p.1 #1 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
Overall experience, good and bad?
As I get older, carrying a mirrorless plus the popular trio of either primes or zooms is just too much. Certainly a M and lenses are the smallest and lightest carry; but looking for even not needing to swap lenses.
p.1 #2 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I run a Q2 Reporter and Q3 43 as one of my travel setups if I’m expecting bad weather or I’m lazy and want autofocus as opposed to using my M11P. I took the pair to Tokyo while at work for last season’s cherry blossom bloom and it was almost the perfect combo. There were a few times I wish I had a telephoto for some of my shots but I just cropped in a lot with the 43 and it was good enough even if the final crop resulted in a really small file size. If anything it just spoke to the quality of the 43’s APO lens that I cloud literally almost run a 100% crop with that one photo.
The extra bonus is the batteries are basically the same (I run the Q3 batteries in both) and I simply charge each battery in camera with the 43 to avoid having to carry a second charger. It’s not the cheapest setup but if you’re a fan of the Q’s or the Leica eco system and you want something that can handle some bad weather without having to lug around some SL series camera’s it’s hard to beat.
It’s also worth noting that I can fit both cameras into a small shoulder bag (like the ONA Bowery) that I put into my work backpack for travel then just carry the small shoulder bag when I’m out shooting. It’s relatively discrete while traveling in the airport/trains and keeps things super simple which is what I like.
p.1 #3 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I’ve done it with a Q2, and the 28mm lens is well suited to cityscapes and landscapes. 47MP is also quite a bit of cropping capacity, but I have had a few shots over the past year of ownership where I wished I had more reach.
That said, you can always crop in and can’t ever “crop out” so especially if you’re going to be doing landscapes a Q2 or Q3 would work quite well. The lens, on top of being a nice wide angle, is impressively sharp from corner to corner. Probably not as good as the best APO floating element options but very good. The camera itself is weather sealed which is another plus, and some days it’s nice to have autofocus for your own ease and the ability to hand the camera off to someone else.
p.1 #4 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I don’t but K shoots 90% of her stuff with just a Q3 and Q3M. She tried my Q3-43 but didn’t like the focal length. We’d both like a Q3-90. If that camera existed I could see me doing entire trips with 3 Q bodies.
p.1 #5 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I just did a week-long trip with only the Q3, as opposed to carrying at least a Z8 + 24-120/4. I didn't miss the zoom much, but I am in general a "use what you have" type of person. A zoom would have been beneficial for many images, though. The only definite advantage of the Q3 over more flexible setups is size. Two Q3s vs. one camera with a zoom loses this advantage. It can be done, obviously, but why?
I used to carry two Olympus cameras, they were small, and lightweight. Even two of them with zooms were probably smaller than one bigger full frame camera. I loved that setup.
p.1 #7 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I have used the Q3 43 for family, travel and landscape since October 2024 and have been quite happy with the results and comfort. One camera, spare battery, blower and a couple of filters in a compact bag is freeing in its simplicity. I prefer the 43mm focal length as it is more my style. I previously had a Q2 28 and found I was cropping nearly every shot in post and did not care for the rendering of people.
I am keeping another system with a long zoom lens "just in case" I am photographing wildlife. Though that is not in my short-term travel plans.
p.1 #8 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
olegkin wrote:
I just did a week-long trip with only the Q3, as opposed to carrying at least a Z8 + 24-120/4. I didn't miss the zoom much, but I am in general a "use what you have" type of person. A zoom would have been beneficial for many images, though. The only definite advantage of the Q3 over more flexible setups is size. Two Q3s vs. one camera with a zoom loses this advantage. It can be done, obviously, but why?
I used to carry two Olympus cameras, they were small, and lightweight. Even two of them with zooms were probably smaller than one bigger full frame camera. I loved that setup....Show more →
Honestly the "but why" is simply because some people prefer shooting primes instead of zooms. Size is one major factor but so is the shooting experience of each camera, the IQ of the prime vs zoom lens etc... I literally fly around the world for work (so the extra weight of gear and volume matters a lot), traveling from the US to Asia, Australia, NZ and Europe 3 times a month and have carried my dual Q setup plenty of times with no real issues in terms of comfort. I've also run into plenty of people carrying a bigger mirrorless and a zoom setup, or zoom with a prime lens or two, plenty of times who saw my dual Q's and seriously contemplated switching themselves after I had let them try it out. I typically travel with one body and one, maybe two fast prime lenses sometimes at most, so even with the dual Q setup I pick one camera that I plan to mainly shoot with and leave the other in my shoulder bag until I need it or simply leave it locked up in the hotel if I don't want to shoot that focal length or carry it around.
