Leica Q3 43 vs Sony A7CR + 40mm f/2.5

[Segal]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I got the A7CR + 40 combo while traveling and just received my Leica Q3 43, so how do they compare, given the Sony combo is half the price? 

I took unscientific images in my backyard with a model I had on hand. 

The first three are from Leica, and the other three are from Sony. I applied the same color profile to both and had to slightly brighten up the Leica images by about 1/4th of a stop. Even with the same profile, Leica's greens are much more natural—I have no idea why. It's supposed to be the same sensor, right?

Sony's bokeh seems busier compared to Leica's, but I noticed no difference in sharpness whatsoever—both lenses are great. 

Leica handles better and is MUCH MUCH quieter than the A7CR. Plus, it has a nicer viewfinder, leagues ahead of Sony. But I like the fact that the Sony has a grip and is a bit lighter and slightly smaller.

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!

[Segal]

Oh, and here's how they look next to each other. 

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!

[Guest]

In addition to your comments, I'd say that the A7CR autofocus is generations better that the Q3 series and, although the EVF resolution is lower that the Q3, it doesn't suffer from lag or other issues that the Q3 suffers from. To be honest I don't think that the Q3 EVF is much better than the Q2. Pixels aren't everything.

 

[Segal]

3 minutes ago, Corius said:

In addition to your comments, I'd say that the A7CR autofocus is generations better that the Q3 series and, although the EVF resolution is lower that the Q3, it doesn't suffer from lag or other issues that the Q3 suffers from. To be honest I don't think that the Q3 EVF is much better than the Q2. Pixels aren't everything.

 

Yes, Leica's AF is just passable. But when switching to A7CR from M11 during my trip, I found that I fought Sony's AF more than I used it, and that I had more pictures with subject in focus out of M11.

It is, of course, a skill issue - I'm simply not used to AF being smarter than me  

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Segal said:

Yes, Leica's AF is just passable. But when switching to A7CR from M11 during my trip, I found that I fought Sony's AF more than I used it, and that I had more pictures with subject in focus out of M11.

It is, of course, a skill issue - I'm simply not used to AF being smarter than me  

Same here. I've had an A7CII and two Q3s over the last year or so but have just swapped them all for an M11-P. It's really nice not having to struggle with autofocus.

[Flyer]

Personally I don't think you can compare these two cameras.

One is made by an electronics company and operates like a computer with too many options for my liking. I have had the Sony ac7r and whilst the end product was excellent it just wasn't as engaging as the Leica. I must admit the fixed lens on the Q3 as always stopped me buying one after my Q2 because I like the option to change lenses.

An interchangeable lens Q3 is the answer but thats never going to happen, so for me neither are an option. You mileage may vary, I guess it really depends on your use case.

That said the Q3 is maybe the best compromise and probably the best option for myself.

Cheers

[Guest]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

2 minutes ago, Flyer said:

Personally I don't think you can compare these two cameras.

One is made by an electronics company and operates like a computer with too many options for my liking. I have had the Sony ac7r and whilst the end product was excellent it just wasn't as engaging as the Leica. I must admit the fixed lens on the Q3 as always stopped me buying one after my Q2 because I like the option to change lenses.

An interchangeable lens Q3 is the answer but thats never going to happen, so for me neither are an option. You mileage may vary, I guess it really depends on your use case.

That said the Q3 is maybe the best compromise and probably the best option for myself.

Cheers

The Q3 is definitely nicer to use, and if you're using it for travel, street, landscape and portraits where AF-S is all you need it then it's a fantastic choice.

[Cogito]

I bought an A7CR recently when they were $800 off, I'm deep in the Sony ecosystem for work and wanted a small/light camera for personal use. Excellent photos and incredible AF, but I couldn't get past the EVF, felt like I was going blind. This was just about the time Q3 43 rumors were ramping up. Returned the Sony and bought a Q3 43 on the first day.

