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Leica Q2 vs Q3

theaesthetic
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

Does anyone feel strongly that the upgrade from the Q2 to the Q3 is worth it? I get that the video features are slightly better on the 3, but even then the sample footage I’ve seen doesn’t look that good. Any perspectives would be very much appreciated!

Jun 04, 2024 at 05:35 AM

whiteonline
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

The only reason I would upgrade is if I really wanted the extra pixels for cropping.
Sure, the sensor is a bit better with dynamic range. The tilting screen is perhaps an advantage is some cases. And USB charging is a nice convenience.
But none of those things outside of larger crops makes it a must have. And with the advanced image resizing tools available now, I don’t think thats a necessity either.

To me, the Q2 is my perfect take-everywhere camera that produces beautiful files that I don’t need to think about or retouch much. If I’m on a photo-purpose outing, I use something else that has all the features needed for the occasion.

Jun 04, 2024 at 06:34 AM

Luke_Miller
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

I just recently picked up a used Q2. Love the camera. Having shot with it for a while a couple of features in the Q3 appeal to me. I try to minimize the perspective distortion that occurs when the camera is tilted from the horizonal. I would use the tilting LCD to shoot from waist level in situations where I would have to tilt downward like with a seated subject. Also, the Perspective Control feature would show me how much perspective distortion was in my frame (and allow Lightroom to automatically correct for it). The improved autofocus would be useful, but I have no problem with that of my Q2.

These Q3 features don't entice me to pay the difference between my used Q2 and a new Q3. But when used ones become available ...

Jun 04, 2024 at 08:22 AM

RustyRus
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

I copied this from my post on another similiar thread-

Yes-

The charging port with USB-C for charging makes life easy when traveling-
The Better Eye AF makes it nice when you want a quick picture or hand to a friend
The Leica Looks are a nice feature to play with when you just want to shoot and not edit- or have some different results in camera
The file transfer speed wirelessly is incredible- Raw files in a second or two- Crazy how good the app is with the Q3
IQ is great-
The Flip screen comes in handy

I think that is a pretty good list-

Honestly though- The USB-C is the biggest for me. I hated the Q2 for that- Having my phone, IPAD, Headphones, Laptop etc all charge with the same standard is awesome. I like to travel as light as possible and taking a battery charger and cord always annoyed me.

For me it was well worth the upgrade cost- It fixed all the things I didn't like about the Q2

Jun 04, 2024 at 09:04 AM

theaesthetic
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

Thank you very much. Kind of what I was thinking on paper and helpful to hear someone thinking about it in a similar way

Jun 04, 2024 at 09:11 AM

theaesthetic
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

Thank you, RustyRus. How would you compare the AF capabilities between the 2 and the 3? For context, I have a GFX 100s, which has very good AF, but also had a GFX 50r, which is contrast-based and I didn’t really have much of a problem with that either

Jun 04, 2024 at 09:13 AM

RustyRus
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

theaesthetic wrote:
Thank you, RustyRus. How would you compare the AF capabilities between the 2 and the 3? For context, I have a GFX 100s, which has very good AF, but also had a GFX 50r, which is contrast-based and I didn’t really have much of a problem with that either

I have 2 real use cases I use the Q3 for-

First being eye AF- Its plenty sticky when I want to use it and does a nice job getting the shot time and time again. It works well enough that I don't really have to think about it at all. Obviously with lots of people, its a bit scattered but I don't use it when lots of people are walking by etc.

I have also handed this camera to my wife, a guy at a tree farm etc and with eye AF on, the shot always comes out perfect. So its as simple as you want it to be.

Second being Spot AF that I swap to with a function button and it works perfect as well.

Compared to the Q2, eye AF works much better. I didn't have to many problems with spot AF on the Q2 but eye AF is noticeably better.

Its a 28mm lens so AF doesn't need to be that perfect but I find it to always works exactly how I use it.

Hope this helps-

Jun 04, 2024 at 09:25 AM

theaesthetic
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

Very helpful, thank you!

Jun 04, 2024 at 09:33 AM

wru_jr1
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

I just went through this same debate and decided on a Q2 for now... The delta in pricing vs. the delta in performance doesn't seem to correlate... yet. I rented a Q2 for a week and this seems to be one of those "it's better, but do i really need (or want) it bad enough to justify the difference in price?". Both are available to rent, fwiw, so you may give that a shot and see for yourself whether the additional value is there for you. Hope this helps.

Jun 04, 2024 at 03:59 PM

theaesthetic
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

wru_jr1 wrote:
I just went through this same debate and decided on a Q2 for now... The delta in pricing vs. the delta in performance doesn't seem to correlate... yet. I rented a Q2 for a week and this seems to be one of those "it's better, but do i really need (or want) it bad enough to justify the difference in price?". Both are available to rent, fwiw, so you may give that a shot and see for yourself whether the additional value is there for you. Hope this helps.

Thank you and yes, certainly helpful. Probably in a similar boat as you. Used prices on Q2s do seem quite reasonable at the moment (a “deal” on a Leica does seem like an oxymoron though

). Fortunately, will have a Q2 to try in a couple days so very much looking forward to giving it a shot

Jun 04, 2024 at 04:16 PM

flash
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

I made the mistake of getting K a Q3, thinking I’d be fine with my Q2. Had I not had that temptation around I would have been more than happy with the Q3.

My favourite thing about the upgrade is the button placement. Finally the play button is where it should be.

Gordon

Jun 04, 2024 at 05:19 PM

wru_jr1
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

I agree - better button placement on the Q3 for sure. I'll probably end up there eventually!

