The Q3 43 as a portrait machine

[LeicaS2]

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I bought the Q3 43 to be used as a portrait camera set at a 75mm crop. It's working extremely well. The resolution of 19.9 MP at a 75mm setting is enough resolution for a portrait providing a life size 16"x20" print. This is versus my SL2 with a 90mm 2.0 APO that can give me a billboard portrait.  In a world where a cellphone camera can compete with larger cameras, having a camera at your eye and using a viewfinder for portraits  beats out a cellphone that only has a screen. When using only a screen on any camera, the subject can get confused as to where they should look; the camera lens or the photographer. Outside in bright light, a screen can get harder to view. So the use of a EVF on any camera is a step up. The Q cameras looks less intimidating than a the larger SL with 90mm. It's also lighter and easier to handle.

In use, I preset the crop to 75mm, AF to focus on face and eyes,  single shot, photo review off, Auto ISO, Auto f, Auto speed Auto WB, DNG file. Indoors that seems to be ISO 200 f2.0 1/160. Outdoors or with strobes, I will fix the aperture at 2.0 and my ISO goes down and my shutter speed way up.  The viewfinder  shows the whole 43mm field  with frame lines shown as set at 75mm. In a way, it's like an M viewfinder fitted with a 75mm lens, except better frame lines. Now some may say why bother to set the digital zoom to 75mm when you can just crop in post?  Having the finder frame lines insures you keep your distance from the subject, avoiding the mistake of getting too close for a head shot. Note that if you are shooting on Auto, as I understand it, the exposure and focus is all measured for the 75mm space not the full 43mm. 

I take a few shots, and then hit the play button to review what I have achieved. I review in the EVF not the back screen. That way I keep in the flow with the subject. The play button reveals the cropped to 75mm image, not the full 43mm frame.  Conversely in DNG Lightroom, the initial image is the full 43mm, but when you switch from Library view to Develop, it automatically shows  the chosen 75mm framing in the full Lightroom screen. However, if you then select the crop tool in LR, the crop guidelines show a 75mm crop within the 43mm full frame. Hit the return, and that's now the cropped display you will be working with. But, if you want to move the crop a bit, you can. In this photo, I  needed to move the crop a bit to the right in post. That's the advantage of having extra pixels. 

 

 

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[TZombek]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Likaleica]

Sounds like a great workflow. 

[Olaf_ZG]

Thanks. I quess I will use it similar. The new q looks like a great every day portrait camera… edpc…

[haelio]

> Note that if you are shooting on Auto, as I understand it, the exposure and focus is all measured for the 75mm space not the full 43mm. 

This is correct. It also restricts where in the frame the camera looks for faces and eyes when in auto focus which is helpful.

[JoshuaR]

This is the usage scenario that makes me most interested in a Q3 43.

I had a 75 Summilux on order, but cancelled it because I wanted to think a little more about whether the Q3 43 would be a better approach.

I was worried about the APO creating a harsh, over-detailed look. But it doesn't seem to be doing that, at least from the pictures I'm seeing on the forum!

[Dr. G]

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Can you tell if iAF is using AFs or AFc in this situation?  

[LeicaS2]

I don't know about AFs vs AFc for sure. the little green eye squares were moving in real time suggesting AFc. Frankly the green squares on the eyes made it distracting as I was concentrating on the expression. I'm still learning the machine and taking many shots of different people to learn such issues. With  f2.0 I would rather be sure I had the eyes in focus. and learn to "see though" the green squares.

[egrossman]

45 minutes ago, JoshuaRothman said:

I was worried about the APO creating a harsh, over-detailed look. But it doesn't seem to be doing that, at least from the pictures I'm seeing on the forum!

I use a Tiffen Pro Mist filter (either 1/8 or 1/4) to reduce the sharpness of the APO lens for portraits. 

Erik

[LeicaS2]

The most filter is a good suggestion. I use the clarity slider in LR.

[cj3209]

The above portrait shot is NOT focused on the eyes; it's somewhere around the top of her face.  Is it just my eyes?

 

[Dr. G]

15 minutes ago, cj3209 said:

The above portrait shot is NOT focused on the eyes; it's somewhere around the top of her face.  Is it just my eyes?

 

No, you're correct.  That's why I asked if iAF was using AFc or AFs.  I find that AFc is better for portraits (at least for me) because slight movements forward and back after getting AFs lock can throw the eyes out of focus even if the green boxes are there. AFc keeps adjusting until the shutter is released.  

[LeicaS2]

CJ, you are correct, the AF focused on the rims of the glasses.  I'm going to have to experiment on how to get around that on glasses, other than changing the f stop from 2.0 to say 2.8?  The AF tracking works fine with eyes without glasses. This was a grab shot, not posed so movement was occurring, and the tracking worked.

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[LeicaS2]

Just switched from AFi to AFc and AFc is precise. Now I have to get someone with glasses again.

