No charger?

[jaapv]

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Personally I find the absence of a charger a deal-breaker. I cannot imagine having to charge by USB when I am out shooting with large power-hungry lenses and not a power source for this funny USB adapter within miles, nor having a power bank dangling from my camera.  I always rotate a couple of full batteries. Do I have to get up a few times at night to switch charging batteries?
This is a camera aimed at professional level use, right? War correspondents, wildlife photographers, antarctic expeditions, etc? Not just one battery every two days shooting the cats and kids.

Slamming 400$ on the price to rectify this cost-cutting is too Leica for me. 

[MediaFotografie]

yes, I think we see here the same as Apple's iPhones and others, coming without a charger - "to save the planet", maybe...

for me that's ok (btw, we're gettitng a high speed USB-C cable, not only a charging cable (USB 2.0) like "iPhone pro", that's good)

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

[FocusDot]

Saving the planet by omitting the charger and then expecting you to buy it additionally - great move. 🤑
On the other hand - many of us already has a charger from other SL's or Q's, so...not a big deal for me...

[MediaFotografie]

vor 1 Minute schrieb FocusDot:

Saving the planet by omitting the charger and then expecting you to buy it additionally - great move. 🤑
On the other hand - many of us already has a charger from other SL's or Q's, so...not a big deal for me...

you're right!

another point: It seems to me that here in Germany both. chargers and batteries are much less expansive, BP-SCL6 is about 170€, the new dual charger 155€; I don't understand this hughe difference to other countries

[padam]

I guess they don't want to force the choice of the single AC or USB-C dual battery charger on the user.
(Latter being way more convenient, but maybe not everyone is so hung up on USB-C)
I've been charging cameras via PD using the laptop and it's never been an issue (same speed as AC), although this is more convenient if the battery life is good in the first place.
So yes, including an AC charger would be pretty useless to me.

[jaapv]

48 minutes ago, MediaFotografie said:

yes, I think we see here the same as Apple's iPhones and others, coming without a charger - "to save the planet", maybe...

for me that's ok (btw, we're gettitng a high speed USB-C cable, not only a charging cable (USB 2.0) like "iPhone pro", that's good)

“Save the Planet?” I call greenwashing. 

[John Robinson]

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How do you have a battery in the camera, a spare fully-charged battery, and one on charge, all the same time?  What comes next?  Battery sealed inside the camera like most smartphones?  This seems a very strange approach for a camera capable of professional-grade results.

[jaapv]

49 minutes ago, padam said:

I guess they don't want to force the choice of the single AC or USB-C dual battery charger on the user.
(Latter being way more convenient, but maybe not everyone is so hung up on USB-C)
I've been charging cameras via PD using the laptop and it's never been an issue (same speed as AC), although this is more convenient if the battery life is good in the first place.
So yes, including an AC charger would be pretty useless to me.

Try charging a battery from a laptop in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere instead of having it charging comfortably in your hotel room or tent. The point is omitting it and then slamming a 500% margin on an “accessory” made in SE Asia. I am sure it that  the charger  is not individually hand-whittled from exotic materials under the roots of a tree in a forest near Wetzlar. What next? Selling 5000$ lenses without rear cap and selling it separately for 250$ in case someone wants to take it off the camera during a shoot?

[padam]

Sony has been doing it for many years with certain models and it hasn't been an issue.  It's safe to say for those who intend to use their cameras that way can choose the charger they prefer (and from whatever source they like, I don't know why the US price is that much higher). Just don't force it on everyone.

The old battery used to be ridiculously priced in the US (and one needs to buy more of them than just a charger).

Didn't really change the perception of the camera itself.

Edited March 8 by padam

[Simone_DF]

1 hour ago, MediaFotografie said:

yes, I think we see here the same as Apple's iPhones and others, coming without a charger - "to save the planet", maybe...

for me that's ok (btw, we're gettitng a high speed USB-C cable, not only a charging cable (USB 2.0) like "iPhone pro", that's good)

It's a completely different use case. For the average person, the phone is just a phone, not a professional tool. With normal use, the battery of an iPhone lasts a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, and many also prefer a wi-fi charging cradle a la mag-safe to plugging a cable. I can understand the reasoning behind leaving the charger out on mobile devices. 

On the SL2-S, I usually need two batteries for a full day of shooting. The battery rating dropped significantly on the SL3, so it may be even worse. How am I going to charge 2 or 3 batteries without even a single battery charger included? 

Basically it's a dirty trick by Leica. They haven't increased the SL3 price, but they removed important accessories, so it's like having a price increase without apparently increasing the price.

The more I look at the SL3, the more it looks like a dud to me.

[Simone_DF]

1 minute ago, padam said:

Sony has been doing it for many years with certain models and it hasn't been an issue.  It's safe to say for those who intend to use their cameras that way can choose the charger they prefer (and from whatever source they like, I don't know why the US price is that much higher). Just don't force it on everyone.