Jun 08, 2024 at 10:02 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

Is the Q-series' 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens a "Planar" optical design?

Jun 08, 2024 at 08:30 PM

gordec
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

I had the Q2 now Q3. Currently we are on a 3 week trip in Europe (Switzerland, Spain, Italy). After 1 week, I can tell you I would be fine with the Q2, but there are killer upgrades in Q3 that I just can’t go back to Q2 for. Here are some real life improvement I really appreciate with the Q3.

#1. WiFi transfer speeds on Leica Fotos. Q2 was slow even though it’s a smaller file. Q3 transfers a 70mb-80mb file almost instantaneously, so I can go into Lightroom mobile to edit on my IPad Pro.
#2. Tilty screen. I do flip it down to compose all the time especially for long exposure landscape/cityscape shots.
#3. USB-C charging. Another thing I want traveling is carrying a separate charger.
#4. Slight image quality upgrades. When I zoom in, especially for long exposure shots, the Q3 feels sharper. I can also recover more shadows.

I actually don’t use Leica styles that much. Lightroom mobile is so well integrated, it has lots of profiles to pick from. I just shoot raw to save space. So yeah, it’s mostly lifestyle upgrades. You can decide if that matters to you or not.

LEICA Q3 SUMMILUX 1:1.7/28 ASPH. lens 28mm f/8.0 1/60s 500 ISO 0.0 EV

LEICA Q3 SUMMILUX 1:1.7/28 ASPH. lens 28mm f/11.0 2s 100 ISO 0.0 EV

LEICA Q3 SUMMILUX 1:1.7/28 ASPH. lens 28mm f/11.0 1s 100 ISO 0.0 EV

LEICA Q3 SUMMILUX 1:1.7/28 ASPH. lens 28mm f/11.0 6s 100 ISO 0.0 EV

Jun 11, 2024 at 01:35 AM

johnvanr
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

I do have a Q2M, but after trying the regular Q2 I didn't see the point in owning one, at least not at the price point they command.

With the Q3 and its 60mp, I can see it as a three-lens camera in a way (28mm, 35mm and 50mm), since at all these crops you still have more than enough resolution. This has been on my mind after my M11 stopped working, since I usually use that camera with one of three lenses (even though I have more) and those are 28, 35 and 50mm.

Of course, cropping is not really the same, so we'll see what the M11 repair brings.

Jun 11, 2024 at 05:11 AM

theaesthetic
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

gordec wrote:
I had the Q2 now Q3. Currently we are on a 3 week trip in Europe (Switzerland, Spain, Italy). After 1 week, I can tell you I would be fine with the Q2, but there are killer upgrades in Q3 that I just can’t go back to Q2 for. Here are some real life improvement I really appreciate with the Q3.

#1. WiFi transfer speeds on Leica Fotos. Q2 was slow even though it’s a smaller file. Q3 transfers a 70mb-80mb file almost instantaneously, so I can go into Lightroom mobile to edit on my IPad Pro.
#2. Tilty screen. I...Show more →

First off, excellent photos and enjoy the rest of your trip! WiFi speed is an interesting point that I haven’t heard before. I have a small USB-C SD reader that I use with my ipad and my phone (iphone 15), so haven’t had to mess around with the WiFi. So great that the mobile interface for Lightroom (and even Capture One to some extent) are completely workable now

Jun 11, 2024 at 09:37 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

johnvanr wrote:
I do have a Q2M, but after trying the regular Q2 I didn't see the point in owning one, at least not at the price point they command.

With the Q3 and its 60mp, I can see it as a three-lens camera in a way (28mm, 35mm and 50mm), since at all these crops you still have more than enough resolution. This has been on my mind after my M11 stopped working, since I usually use that camera with one of three lenses (even though I have more) and those are 28, 35 and 50mm.

Of course, cropping is not...Show more →

There is a gain in resolution going from 47.3MP to 60MP, but it's not as significant as it might seem at first glance. In terms of linear resolution, the increase is only about 11%. Therefore, if 60MP provides enough resolution for drastic crops, the previous 47MP resolution should also give similar results, and the difference won't be very noticeable.

Jun 11, 2024 at 09:53 AM

johnvanr
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

Fred Miranda wrote:
There is a gain in resolution going from 47.3MP to 60MP, but it's not as significant as it might seem at first glance. In terms of linear resolution, the increase is only about 11%. Therefore, if 60MP provides enough resolution for drastic crops, the previous 47MP resolution should also give similar results, and the difference won't be dramatically noticeable.

You are a wise man! You're right.

Jun 11, 2024 at 10:30 AM

gordec
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

theaesthetic wrote:
First off, excellent photos and enjoy the rest of your trip! WiFi speed is an interesting point that I haven’t heard before. I have a small USB-C SD reader that I use with my ipad and my phone (iphone 15), so haven’t had to mess around with the WiFi. So great that the mobile interface for Lightroom (and even Capture One to some extent) are completely workable now

After really using the Q3, I get the upgrades. You can’t use the same criteria you judge an interchangeable lens camera when you look at the Q line or other fixed lens cameras. It’s a travel camera at its core. So pretty much all the upgrades are to make the Q3 a better travel camera. Leica had to update the sensor, but it’s not really that significant. Q3 is the last Q you should need unless they update the lens.

Jun 11, 2024 at 12:30 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Leica Q2 vs Q3

johnvanr wrote:
You are a wise man! You're right.

There are ways to go wider than 28mm with the Q series lens. You might find this interesting when traveling with only the Leica Q:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1814843/6#16573076

Jun 17, 2024 at 05:23 PM

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