As with everything in life, everyone has their preferences and shoots differently so I would say that for people who shoot Leica with mainly smaller faster primes but want some weather sealing its hard to beat carry two Q's together. Assuming they purely want to stay within the Leica ecosystem otherwise there are of course other options.
p.1 #9 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
You are correct. An M11 with 4 tiny lenses (21,35,50,90) a spare battery, a set of landscape filters, cleaning supplies, a visoflex, and a multi-tool, all fit in a tiny Oberwerth Q bag. The smallest, most powerful, highest IQ setup I have ever traveled with. I could easily just shoot this tiny kit that easily fits in one hand as my only gear for the rest of my life.
Also, the amazing high quality Leica Fotos App is very useful on such trips.
p.1 #10 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
RAG_landscapes wrote:
Overall experience, good and bad?
As I get older, carrying a mirrorless plus the popular trio of either primes or zooms is just too much. Certainly a M and lenses are the smallest and lightest carry; but looking for even not needing to swap lenses.
Thank you for your input!
It does not take long to see that M and bunch of lenses are not smallest, or lightest. A single Q, maybe. If you are not set to use Leica and Leica only you can take a look at something like Sony A7.5 + 24-50/2.8, or Panasonic S1RII + 24-60/2.8, for example. Or try bunch of compatible third-party compact manual focus lenses with them. You will have a great experience with those for sure.
I got Q3 for travel, but so far it is an exercise in disappointments and frustration for me. Somewhat nice images and great Foto app, but rest is just not for me. There is a slim chance it will grow on me, but I have doubts. I hope Nikon will finally make a z7.3 with a modern viewfinder, high res, autofocus, compact size so I will be able to use my existing lenses and stuff.
If I could hold Sony comfortably in my hands, I would probably switch to Sony and be done with all of it. It is compact, lightweight, great quality, etc. But alas, I just tried A7.5 and I just can't hold it comfortably at all, just like all other Sonys.
p.1 #12 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I travel with my Q3 43 - it's simply the right focal length for me. I also travel with a Z7 and lenses which usually stay in the riad or haveli wardrobe.
I wouldn't consider traveling with a lone Q3. Each to their own.
p.1 #13 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I have a full Sony kit but have taken two trips wherein I only took the Q3 43 and only had a couple of occasions where I really would have preferred something wider. Those were mostly driven by confined shooting space, relative to the waterfall or other subject. Even in those cases, I liked the shot that I could frame and perhaps had the benefit of a tighter, more subject-focused framing.
For sure, I greatly enjoyed the simplicity of just a single item to carry and knowing what the FoV would be before even bringing the camera to my eye, because that was the only choice. All of that said, I will happily take my Sony or both on other trips in the future, as the needs and priorities will vary. The Q alone on our trip to Alaska last year would have been a mistake, for instance.
p.1 #14 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I find that a single wide lens (28-35 mm) forces me to zoom more with my feet, I thus explore the subject more thoroughly, and I sometimes even find better subjects. I see how this is not always an option. For example, your feet alone cannot carry you to the moon or the bottom of the ocean. In other instances zooming with your feet can get you mauled by a wild animal. But in most situations I have found a way to zoom with my feet, and I have enjoyed to trips this approach has taken me on.
p.1 #15 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
I did an Europe trip 2 years ago with only the Q3. Loved it. I didn’t feel I missed zooms. I normally travel with Q3, an M with 21/35/50. It is more liberating when you know you only have 1 camera 1 lens. The Q also is weather sealed with a tilt screen. It screams travel with me.
I think a better combo is a Q3 variant paired with a GR variant. Q is not that small. I wouldn't want to drag 2 of them around, but a GR you can pocket. So you get the Q for the primary focal lens, and GR for the less important FL. 43mm with 28 or 28mm with a 40mm.
p.1 #17 · Anyone using Q2/Q3 28 + 43 as only system for travel landscapes?
mojoh wrote:
A 28mm Q3 cropped to 35mm is 39 MP while the GR IIIx 40mm (equivalent) is only 24 MP.
To work with two Qs (and using crop modes), a Q3 28mm and perhaps a Q3 75mm might be better spaced.
True if you do jpegs only. Unless I am doing something wrong, C1 does not preserve crop in DNG files and then it is a major pain to match original vision to the image. I gave up after a couple of days - it just not worth it to me. I liked an idea of shooting 3/4 frames at 35mm though. It looked very natural in how Leica implemented it. When I figure out how to tame over-sharpening and over-saturation, I might just give up shooting raw for that viewfinder experience and lack of the need for post-processing.
