Q3 43 or M-EV1: Trying to make best decision as senior with vision issue

[jonoslack]

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4 hours ago, Anonautico said:

Don't tell Leica, because the Q43 with lens costs less than the best Leica optics, which Leica considers to be the best optics. 🙄

 

Leica knows. Just look at the MTF charts!

[lencap]

Apologies for the radio silence—I've been traveling a bit, but given the continued commentary here, I want to update my thoughts.

Thanks to everyone for the comments; they're all genuinely helpful and welcome. And a special shout-out to Jono. Your ability to articulate the full creative experience (the image, the art) with each Leica platform is why I've bought SL, Q, and M bodies/lenses over the years. My local dealer and I both owe you a commission!

My Journey to 'The ONE'

As a hobbyist for over six decades, I'm squarely in the full-frame camp (after enjoying everything from film Hasselblads and Nikon Fs to the "latest and greatest" digitals). But Father Time always wins: aging eyes made critical rangefinder focus and parallax alignment tricky. This realization is what drove my interest in the Q line, starting with the Q-116.

While I loved the quality, I never fully bonded with the 28mm FL. This led me to the SL/SL2-S (with SL primes and the 24-90 zoom). I recently consolidated and chose the Q3 43 as 'The ONE', as the weight/size resulted in leaving the SL kit at home more often than taking it with me.

Why the Q3 43 Works - For ME 

Why the Q3 43? Simple: looking back at 60 years of my photos, the vast majority are 50mm shots focusing on emotion and candid portraiture in available light.

• The 43mm FL is ideal for capturing faces with minimal distortion (and the optimized APO lens is a bonus).

• The Q3 43 checks every box for a true one-camera solution: magical output, macro option, fine manual focus and zone focusing, and a small footprint/weight.

• For wider/longer shots, I'll let my iPhone 14 Pro handle the task for now (I know, not an ideal solution, but it works).

• Yes, I do miss the M Rangefinder experience, but reality has a way of focusing (pun intended) on solutions, not fondly insisting on tradition and heritage.

Thanks again to this forum; you were instrumental in helping me navigate this maze of choices! Now, I just need Jono to stop writing such wonderful Leica reviews before he moves me to another solution! 😉

Be well, everyone.