Edited October 2, 2024 by Cogito

[JNK100]

I couldn't live with the Sony EVF nor the ergonomics.

The sensor itself may be the same but they have different stacks and tuning.

[JTLeica]

The Sony in 5 years will also be worth about 9 dollars, that’s if it is still working by then… as likely it have thrown it at a wall or into the sea way before.

[gotium]

I got the 43 this morning.

Early impressions are that the Sony 40/2.5 on the a7cR is a little sharper throughout the frame, but I prefer the rendering and much prefer the colors of the 43.

I did plan to do some comparisons, but using the Sony takes me some prep: firstly, I find the shutter to be really really loud, so I always want to use electronic-only if there’s anyone near me, but that’s a disaster with electric lighting, leaving me doing a menu dive while at the same time scouting for hidden light bulbs around me before I shoot anything. I got through that but then, when trying to focus, it went into this damned “tracking” mode, which I hate, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how to turn it off. So I spent some time fiddling with the focus area and subject-tracking settings until I eventually gave up and just used the tracking. Then I ran into a recurring ISO problem, which stems from the fact that I always shoot in full manual mode (I find that the automatic settings nearly never do what I want them to), and in manual mode the dial I have set to ISO is way too easy to turn and I’m always bumping it accidentally, resulting in wildly inappropriate exposure settings. So I ended up with images that I’ll have to redo if I want to use them for comparisons. 

I’m sure the Sony pros would laugh at me, but having had the camera for only 11 months and being a Bear of Very Little Brain, I really struggle. 

I’m able to get what I want from the 43 without issues.

[fotografr]

8 hours ago, Segal said:

I got the A7CR + 40 combo while traveling and just received my Leica Q3 43, so how do they compare, given the Sony combo is half the price? 

I took unscientific images in my backyard with a model I had on hand. 

The first three are from Leica, and the other three are from Sony. I applied the same color profile to both and had to slightly brighten up the Leica images by about 1/4th of a stop. Even with the same profile, Leica's greens are much more natural—I have no idea why. It's supposed to be the same sensor, right?

Sony's bokeh seems busier compared to Leica's, but I noticed no difference in sharpness whatsoever—both lenses are great. 

Leica handles better and is MUCH MUCH quieter than the A7CR. Plus, it has a nicer viewfinder, leagues ahead of Sony. But I like the fact that the Sony has a grip and is a bit lighter and slightly smaller.

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!

Same sensor but differences in lens coatings and also processors. That could explain the more natural greens in the Leica images.

You mention that the Sony has a grip. There's a very nice option for a Q3 grip from iWood. I recently got one and it's very well made and quite beautiful. 

https://iwoodstore.com/products/wooden-leica-q3-q2-grip-handle

 

Edited October 3, 2024 by fotografr

[darylgo]

I've had the Q and currently have the a7cr.  The lens interchangeability of the Sony makes it the clear choice for me.  My disappointment with Leica is that they can not or will not provide a A7c size camera with ibis and interchangeable lenses when Sony has shown the way.  The SL series cameras are beautiful, if only Leica would put them on a diet.  

Edited October 3, 2024 by darylgo

[JTLeica]

5 hours ago, darylgo said:

I've had the Q and currently have the a7cr.  The lens interchangeability of the Sony makes it the clear choice for me.  My disappointment with Leica is that they can not or will not provide a A7c size camera with ibis and interchangeable lenses when Sony has shown the way.  The SL series cameras are beautiful, if only Leica would put them on a diet.  

Sorry but how do you know they wont do that in future? I am sure there will at some point be a compact SL camera, with Compact sl lenses. But they cannot do it all. Compact and small lenses lend themselves to the cheaper end of the market and that isnt what leica is about. But I am sure it will come in time. They arent Sony, and dont have their design or manufacturing capacity and the Sony A7 has been out for a lot longer than the SL, and that isnt taking into account the first Sony NEX camera that launched way back in 2010... near 6 years before leica SL.

How do you expect them to suddenly have the entire offering for all needs?

