p.1 #1 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
I’ve recently had to create this new account after losing access to my old one, which I’d held for over 15 years. It’s a shame to lose the history and transaction feedback attached to that account, but I am very much looking forward to resuming my journey here!
A bit of background: The last few years have been challenging with the pandemic and various life priorities, which forced me to step away from photography for quite a long time. Now that my kids are getting older, I’m eager to slowly get back into the hobby.
My gear history: I’ve primarily shot with the Canon 5D and the Sony A7RII. Before I took my hiatus, the 35/1.4L was my favorite everyday lens on the Canon, and the 55/1.8 was my go-to on the Sony (the 35mm GM wasn't released yet when I stopped shooting).
What I'm looking for: I am looking to pick up a dedicated "fun" camera—strictly for pleasure, not for professional work. My primary use cases will be casual walkaround shooting and the occasional portrait.
I have been researching a few options: Fuji X100VI, GFX100RF, and Leica Q3 43. Currently, the Q3 43 feels like the best balance of build quality, image quality, and pure "fun" factor, though it certainly comes at a premium. I’ve also been reading up on the Leica M10, which can be found at a similar price point paired with a decent 35mm lens.
I would love to hear from some fellow enthusiasts about your experiences with these cameras, or any other recommendations on the first Leica for someone getting back into the swing of things. Thank you!
p.1 #2 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
You mention occasional portraits. I think that if you even have so much as a passing thought of shooting any focal length other than 43mm, you probably want to consider something other than a Q.
Personally, I'd start with an M and some Voigtlanders.
p.1 #3 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
Thanks OffTrail for your suggestion. I found myself using 35mm the most on Canon and would have hoped to do the same on Sony (ended up spending most of the time on 55mm even if I have other zoom lenses).
My primary concern on M is not sure how quickly I can learn the unique manual focus mode, as my eye sight is going down with age unfortunately.
p.1 #5 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
8bithachi wrote:
Thanks OffTrail for your suggestion. I found myself using 35mm the most on Canon and would have hoped to do the same on Sony (ended up spending most of the time on 55mm even if I have other zoom lenses).
My primary concern on M is not sure how quickly I can learn the unique manual focus mode, as my eye sight is going down with age unfortunately.
If you would like to use an M camera but feel that your eyesight is not good enough to use the rangefinder, you can always get a Visoflex, or as previously mentioned, purchase the EV1. I am in the same boat and use a Visoflex or the screen on the back of the camera.
p.1 #6 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
The real magic of Leica lives in the M system. A body like the Leica M paired with a 35mm to start gives you a completely different experience than anything you’ve used before. It’s slower, more deliberate, and far more tactile. That matters for someone in your position because you are not just buying image quality, you are buying a reason to pick the camera up again. I am speaking from personal experience.
p.1 #7 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
Surfnsun wrote:
The real magic of Leica lives in the M system. A body like the Leica M paired with a 35mm to start gives you a completely different experience than anything you’ve used before. It’s slower, more deliberate, and far more tactile. That matters for someone in your position because you are not just buying image quality, you are buying a reason to pick the camera up again. I am speaking from personal experience.
Fun until your eyes are not good enough to focus…then not so fun.
p.1 #9 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
Since you're experienced with the Sony a7rii, preferred a 35mm on your Cannon, and are considering fixed lens options, perhaps consider the Sony rx1riii, which would fit your fun factor as an EDC if you like the Zeiss Sonnar 35mm rendering.
p.1 #10 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
None of us here know enough about you to give you the right answer. Fortunately, you live in San Fransisco. Go to Camera West/Leica Store San Fransisco and get the best information possible. The owner and staff there are extremely knowledgeable, they have a huge inventory of new and used Leica products, and you will be able to actually try all the available choices. There you will get the very best advise and the answer you need.
p.1 #13 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
fun easy casual sounds like you want auto focus. If so, start of with something less expensive than a Q3 or Q3 43 (which for me is too long for street work), and maybe consider the Fuji X100VI.
