evaluate a camera.

[Stuart Richardson]

Seriously, just don't buy it. Or if you want to, but are worried, arrange to test it. Nothing anyone here says is really going to help you, since so much of all this is subjective. Is it slow? I don't know...what is slow to you? Is it laggy? I am not sure, what is laggy to you? I am not trying to be flippant, but all this thread will really accomplish is stirring the pot. Some will adore the Q3 and defend every aspect, while others will think it is a bad deal. I agree with M11 for me in that when you start saying things like a 6000 euro camera has to be perfect or that the 170 euro battery is too much, and especially "Leica itself wrote in an advertising "Accept nothing than perfection" :-)) ", you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Leica does not make perfect cameras. If anything, they are more twitchy and likely to have errors than cheaper more mainstream cameras. Buy Leica for the user experience and optics, not because you want a camera that will never break or will be at the bleeding edge of technology.

Ultimately, do yourself a favor and either try it and make your own evaluation, or just drop it and get a camera that can more readily meet your criteria.

 

P.S. This is coming from experience. I spent a fortune on a 30-90mm zoom (that was not possible for me to test) for the S system about ten years ago, on the strength of Leica's marketing that it "was as good as the prime lenses". Guess what? It wasn't. I thought mine was broken until I went to Leica in person and they told me that I was expecting too much from a zoom lens. Somehow marketing did not get the message. Long story short, don't believe what you read. Believe what you experience.

Edited October 24, 2023 by Stuart Richardson

[Miltz]

Gotta love it when someone who never used a Q3 is giving reasons why they wouldn’t buy one based on zero personal experience, rather is using other’s only negative experiences and creating a personal fiction for themselves and then making it public. 

[Le Chef]

5 hours ago, David Wien said:

the paint job could be better for a €6,000 canera

Maybe you should wait for the Q3 Reporter wrapped in Kevlar and with the optional Leica bubble wrap.

[bobtodrick]

1 hour ago, Le Chef said:

Maybe you should wait for the Q3 Reporter wrapped in Kevlar and with the optional Leica bubble wrap.

I can’t imagine going through life worrying about every little scratch.

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[Ernesto Villalba]

Everything is true except the battery, whose lifespan is not bad at all. Dirt on the sensor happened to the previous ones but I hope not this one since it is sealed.
Everything else is TRUE. I've had it for 3 months and it's been kept in the drawer because of these problems, waiting for a Firmware to solve the bugs it has.
Power-up time improved with the 1.3 and focus on faces as well. To be perfect, you would have to combine Tracking Focus + Face Focus to be able to choose whether to "stick" to an object and follow it or look for a face. (like Canon does for example)
The most annoying bugs:
- Flickering when focusing in spot focus (in continuous focus or Tracking focus mode, which is my favorite, is unusable because it shows an incorrect, burned or dark exposure)
- Incorrect exposure. If the exposure meter is not "exact" and correct, the exposure it will show will be incorrect when you press half. In bright situations, for example daylight with sun and shooting with the settings you want, aperture priority, manual, auto iso, normal... etc. it will show the image without burning and when you take the photo it is very overexposed.
SUMMARY: It is a bit complicated to explain these problems exactly. I hope with excitement (and a little pissed off) that they can fix it soon since they are selling an unfinished product. I would wait until these problems are solved. It is undoubtedly a great camera and the files are incredibly good and a delight to edit. I just need to correct these small things through firmware, which is why I'm still keeping it.