Long awaited: Leica Q3 43 with APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH.

[Jeff S]

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12 minutes ago, fotografr said:

It was a logical conclusion based on your logical response.

So you caught on to the deliberate phrasing of my question. 😜

Jeff

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

[ramarren]

For whatever the common wisdom might be, I personally would NEVER choose 28mm as my only lens. I did that with a Ricoh GR1 many years ago and almost immediately bought another Rollei 35S because of its 40mm lens, sold the GR1 a couple of months later. Focal length equivalents with a wider FoV than 35mm are what I keep alongside my "standard" camera outfitted with something between 35mm and 50mm FoV as complementary tools ... Same way I used to always want a Hasselblad SWC in my bag alongside a 500CM fitted with 80 to 120 mm lens. Even with my iPhone 15 PRO, virtually every time I turn on the camera I switch it from the default 1x (28mm equiv) to 2x or 3x lens setting. 

The Q3 43 is thus the first Leica Q series camera that piques my interest seriously. I'd rather add a wide-converter to the front of the lens occasionally than constantly reduce resolution to obtain my more comfortable FoV setting.  Here's to hoping that Leica a) produces a monochrom version of the Q3 43, and b) produces a matched ~0.6x to 0.5x wide-converter to allow for an ultra-wide FoV. 

The new EU regulation that every device must have a USB-C port and support in-camera charging might be a savings in electronic waste, and the gods know that I have a huge collection of 5 to 30 amp USB chargers. But I really really dislike the "convenience" of only having USB charging from some other device and prefer a dedicated, smart charger that provides read-out information on the battery state and health. Even on my cameras that support in-camera charging, I always take the battery out and charge it on such a charger (Nitecore produces nice ones for both Leica digital M, CL, and Hasselblad CFVII 50c batteries), and I can re-use the same charger through several generations of cameras presuming they keep using the same form factor/capacity batteries.

Any provided chargers go along with the camera when I sell it, so I don't really understand the notion of electronic waste with chargers for such devices... How else is the new user going to keep the battery charged?? 

G

 

Edited September 27, 2024 by ramarren

[S Maclean]

I wonder why Leica doesnt use this 50mm Apo form factor for the SL system. I mean, obviosuly they can.  I have the M system, love it. Got the SL3 and am enjoying it a lot, albeit it brings me back to the alrger lens commitment, but also allows for m lens use and is an incredibly fun camera for those of us that have slightly older eyes.  As I said before I loved the q2, whihc I got for my wife, but 28mm is not my favorite prime (forget about cropping, we can all do that anytime, I am just talking about "seeing" and taking the shot you want, which is more fun than taking the shot knowing you can extract what you want)

So now, Audrey will have the D8, which is smaller and more user friendly for her style and needs....and I would love the q3 43 for those trips where I simply don't want to bother with a full kit.  BUT, If a smaller, lighter AF leica lenscould be coupld with the sl3 then that would be a no brainer.

THis is similar to taking the hasselblad x2d witht he 28 p. or 45, both leave you with a form factor similar to a Q in size and weight

[egrossman]

8 hours ago, Miltz said:

Interesting mine shipped today too. Thursday. But won’t be here till Monday. How did you get Saturday delivery? Did they use FedEx for you too?

They used Fedex but I paid an additional $30 to upgrade the service to overnight (to California) instead of delivering Monday.

Erik

[microview]

Day 2 and much to my surprise Stephens (Manchester) showed camera as 'in stock' (verified by Chat facility). Yes they had 'a few' so tried to place order. Two debit cards failed and, as the company offers the option of direct bank transfer, I found that too was blocked. Rang my bank (HSBC) and was assured they'd cancelled  both cards as the expenditure was 'unusual'. So they'd  stopped both cards (now OK) and also stopped the bank transfer, Found all this a real pain even if in retrospect I can see the bank was acting in my interest.

So, looking forward to courier arriving with box early next week. Will it, I wonder, prove  to have better IQ than my M11p/black chrome 50mm Summilux, a combination which is getting too heavy to want to take out, now I'm 89 (albeit I can still easily cope with rangefinder focusing!).

PS I see the Q3 43 comes without a mains charger, which is a shame.

[chasincayce]

Curious as to how many people will be running the 28 and 43 duo. That's my plan, for now at least. 

[JaeR]

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I learned photography using the fifty nifty, yet I rarely utilize it. Reviewing my Lightroom catalog, I notice that the majority of my photos are captured within the 24-35mm range. I'd switch if they ever come out with a 35mm as I found I use this focal range the most, even when it comes to cropping.

[sdk]

I only they had made in 42mm, then it would have been the answer to life, the universe, and everything! 

