Masterful Leica Q3 Lens - It’s one of the best Leica lenses, but is it a 28mm lens?

[ChrisQ3]

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Knorp]

It probably is a 24mm or so.

[RobW0]

it has been discussed many time in other threads.

[Le Chef]

Yawn…clickbait.

[ChrisQ3]

I found it interesting, I fast forward to the last chapter about focal length… It does look like it’s wider than 28, not that I’m bothered… 

[SrMi]

2 hours ago, Knorp said:

It probably is a 24mm or so.

It is more 26mm or so (JPEG).

Edited November 15, 2023 by SrMi

[frame-it]

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2 hours ago, ChrisQ3 said:

I found it interesting, I fast forward to the last chapter about focal length… It does look like it’s wider than 28, not that I’m bothered… 

open the files in capture one and see the full image

[Dr. G]

Full disclosure, I haven't watched the video yet.  But with in camera correction to account for distortions wouldn't it actually be slightly wider than 24 or 26mm if that's what you're seeing in the image?  In the past when I've used lens correction in LR on other systems in there could be some loss of information at the very edges of the frame.

[Qwertynm]

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!

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That's exactly what happens, once you delete the lens information from the DNG. There is no other way to display the full image in LR Classic as the lens profile is embedded in the dng. On the left is what you're supposed to see on the right is what the camera sees. The Summilux of the Q is definitely wider than 28 but not quite 24. It's somewhere in between. But who cares. Most lenses are not exactly the focal length they advertise. Many lenses are rounded up or down.

[Dr. G]

51 minutes ago, Qwertynm said:

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!

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That's exactly what happens, once you delete the lens information from the DNG. There is no other way to display the full image in LR Classic as the lens profile is embedded in the dng. On the left is what you're supposed to see on the right is what the camera sees. The Summilux of the Q is definitely wider than 28 but not quite 24. It's somewhere in between. But who cares. Most lenses are not exactly the focal length they advertise. Many lenses are rounded up or down.

I agree with you, it doesn't really matter.  So if the image on the right is what the sensor sees, wouldn't that mean the sensor resolution is also greater than the resulting image resolution after in-camera correction? 

Again, doesn't matter - but I've actually never looked at the pixel dimensions of the files coming out of the Q3.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Dr. G

[pcgarner]

9 minutes ago, Dr. G said:

I agree with you, it doesn't really matter.

Yes, odd concern. And as Dr. G says, "doesn't matter."

[David Wien]

If you havent watched the video yet: dont bother, The same genius also has another one on which he lists every camera and lens he ever owned before the Q3. Yawn! 😆

David

[ChrisQ3]

3 minutes ago, David Wien said:

If you havent watched the video yet: dont bother, The same genius also has another one on which he lists every camera and lens he ever owned before the Q3. Yawn! 😆

David

I don’t disagree, but the whole focal length thing is intriguing……. The ‘28mm’ is closer to my Fuji 16mm (24mm eq) than my Fuji 18mm (27mm eq) - not that it matters in the slightest; but it’s fascinating all the same.  Whatever the true focal length, the lens is beyond sharp and with all those megapixels I can crop until my hearts content!! 

[David Wien]

13 minutes ago, ChrisQ3 said:

Whatever the true focal length, the lens is beyond sharp and with all those megapixels I can crop until my hearts content!! 

Chris, I agree with you wholeheartedly, and this is the reason why I am looking forward to getting my Q3 — one day!

David

[Qwertynm]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Dr. G:

So if the image on the right is what the sensor sees, wouldn't that mean the sensor resolution is also greater than the resulting image resolution after in-camera correction? 

Yes, slightly larger but not much, like 14 pixel lines. If you apply lens correction any other lens you don’t lose resolution in terms of pixels just in terms of detail resolution in the corners. But the pixel dimension stay the same. Hope that makes sense? But yeah, I too agree. Doesn’t matter that much. It’s not an APO lens but plenty sharp in the center where it matters for me most of the time. 

[David Wien]

In my opinion, the question of quality reduction at edges by means of computer adjustment is moot. Given that the full image is ~60MP -- with a high resolution all across it, and that cropped images are generally only going to involve the centre of the full image, where geometric distortion is negligible, I do not see the problem with the loss of resolution at the edges of a full image due to computer correction for barrel distortion, etc. The final resolution at the edges will be better than that of a 20MP sensor, and I get pretty good results from my Canon R6 (20MP) and non L-series lenses. From what I have seen of others' images, here and elsewhere, the resolution of the Q3 is always significantly better than that. It is the clean results, apparent even on reduced resolution images that stand out for me and made me want to know more about the Q3.

David

[Qwertynm]

vor einer Stunde schrieb David Wien:

The final resolution at the edges will be better than that of a 20MP sensor,

Your thinking is flawed. You say resolution = detail. That’s not the case. You’ll get the 60MP across the frame, that‘s true. But a sharper lens will have more detail in the corners. That’s another thing completely. The Summilux of the Q3 is ok from 5.6 onwards in the far corners of the frame. Below that it’s subpar compared to other lenses. That’s just how it is and there is nothing wrong with that either. The Q3 is the sum of its parts. And it’s glorious (imho). 

[David Wien]

29 minutes ago, Qwertynm said:

 The Q3 is the sum of its parts. And it’s glorious (imho). 

Yes; and what amazes me is that this glory shines out even when the original images have been diminished to 1200 x 800.

David

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[jaapv]

5 hours ago, David Wien said:

Yes; and what amazes me is that this glory shines out even when the original images have been diminished to 1200 x 800.

David

Well that alone shows the limited value of resolution. 

[SrMi]

11 hours ago, Qwertynm said:

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!

$

That's exactly what happens, once you delete the lens information from the DNG. There is no other way to display the full image in LR Classic as the lens profile is embedded in the dng. On the left is what you're supposed to see on the right is what the camera sees. The Summilux of the Q is definitely wider than 28 but not quite 24. It's somewhere in between. But who cares. Most lenses are not exactly the focal length they advertise. Many lenses are rounded up or down.

What matters is the focal length of the corrected image, i.e., what you see in the viewfinder, in JPEG, and in the corrected raw image (as intended by Leica). That focal length is about 26mm.