On the other hand if you want to slow down your process and think more about your shots, then consider a M camera and start off with just one 35mm lens.
If you give us more of what you're looking for you'll get better advice
p.1 #14 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
Nifty Fifty wrote:
The real magic of the M actually lies in the user's mind.
Life is like that of course. I suppose it depends on how you mean that.
If your use of the word "minds" is equivalent to "imagination" then I disagree.
If on the other side it means the way your mind works during the act of envisioning an image, the workflow when taking the image, and relating to the lens rendering when viewing an image, often in photography summed up as "seeing" an image, then we agree.
p.1 #15 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
Try them all. Buy used, sell in a few months if you don't like it with almost no loss, just a small rental "fee". All the cameras mentioned above are fine tools. But you are on a Leica forum, so you know where to start and end. For a different experience, I would go with the M series though. On the other hand, the Q3 43 has a focal plane shutter, which is also kind of unique compared to most other cameras. So if you shoot with strobes, it's a great advantage.
p.1 #16 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
1bwana1 wrote:
Life is like that of course. I suppose it depends on how you mean that.
If your use of the word "minds" is equivalent to "imagination" then I disagree.
If on the other side it means the way your mind works during the act of envisioning an image, the workflow when taking the image, and relating to the lens rendering when viewing an image, often in photography summed up as "seeing" an image, then we agree.
I mean exactly what I said. Magic has always been such that it only exists for those who are receptive to it (for whatever reason). What is magic to one person is hocus-pocus to another. There's no point in arguing about it, because both are right. From their own perspective.
p.1 #17 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
Depending on what makes a camera fun for you, you may already have that in your a7Rii plus a wider lens than your 55…or in upgrading to a newer model + wider lens.
If fun = small/light, then neither the Fuji nor the Q3 43 (especially after adding a decent grip) is a huge weight difference and size difference is an eye of the beholder thing.
Shooting with the Q3 43 does have a different feel to it but far less so, if a Sony mirrorless is paired with a small MF lens. The viewfinder and lens are both excellent, and so the combination does help you see the world a little differently, but I would argue less so than the 50/1.2 GM.
If fun = Leica vintage vibe, that is not the Q3 43. It is an M10 and something like a 35 Lux pre-ASPH. My brain/eyes don’t gel with the rangefinder focusing system, so as much as I love classic Leica lenses, that wasn’t a path I could take.
I enjoy my Q3 43 in ways I didn’t expect, but its images do not have a traditional Leica look, nor a canonical modern look. They are just really nice images.
A camera like the Q3 43 is an indulgence, if you have other camera gear. I wish that I did not like mine as much as I do. I don’t use it as much as I should, to even remotely justify its cost, but every time I use it, I am happy to have done so.
p.1 #18 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
Nifty Fifty wrote:
I mean exactly what I said. Magic has always been such that it only exists for those who are receptive to it (for whatever reason). What is magic to one person is hocus-pocus to another. There's no point in arguing about it, because both are right. From their own perspective.
True in all things including life circumstances. One one has only to embrace it.
p.1 #19 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
I find it bizarre how they are literally only a few blocks apart now that Camera West left Walnut Creek.
1bwana1 wrote:
None of us here know enough about you to give you the right answer. Fortunately, you live in San Fransisco. Go to Camera West/Leica Store San Fransisco and get the best information possible. The owner and staff there are extremely knowledgeable, they have a huge inventory of new and used Leica products, and you will be able to actually try all the available choices. There you will get the very best advise and the answer you need.
p.1 #20 · Returning to the Fold: Advice on a New "Fun" Camera
1bwana1 wrote:
True in all things including life circumstances. One one has only to embrace it.
What you're saying is that magic can just as easily be found in a Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Sony, Sigma, etc. You only have to embrace it. I do not disagree.
