Karim Ghantous Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 <p>Yesterday, the Leica Q was announced. Here are the basics:</p> <p>- Full frame 24Mpx sensor, superior ISO to the M240's</p> <p>- 28/1.7 lens with macro mode (aperture narrows at close distances)</p> <p>- Lens is switchable between AF and MF and has a hard stop</p> <p>- EVF</p> <p>- Remote control via WiFi</p> <p>- Two crop modes to give 35mm and 50mm AOV</p> <p>- Touch screen AF or AF+release</p> <p>- It apparently has a leaf shutter, as the flash sync speed is 1/500 sec.</p> <p>My initial thoughts are unchanged. Steve Huff reviewed it:</p> <p>http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2015/06/10/the-leica-q-real-world-camera-review-by-steve-huff/</p> <p>I'd like to draw your attention to the ISO performance at ISO 12500. Look at that beautiful noise, reminiscent of the grain you'd get from slide film.</p> <p>I think Leica will definitely build a system around the Q. They should not be afraid of cannibalizing the M. If they don't, someone else might.</p> <p>And the price is quite something. You can't buy an M body for that price. You can't buy a 28/2 ASPH for that price. And here, you are given Leica's best CMOS sensor and what seems to be an amazing lens.</p> <p>Leica's site:</p> <p>http://us.leica-camera.com/Photography/Leica-Q/LEICA-Q</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie_robertson2 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 <blockquote> <p>I think Leica will definitely build a system around the Q</p> </blockquote> <p>How do you build a system around a fixed lens camera? A flash, a case, a nice strap and a spare battery. What else do you need?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Williams Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 <blockquote> <p>How do you build a system around a fixed lens camera? A flash, a case, a nice strap and a spare battery. What else do you need?</p> </blockquote> <p>They probably expect you also to buy the version with the 50/1.7 they release next!<br> Stick the Fuji hybrid viewfinder on the Q and you'd have a nice camera...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie_robertson2 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 <blockquote> <p>They probably expect you also to buy the version with the 50/1.7 they release next!</p> </blockquote> <p>My thoughts exactly. Just like the stupid Sigma cameras, they expect you to "collect them all".<br> Nice to see crop modes in the Leica to give you effective 35mm and 50mm "lenses". Good idea, especially if the EVF changes accordingly.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieter Schaefer Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 <p>Now do the one sensible step and put an M-mount on the Q and create something like the Leica CL back in the days. Then watch M camera sales plummet - who really needs a rangefinder these days?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgerraty Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 All the others are discussing this fully on Rangefinder Forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_george3 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 i see this as heralding the end of the M system, as we've known it so far. Take the Leica Q, remove the 28mm fixed lens, replace it with an M mount, and put in an M240 type chip/shutter, with the Q's EVF, and what do you have? A new Leica system camera that will last for decades. I'd have one. Such a camera would take all my lenses and remove the necessity to use separate VFs for the super wide angles. And woldn't have the unnecessary mirror mechanism of the SLR to get in the way of proper optics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray . Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Looks like a bang up camera. With 24 MP there's hardly any need for multiple lenses with a 28-35-50 digital zoom.<p> <i>"Now do the one sensible step and put an M-mount on the Q and create something like the Leica CL" back in the days."</i><p> This is already better than a CL.<p> <i>"Just like the stupid Sigma cameras..."</i><p> The Sigma DP1 and DP2 are great cameras, especially at $700 new, but if not your cup of tea, don't buy one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochen_S Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 <p>Ming Thein's review mentiones OIS in the Q. - Leica's own site doesn't. - Whats true? If Leica managed to build OIS, I'll wait the 3 years until they 'll (hopefully) integrate it into a 3rd version of the Monochrom.<br> @Jamie: I don't consider the Sigma approach "stupid". Financial challenges aside I wouldn't mind getting hung with 2 or 3 light bodies. Juggling primes on a single one takes too much time; especially if you have to hit the menu and tell the camera what you just mounted, but sure it can be done when you are out landscaping at your own pace.<br> Anyhow: the Q might become a permantent companion but I'd frequently bring something else along with it.<br> Everythimng in 28mm isn't my cup of tea although I guess the focal length was a not too bad choice considering that it fits an occasionally existant gap in the popular 21 35 90mm combo.<br> A long Q might be tempting too, if Leica manage to provide enough AF speed for it. - Nobody seems happy with 90mm crons on the M9s. - I hope for a 75 or at least 60mm twin, recalling that 60mm and a wide was popular among R shooters.<br> Q reviews look nice so far. - I hope Leica get lots of happy customers and don't let the M crowd wait too long for nice upgrades.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray . Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Here's the Ming Thein review: http://blog.mingthein.com/2015/06/10/review-2015-leica-q-typ-116/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 <p>The Q looks really great. I just wish I could afford it. A 28 and 50 Q would be nice combo.