Leica Q3 or Fujifilm GFX 100RF

[Smogg]

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Today I photographed my children's games with the GFX100RF. I was pleased... But then I picked up the M11-P and continued with it. It's like night and day, you can't even compare the speed of work and the satisfaction from shooting. How much easier it is to work with a rangefinder.

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

[keithlaban.co.uk]

Unfortunately, as far as cameras are concerned, simplicity is often underrated and the term is used in the pejorative.  

[Smogg]

Based on tactile sensations and pleasure from the shooting process, my rating is: (M11) >= (X2D) >> (Q3 28/43) > (GFX100RF).
From a practical point of view, in relation to what and how I shoot: (M11) = (X2D) >> (GFX100RF) >> (Q3 28/43)

[steve edmunds]

On 4/13/2025 at 8:51 PM, Smogg said:

One thing I can say with confidence already: X2D and M11 are head and shoulders above GFX100RF ergonomically. With Q3 28/43 the situation is not so clear for me yet.

error by me

Edited April 18 by steve edmunds

[steve edmunds]

Fuji have only just put the instruction manual online and i got stressed and confused trying to read it! 

i am 66 years old so maybe its that but much prefer the simple menu of my Q2 and M262.

i do have an Olympus camera i use for wildlife which is also dreadful like the Fuji but i am not keen to bother learning the Fuji one so will pass on it.

[Smogg]

Based on almost a week of using the GFX100RF, I can say that I would be unlikely to keep this camera if the EVF-M introduced fast manual focus and some help with eye/face focusing.

[Phatcat]

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2 hours ago, Smogg said:

Based on almost a week of using the GFX100RF, I can say that I would be unlikely to keep this camera if the EVF-M introduced fast manual focus and some help with eye/face focusing.

That’s basically what is holding me back from getting one, waiting for the EVF-M. I moved from M to the Q because I am tired with rangefinder focusing. 

[Le Chef]

13 hours ago, Smogg said:

if the EVF-M introduced fast manual focus and some help with eye/face focusing.

What does this mean? Focusing with a manual lens will be as first as you can move the focusing ring. I’m not sure how a purely manual focus lens and camera could use eye/face focusing. Do you mean detection? Remember it’s likely the M-EVF would be based on the M11 and use the Maestro III processor, so not that sophisticated.

[Smogg]

9 minutes ago, Le Chef said:

What does this mean? Focusing with a manual lens will be as first as you can move the focusing ring. I’m not sure how a purely manual focus lens and camera could use eye/face focusing. Do you mean detection? Remember it’s likely the M-EVF would be based on the M11 and use the Maestro III processor, so not that sophisticated.

Yes, I hope for highlighting of eyes when they are in focus. You can call it eye detection. I'm sure the EVF-M will be on the Maestro IV, otherwise we'll get the same lag as when using the EVF in the M11. This will be unacceptable for a camera that relies only on the EVF and doesn't have an OVF.

[Le Chef]

I see no point as a manual focus M lens will not be able to track eyes or face. You will know no more than you do with the rangefinder focus patch. Remember the lenses have no electrical connection to the body.

And is suspect Leica will not spend money putting Maestro IV into what will be an old camera with an EVF. Maestro IV, or maybe Maestro V likely won’t appear in an M until the M12 which is rumored to arrive in 2027.

[Smogg]

6 minutes ago, Le Chef said:

I see no point as a manual focus M lens will not be able to track eyes or face. You will know no more than you do with the rangefinder focus patch. Remember the lenses have no electrical connection to the body.

And is suspect Leica will not spend money putting Maestro IV into what will be an old camera with an EVF. Maestro IV, or maybe Maestro V likely won’t appear in an M until the M12 which is rumored to arrive in 2027.

Why do you need electrical contacts in the lens? AI can find faces in the picture. Phase points will show the necessary rotation direction to make the image sharper.

