The Leica Q3 43 Review
Introduction
The Q has been an amazing success for Leica, which is absolutely deserved. It was a brave move in the face of the almost complete demise of compact cameras. All the other manufacturers had stopped making them, so Leica made an expensive, full frame model which was not all that compact, but which had a peerless lens and incredible image quality; and it sold like hot cakes!
Ever since it first arrived with it’s 28mm f1.7 lens and 24 mp sensor there have been people who have said “It should have had a 35mm lens” or “I want a 50mm version”.
Leica have been very aware of these requests, but I think they were wary of spoiling the clarity of purpose of the Q models. Finally they have been convinced and today we have the release of the Q3 43 .
In this article I’m going to have a look at the implications of the new camera.
If you would like to know more about the previous Q cameras then here are links to some older articles (click on the name) :
Hemingway - The Leica Q
The Leica Q in China
The Leica Q2
The Leica Q2 Monochrom
The Leica Q3
However, I think that there are a lot of Q2 users out there who resisted the temptation to upgrade to the Q3, so it’s worth briefly mentioning some of its advantages:
The Changes from the Q2 to the Q3
New 60mp BSI Back Illuminated CMOS Sensor (similar to M11)
USB-C and Mini HDMI connectors
Phase Detect Auto Focusing
Tilting LCD
Improved Bluetooth and WiFi
Small, Medium and full sized DNG and/or JPG files 60,3, 36.5, 18.6 mp
Reliable Geotagging in conjunction with Leica Fotos
Rear Button Layout change
Long exposures possible (with any combination of ISO and shutter speed) Long Exposure NR can be disabled.
One additional function button
USB-C Charging
Optional Grip enabling WiFi charging
Better resolution EVF 5,760,000 dots magnification 0.79
Better resolution Display 3" 1,843,200 dot
Digital Zoom now has 28, 35, 50, 75 and 90mm framelines
Leica Looks
Why 43 mm
Well, I just wondered if it was because it was half way between 35mm and 50mm, but I thought there must be more to it than that, so I asked Leica!4 3 mm is the diagonal of the full frame 24 x 36 sensor. It is also approximately the focal length of the human eye. It is a better focal length for both portrait and street photography (keep your Q3 for landscapes!).