</p> Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_george3 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 ...and after suggesting that a modified "Q" could become the new Leica system camera, somebody asked me what Leica might call it. It's obvious - we've had, not one, but three MPs - it should be the MQ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Herbert Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 <p>Well. not everyone is comfortable using a M rangefinder camera. Nice alternative for a lot of folks with build quality and the nice Leica glass.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray . Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Reading the Ming Thein review, I'm not understanding his comparison of the Ricoh GR's IQ to larger sensor cameras like the M240 and the Leica Q. I had one, and although it was a great camera to use, image quality in most if not all respects was at a distinctly lower level than my M8 or M9. And yet he raves about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 <p>Looks great, but still out of my budget. I'd like to see something closer to the Konica Hexar AF, with a fast 35mm lens and optical finder. Fuji is pretty close, with the X100, and I'm hoping for an updated X-Pro 1. But those are still APS sensor. Sony might be able to get closer to hitting the approx. $2,500 price range of a digital Hexar (adjusted for inflation).</p> <p>I'd really like to see a full frame digital equivalent to the classic compact fixed lens rangefinders like the Canonets, Olympuses, etc., but it would take a partnership with Voigtlander to make that economically feasible since they already have the affordable short base rangefinder mechanisms. It would be nice to see someone update the Epson R-D1 concept.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray . Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I handled an X100 and the build quality appeared to be a bit wobbly, and the interface a bit crowded, though the evf / optical option seemed ideal. I have a friend who had an X-Pro and said it was "too bloated" - I assume he was referring to the menu options, bells and whistles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uhooru Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 <p>I don't know, the Q color especially as processed has that candy color almost HD look. Not my taste. I'd have to see more photos processed in different ways. So far, not impressed.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray . Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 <i>"I'm not understanding his comparison of the Ricoh GR's IQ to larger sensor cameras like the M240..." </i><p> Answering my own question, I see that the GR's sensor is considerably larger now than on the first version one I had.<p> Barry, would you call Provia's color candy? I was thinking more that it had a saturated look closer to slide film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel fraustbyte Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 <p>I Stick with my Fuji X100T and conversion lenses, Pretty good system and looks great with my "Angelo Pelle" Strap</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 <blockquote> <p>"Answering my own question, I see that the GR's sensor is considerably larger now than on the first version one I had."</p> </blockquote> <p>Yup, the first Ricoh GR Digitals (1 through 4) were teensy sensor types. The GRD4 was excellent for a teensy sensor model, and solved the noise problems that limited the first GRD and the GX100, but probably exhausted the potential of that size sensor. What Ricoh now calls just the GR has an APS sensor.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uhooru Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 <p>Ray...no. It doesn't look like oversaturated HDR crap. Some of this does. I just don't know if its the camera or the processing.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray . Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 <i>"i see this as heralding the end of the M system, as we've known it so far. Take the Leica Q, remove the 28mm fixed lens, replace it with an M mount, and put in an M240 type chip/shutter, with the Q's EVF, and what do you have?"</i><p> Though the EVF in the Leica Q is said by at least one reviewer to be the best out there, it's still inferior visually to a good optical finder. In high contrast situations highlights can blow out and shadows go black in any EVF produced to date.<p> To put an optical finder in a full frame AF non-SLR camera, it's likely the autofocus mechanism would need to be in the camera body. Otherwise the size of the AF lens would block the optical finder to too great an extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray . Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Q...... 1/16,000th top shutter speed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_george3 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I don't think the MQ (I'll keeo calling it that) would be an autofocus camera Ray. Focus confirmation, almost certainly, but one of the delights of the M sysytem is its versatility in terms of being able to fit lenses of different ages. I often use my M9P fitted with a 1938 Summar. Clearly, autofocus couldn't be fitted there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 <p>Mark Brown, an excellent NYC street photographer, has been using the Q for a couple of days and posting pix on Facebook. His photos would be great no matter what camera you handed him. He says it feels odd, coming from using mostly manual-everything Leica M's, but seems to like it. Very quick AF, rapid frame rates, virtually silent shutter. His description sounds like something I'd like: the Q sounds like a Nikon V1 with really good IQ, something the 1 System lacks above ISO 800.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now