[darylgo]

18 minutes ago, JTLeica said:

Compact and small lenses lend themselves to the cheaper end of the market and that isnt what leica is about.

Leica M??

[JTLeica]

1 minute ago, darylgo said:

Leica M??

I think you know we are not talking about leica M. You are comparing two autofocus systems so, best stay on topic. You have just asked for a compact SL, with cheap / smaller primes like a Sony A7C... 

[Segal]

15 hours ago, fotografr said:

You mention that the Sony has a grip. There's a very nice option for a Q3 grip from iWood. I recently got one and it's very well made and quite beautiful. 

https://iwoodstore.com/products/wooden-leica-q3-q2-grip-handle

 

Thank you, just ordered it!

[liggy]

14 hours ago, darylgo said:

I've had the Q and currently have the a7cr.  The lens interchangeability of the Sony makes it the clear choice for me.  My disappointment with Leica is that they can not or will not provide a A7c size camera with ibis and interchangeable lenses when Sony has shown the way.  The SL series cameras are beautiful, if only Leica would put them on a diet.  

An EVF/autofocus ILC body with the Q form factor would be really nice.  I'd definitely add one of those to my kit.  
I'm sure it would be fun to use - even with manual focus lenses.  

From a business standpoint it's hard to imagine them doing that without hurting M sales though.

[BruceRH]

17 hours ago, gotium said:

I got the 43 this morning.

Early impressions are that the Sony 40/2.5 on the a7cR is a little sharper throughout the frame, but I prefer the rendering and much prefer the colors of the 43.

I did plan to do some comparisons, but using the Sony takes me some prep: firstly, I find the shutter to be really really loud, so I always want to use electronic-only if there’s anyone near me, but that’s a disaster with electric lighting, leaving me doing a menu dive while at the same time scouting for hidden light bulbs around me before I shoot anything. I got through that but then, when trying to focus, it went into this damned “tracking” mode, which I hate, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how to turn it off. So I spent some time fiddling with the focus area and subject-tracking settings until I eventually gave up and just used the tracking. Then I ran into a recurring ISO problem, which stems from the fact that I always shoot in full manual mode (I find that the automatic settings nearly never do what I want them to), and in manual mode the dial I have set to ISO is way too easy to turn and I’m always bumping it accidentally, resulting in wildly inappropriate exposure settings. So I ended up with images that I’ll have to redo if I want to use them for comparisons. 

I’m sure the Sony pros would laugh at me, but having had the camera for only 11 months and being a Bear of Very Little Brain, I really struggle. 

I’m able to get what I want from the 43 without issues.

Your comments about using the Sony are pretty much my frustrations as well. The Sony AF might be great but not when it goes where you don’t want it to, and I have had the same ISO issues. I recently decided to try the Techart adapter for my A7CR which actually works well, but in the end I am still shooting with a camera that I can’t seem to connect with. It is nice to use my M mount lenses on the Sony and the AF is a bit tamer with the Techart. I have had a Sony for some time because of the Voigtlander and Loxia lenses but I rarely use it because it is just not fun for me to shoot with. I much prefer the simplicity of my M11-P or Q3. 

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[BruceRH]

17 hours ago, fotografr said:

Same sensor but differences in lens coatings and also processors. That could explain the more natural greens in the Leica images.

You mention that the Sony has a grip. There's a very nice option for a Q3 grip from iWood. I recently got one and it's very well made and quite beautiful. 

https://iwoodstore.com/products/wooden-leica-q3-q2-grip-handle

 

 

2 hours ago, Segal said:

Thank you, just ordered it!

Just an FYI for anyone else, I did a quick eBay search and it looks like the same grip is available there for less. The iWood store is located in Macao China and the eBay one ships from China as well. The embossing on the bottom is the same on both sites. I may order one but I need to think about it. I currently have a nice half case so I really don’t need it, this is more of a want. 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/364356792770?var=633878952956

 

Edited October 3, 2024 by BruceRH