The official Sony battery charger is less than 50€, and you can find third party options for 20€.

Leica is 155.

[padam]

So what? The body is more expensive, the battery is more expensive (despite being far inferior - still...), no real reason why the charger should be any different.

This is really no different than any other "why Leicas are so expensive" rant.
This is nothing new, therefore it hasn't really been a problem for Leica so far.

Whether they charge and extra few hundred $ for whatever they want or not, it really does not matter - in the grand scheme of things.

The "real" problem lies with them loosing more and more of their mojo over time, becoming more and more comparable to other (rather brilliant I should add) mirrorless cameras with more modern technology (or bigger sized sensors, etc.). It's just not "incomparable" anymore, like an M still is.

It's not like an Apple product with different hardware and software. Most things are actually quite similar.

Edited March 8 by padam

[MediaFotografie]

vor 2 Minuten schrieb Simone_DF:

It's a completely different use case. For the average person, the phone is just a phone, not a professional tool. With normal use, the battery of an iPhone lasts a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, and many also prefer a wi-fi charging cradle a la mag-safe to plugging a cable. I can understand the reasoning behind leaving the charger out on mobile devices. 

On the SL2-S, I usually need two batteries for a full day of shooting. The battery rating dropped significantly on the SL3, so it may be even worse. How am I going to charge 2 or 3 batteries without even a single battery charger included? 

Basically it's a dirty trick by Leica. They haven't increased the SL3 price, but they removed important accessories, so it's like having a price increase without apparently increasing the price.

The more I look at the SL3, the more it looks like a dud to me.

 

Simone, I think we ca see this different;

in my case here are five chargers BC-SCL4, so I really haven't a problem that the new SL3 comes without one, and there really will be more people owning chargers. And of corse there are others without, as I wrotr im my review.

Apple finally switched to USB-C and only the pro models with USB-C 3.2 - and these devices come without charger (of corse...) and with USB 2 cable only;
yes, that's a different case, in my personal opinion I'm glad SL3 comes with a fast speed cable - and without charger is ok. 

[Simone_DF]

Just now, MediaFotografie said:

in my case here are five chargers BC-SCL4, so I really haven't a problem that the new SL3 comes without one, and there really will be more people owning chargers. And of corse there are others without, as I wrotr im my review.

You also have to look in the long run. Eventually, in a generation or two, the BC-SCL4 will not be powerful enough to charge newer batteries. This is assuming the battery shape will be the same. 

[jaapv]

11 minutes ago, padam said:

So what? The body is more expensive, the battery is more expensive (despite being far inferior - still...), no real reason why the charger should be any different.

This is really no different than any other "why Leicas are so expensive" rant.
This is nothing new, therefore it hasn't really been a problem for Leica so far.

Whether they charge and extra few hundred $ for whatever they want or not, it really does not matter - in the grand scheme of things.

The "real" problem lies with them loosing more and more of their mojo over time, becoming more and more comparable to other (rather brilliant I should add) mirrorless cameras with more modern technology (or bigger sized sensors, etc.). It's just not "incomparable" anymore, like an M still is.

Look at Panasonic. They include a rather sad  basic charger. which costs about 100 € to replace BTW. If you want a good dual charger, there are excellent unbranded 22,50 € ones on the market. It is the cost-cutting that annoys me. 

[keeping_a_balance]

Frankly surprised that Leica seems to be the only company going backwards in battery life, I don't care about the price of the battery but iirc Fuji X100vi using same battery as previous model increased efficiency.  My Sony a7cii is using same batter they have used for a long time and got close to 1000 images on it.  I believe this battery has been around for several generations..

I did buy a 3rd party (nitecore) usb charger for the Leica Q/Sl battery and it works decently and not overly priced, ie can easily leave in a charger overnight and have it charged next morning...

 

[londond]

Am currently pondering the SL3  - the absence of a charger seems weird, visibly cheap and at odds with the premium brand. I have SL2/Q2M chargers so wouldn’t be affected and even if not it would make little difference, the increase to the overall cost of the camera is marginal. But likewise for Leica to bundle it. So not a dealbreaker for me but a sort of  irritating curiosity…

[LeicaR10]

On Red Dot Forum today, David Farkas of Leica Store Miami explained by Leica did not include a charger.  Apparently the rationale Leica followed suit with Apple that also no longer includes a charger.  He said Leica told them during their meeting at Wetzlar, it has something to do with EU rules.  Here is the link.  r/ Mark

Try:  

 

[NickT]

Does anyone know if the nitecore charger works on the new Q3/SL3 battery - it is the smae shape as the ols one?

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[londond]

11 minutes ago, LeicaR10 said:

On Red Dot Forum today, David Farkas of Leica Store Miami explained by Leica did not include a charger.  Apparently the rationale Leica followed suit with Apple that also no longer includes a charger.  He said Leica told them during their meeting at Wetzlar, it has something to do with EU rules.  Here is the link.  r/ Mark

Try:  

 

Fair enough….