[cj3209]

Pic looks really sharp!  Nice!

[Likaleica]

I believe someone calculated the effective aperture at 75mm as f/3.5 when the lens is wide open at f/2.  But focus in your first portrait above really falls off quickly.  Even the lips are out of focus, so it makes me wonder about the calculated aperture.  The lens obviously isn't letting in less light at 75mm and f/2, because it's only a crop.  But the enlargement of the image also enlarges the circles of confusion, which kind of makes it look like a 75mm f/2.  

Anyone have some guidance on this?

[Olaf_ZG]

2 hours ago, LeicaS2 said:

CJ, you are correct, the AF focused on the rims of the glasses.  I'm going to have to experiment on how to get around that on glasses, other than changing the f stop from 2.0 to say 2.8?  The AF tracking works fine with eyes without glasses. This was a grab shot, not posed so movement was occurring, and the tracking worked.

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There is something strange on her face, camera right, I suggest this happened in post?

[Viv]

Interesting approach and the results are good.

As someone who grew up shooting film, I just can't bring myself to use auto ISO.

Indeed, I generally shoot in full manual mode (including manual focus) or aperture priority mode.

Call me a dinosaur - I still regard autofocus as a novelty gimmick. The reason I eschewed Canon forever is because their manual focus lenses were incompatible with their first autofocus cameras, unlike Nikon. My best ever film camera was the Zeiss Ikon. My best ever Canon film camera was the A-1.

For portraits, I use the CL with a zoom lens. No cropping needed.

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[LeicaS2]

Olaf, you are correct about post on the second photo. As a snap shot the light on the right side of her face emphasized her age and post attempted to smooth that. If it were a set shot I would not have lit her in that way. That’s a shot that should be left as a 8x10 not a 16x20. Or just reshot. But as an example of nailing eye focus it demonstrates the focus area.

Viv, the CL is a good portrait camera. The resolution it about the same as a 75mm setting on the Q 43.  But I also appreciate IBIS on the Q. Alas the CL2 never came. I still use the lenses on the SL with IBIS.

[ianforber]

On 10/4/2024 at 4:23 PM, LeicaS2 said:

I bought the Q3 43 to be used as a portrait camera set at a 75mm crop. It's working extremely well. The resolution of 19.9 MP at a 75mm setting is enough resolution for a portrait providing a life size 16"x20" print. This is versus my SL2 with a 90mm 2.0 APO that can give me a billboard portrait.  In a world where a cellphone camera can compete with larger cameras, having a camera at your eye and using a viewfinder for portraits  beats out a cellphone that only has a screen. When using only a screen on any camera, the subject can get confused as to where they should look; the camera lens or the photographer. Outside in bright light, a screen can get harder to view. So the use of a EVF on any camera is a step up. The Q cameras looks less intimidating than a the larger SL with 90mm. It's also lighter and easier to handle.

In use, I preset the crop to 75mm, AF to focus on face and eyes,  single shot, photo review off, Auto ISO, Auto f, Auto speed Auto WB, DNG file. Indoors that seems to be ISO 200 f2.0 1/160. Outdoors or with strobes, I will fix the aperture at 2.0 and my ISO goes down and my shutter speed way up.  The viewfinder  shows the whole 43mm field  with frame lines shown as set at 75mm. In a way, it's like an M viewfinder fitted with a 75mm lens, except better frame lines. Now some may say why bother to set the digital zoom to 75mm when you can just crop in post?  Having the finder frame lines insures you keep your distance from the subject, avoiding the mistake of getting too close for a head shot. Note that if you are shooting on Auto, as I understand it, the exposure and focus is all measured for the 75mm space not the full 43mm. 

I take a few shots, and then hit the play button to review what I have achieved. I review in the EVF not the back screen. That way I keep in the flow with the subject. The play button reveals the cropped to 75mm image, not the full 43mm frame.  Conversely in DNG Lightroom, the initial image is the full 43mm, but when you switch from Library view to Develop, it automatically shows  the chosen 75mm framing in the full Lightroom screen. However, if you then select the crop tool in LR, the crop guidelines show a 75mm crop within the 43mm full frame. Hit the return, and that's now the cropped display you will be working with. But, if you want to move the crop a bit, you can. In this photo, I  needed to move the crop a bit to the right in post. That's the advantage of having extra pixels. 

 

 

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I don’t take indoor portraits but this isn’t far off the process I use when talking street portraits. I use aperture priority with auto white balance and auto iso and choose whatever frame lines make most sense to me on that day. I have a Q2 so the advantage of the frame lines is also to remind me not to step in close to the subject, which would often distort their features. Not doing so gives the same picture apart from depth of field and f1.7 is usually close enough to my 50mm Summicron as to make no practical difference to my eyes. I almost always crop the final picture slightly differently, sometimes wider often closer. The Q2 megapixel count is more than capable of handling it - I never noticed a difference in cropability between it and my M11. 
 

Enjoy your Q43!