[Le Chef]

31 minutes ago, Smogg said:

Why do you need electrical contacts in the lens? AI can find faces in the picture. Phase points will show the necessary rotation direction to make the image sharper.

On that basis you should already be able to have all of that currently with the SL3 and SL3-S. If it’s not available with those cameras it’s highly unlikely to be on an M-EVF based on the M11. 

[Smogg]

21 minutes ago, Le Chef said:

On that basis you should already be able to have all of that currently with the SL3 and SL3-S. If it’s not available with those cameras it’s highly unlikely to be on an M-EVF based on the M11. 

I still hope that Leica will present something special for its centenary.

[Simone_DF]

1 hour ago, Smogg said:

Why do you need electrical contacts in the lens? AI can find faces in the picture. Phase points will show the necessary rotation direction to make the image sharper.

Just wanted to point out that even with the Nikon ZF, eye confirmation is supported only with chipped lenses or adapter, e.g. if you mount a M lens on a dumb adapter, it won’t work, but if you mount the same lens on a chipped adapter, then you get a green confirmation box when the eye of a subject is in focus. 

[Le Chef]

What do you mean by “chipped lens” and “chipped adaptor”? What do they do and what instructions are they giving the processor? Surely the eye detection is part of the processor programming. In which case what role does this “chipped lens” or “chipped adaptor” play?

Edited April 19 by Le Chef

[Smogg]

7 hours ago, Simone_DF said:

Just wanted to point out that even with the Nikon ZF, eye confirmation is supported only with chipped lenses or adapter, e.g. if you mount a M lens on a dumb adapter, it won’t work, but if you mount the same lens on a chipped adapter, then you get a green confirmation box when the eye of a subject is in focus. 

Maybe the chipped adapter only tells the camera the focal length? Leica has a code on the lens for that.

[Simone_DF]

18 hours ago, Le Chef said:

What do you mean by “chipped lens” and “chipped adaptor”? What do they do and what instructions are they giving the processor? Surely the eye detection is part of the processor programming. In which case what role does this “chipped lens” or “chipped adaptor” play?

A dandelion chip is an electronic device installed on the bayonet mount of a non-electronic lens or adapter, which enables electronic interoperation with certain cameras. Camera functions enabled by the chip may include exposure metering, aperture display and control, focus confirmation and fine-tuning, and Exif metadata recording, but they depend on the camera model and brand. These adapters have been around for 20+ years, I had one for my old Canon DSLR. 

The Nikon ZF works like this:

Non-chipped lens, like your average M mount lens: automatic eye recognition and focus magnification on the eye (focus box is always grey)

Chipped lens: automatic eye recognition and focus magnification on the eye + focus confirmation (box turns green when focus is achieved)

Non-chipped lens on chipped adapter: automatic eye recognition and focus magnification on the eye + focus confirmation (box turns green when focus is achieved)

Perhaps, as @Smogg points out, the 6bit coding on Leica lenses could be enough, as to me it sounds like the most important bit of information transmitted by the electronic contact to the camera is the focal length.

[Simone_DF]

The TTArtisan adapter from M mount to Nikon Z goes even one step further by adding "focus trap":

TLDR if you don't want to watch the video: the camera will automatically take a picture while you're focusing when it confirms focus via focus confirmation  

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[Chris W]

On 4/15/2025 at 12:18 PM, keithlaban.co.uk said:

I'd miss being able to create images such as these:-

 

 

 

Fab photos. Makes me more liable to buy a Q3 43 one day.

[Smogg]

39 minutes ago, Simone_DF said:

The TTArtisan adapter from M mount to Nikon Z goes even one step further by adding "focus trap":

TLDR if you don't want to watch the video: the camera will automatically take a picture while you're focusing when it confirms focus via focus confirmation  

So, as far as I understand, there are no technical obstacles to eye/face detection in the EVF-M. The only question is whether Leica has the expertise to implement this in 2025 or whether we will have to wait a little longer.