But actually I would prefer a 35mm/1.8 or 35mm/2 lens. Not sure I would like a 40-something millimeter lens. Sounds too close to 50mm, which is not my favorite perspective generator. 

[BWColor]

1 hour ago, microview said:

PS I see the Q3 43 comes without a mains charger, which is a shame.

Unlike the M11, the USB C is readily accessible.  I’m assuming that the camera is relatively efficient with regards to battery use.  I have an external charger for my M11M, but I charge using the USB C port.  I keep a 10000mAh power bank in my sling bag to charge the camera on the go.  I use a coiled USB C cable and all seems to work nicely.  The battery is very small and easily fits in a back pocket.

Edited September 27, 2024 by BWColor
Last sentence

[algrove]

It is amazing to me that people have no clue about the Euro mandate regarding chargers. Guess they live under a rock.

[algrove]

I got the dual charger for my SL3 and I must say it is a welcomed charger that finally Leica offers a dual battery charger.

[Julian H]

Had a play with the “43” today at work. Wow, lovely! 43mm is so much nicer for me than 28mm. Really pleased that Leica has finally come up with this variant. The hood design is really cool too, as is the new packaging!

Now waiting for the Monochrom 😂

Julian

 

[ramarren]

51 minutes ago, algrove said:

It is amazing to me that people have no clue about the Euro mandate regarding chargers. Guess they live under a rock.

I don't live in "Euro" land. I live in the USA, California to be precise. There's very very little info about such details of European business protocol requirements in the daily press as it is not deemed to be particularly significant or noteworthy to average US folks living in California, et al. When I saw it mentioned this morning, on this thread, I looked to see what the mandate was about. It took about a half hour to discover it on BBC News/UK and one other small business journal based in the USA. (I only read English fluently so I didn't look through French, Spanish, German, Italian news media....)

So it should not be a surprise that most US residents would have heard very little about it, despite that for big companies like Apple it presents another general PITA. 🙄

G

"Under Rock Dweller Extraordinaire"

Edited September 27, 2024 by ramarren

[davidnvh]

9 minutes ago, ramarren said:

I don't live in "Euro" land. I live in the USA, California to be precise. There's very very little info about such details of European business protocol requirements in the daily press as it is not deemed to be particularly significant or noteworthy to average US folks living in California, et al. When I saw it mentioned this morning, on this thread, I looked to see what the mandate was about. It took about a half hour to discover it on BBC News/UK and one other small business journal based in the USA. (I only read English fluently so I didn't look through French, Spanish, German, Italian news media....)

So it should not be a surprise that most US residents would have heard very little about it, despite that for big companies like Apple it presents another general PITA. 🙄

G

"Under Rock Dweller Extraordinaire"

Well, I live in Europe, and I’m still shocked by not having a charger for both my M11D and the new Q3. Unfortunately, this is the new norm.

[Markey]

I didn`t know about it and I live in the UK.

Take little interest in things european and don`t listen to the bbc so it passed me by.

Sounds like another retrograde step in that I`ll have to by a charger if I take the plunge on this camera .... I`ll get back under my rock

[T25UFO]

1 minute ago, Markey said:

I didn`t know about it and I live in the UK.

Ditto . . . I thought this was why we left the European Union 🙂

Fortunately, I bought my M11M a few nano seconds before the bureaucrats took over.  It came with a very neat charger, which I could also use if I ever decided to buy the M11D.

[Orguy]

21 hours ago, chasincayce said:

mine just shipped, delivery tomorrow. ordered around same time as you 

I ordered mine from B&H with order confirmation email 1:00 PM EDT. Has anyone gotten word  from B&H around this time?

[Olaf_ZG]

6 minutes ago, T25UFO said:

Ditto . . . I thought this was why we left the European Union 🙂

You did.

but Leica did not.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[Olaf_ZG]

Some rumors are going, that after the first batch, leadtime might be long. That would be a bummer, as due to financial reasons I can’t buy before January (not willing to take a loan). If the first batch is sold out, it means I would need to wait a bit longer. Pity.

But then, the second batch might have less child diseases and meanwhile I still have the G1.

[BWColor]

13 minutes ago, Orguy said:

I ordered mine from B&H with order confirmation email 1:00 PM EDT. Has anyone gotten word  from B&H around this time?

I was on site when the 43 went live, but didn’t want immediate shipment, because I wanted some time to consider the purchase in that I just recently purchased an M11M and X2D systems.  I will say that I’ve had a number of Hasselblad lenses backordered with B&H that shipped much earlier than I expected.  The time stamp on my B&H order was 1:06.  I have no expectation of an early delivery.  If you are interested in an earlier delivery, you might try some some stores that receive fewer cameras, but have much less demand than B&H, or Adorama.

Edited September 27, 2024 by BWColor
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