The most unbiased Leica review I've ever seen. Great job Chris. You acknowledge that it's not a good value product yet show how it still tugs at the heart strings. Sort of like a classic supercar. Should you buy one objectively? no. Would you if you had enough disposable income? YES definitely. Love your camera work in this one Jordan. Really nice and natural, enjoying the wide angle shots of Chris.
You would, I won't touch it with 10f pole. 43mm is useless artifact from seventies. I'd rather get Q Vario with something like 20-35 non-retracting zoom.
This is the first time at least I'm seeing a journalist calling out Leica for selling old tech for an exorbitant price instead of selling new tech for an exorbitant price. Every sellout on the internet seems to only praise them for the good bits (which are notably very good) but completely ignore the blemishes.
Holy shit this is the only gear review video with really good pictures shot through the camera. Got a call this morning, gonna wait for them to get the 28 mm in stock. 43 is amazing but too narrow for my street.
The 43mm lens definitely makes this more enticing than the original Q3! I still just wish Leica would give us this body with an L-mount. I’d love a weather resistant, rangefinder style (NO OVF) Leica with autofocus. L-mount would give me the option to adapt M-mount lenses if I wanted to slow down or zone focus. It’d probably cannibalize their other camera lines, though, so I doubt I’ll ever see that. Maybe a 2nd version of the Panasonic S9 will eventually tick all of the boxes?
@@Kevon420 I just use a Nikon Z7II with the 40 F2 for a walk around its works pretty good, I would be nice to have the Leica, but I can live with that.
@@Kevon420 that’s a solid setup, and definitely more cost effective! My daily driver is an A7Cii with the 40mm f/2.5, but I prefer the (lack of) grip on the Leica M and Q series cameras. The Q’s EVF is significantly better, too.
And it's not 35mm, Chris will be very happy. I think all the missing things are present here because it's actually the same body, just a different lens attached in front. With that said, if they make a Q camera with the Leica 28-35-50mm tri-elmar it will be an absolute killer!
I think that’s the general idea of the Q-line with the 28mm lens. Cropping for 35/50 with still decent resolution left. That’s how I use my Q2 and it’s great. Of course cropped "50mm" with 1.7 doesn’t look like 50mm 1.7, but the Tri-Elmar has f/4.0 anyway.
@@hallomarvin42 well you can crop with every camera to every single focal length at the computer. This is not an achievement or something to be advertised as a camera strength. The Tri-Elmar was f/4, that's true, but what if they make a new modern version with f/2? Yes, it will be bigger, but it's a great opportunity for Leica I think.
@@AnastasTarpanov I was thinking the same, then took a look at the size of the Tri-Elmar f/4 lens. Its big! It would be quite an engineering and optics challenge to make that an F/2 lens for same or similar body size of the Q camera. I suppose you manually switch position distances of one or more elements in the Tri-Elmar lens body, leaving some the same for the different focal lengths. And then there is the optical stabilization motors and. the leaf shutter. That would be a very long lens! I like this idea, but would be very surprised if Leica could do this in a smallish, similar size Q camera and lens, even at F4. Maybe F 5.6? Not!
No other camera manufacturer could get away with these specs even at half the price. Clearly aimed at people with more money than sense. The fact they will sell every one they make, makes me take my hat off to Leica. I'm just glad other camera makers do try to make their cameras better
If only the GR II series were not sensor dust magnets. A sealed camera like this wins in that respect. It costs almost as much as a new GRIII to ge the camera opend up & the sensor cleaned in the GRIII
It can be seen in this review and others that it has a great 3D effect highlighting the subjects in focus, not to be confused with bokeh separation. Thanks for the review
@@MrMacroJesseSky nah. I'll stick with my original Q, CL, and M10. Even if I sold all three Id still be short by the time the price is hugely inflated for the UK market.
Thanks for your review. Your commenting on and showing the autofocus action on this camera has informed my decision about pursuing this model. I had been enthused about the 43 mm focal length apo-corrected lens. I am a rangefinder Leica M-series with 50 mm focal length user and was interested in a weather sealed camera as good alternative on foul weather days. Thanks again for your helpful gear reviews.
I just bought the q3 28. Then Leica gave the news of the 43 mm version. Frankly speaking somebody like me (lets say a simple street photographer) I believe 28 mm is more suitable, since obviously it gives more possibilities, I don't think (at least in my hands) lens quality between summilux and aposummicron would have remarkable distances.
Did the same. I like the wider options of the Q3 28 for street, landscape and travel. I had a choice, but went for the one that was closer to my shooting style and preferences. Both great lenses, though.
Thanks Chris for your honest review. As a full time pro shooter, work with the Q2 when doing reportage abroad. What I find most annoying on both the Q2 and the Q3 is the missing joystick for moving the AF point around the frame. Especially when working in situations where things change rapidly. I was told by Leica to use the touchscreen to move the AF point around. It's an option, but my fingers aren't long enough to move the point to the far left when shooting. It can be done that way, but I find it disturbing when concentrated on a subject. Furthermore, when moving the point with the touchscreen, there is a little lag, before you can move the point. I guess that is made so you won't move the point by with your nose or the like by accident. However, using a Q2 makes a little easier than on the Q3s where the screen has been moved a little further to the left. Just a thought.
3:00 they could also do what Hasselblad does on the X2D with their "street photography mode". In that mode, the camera will immediately upload new photos in 10bit HEIF to your phone without having to sync, so there's an instant backup.
Really useful review. Leica makes several incrdible lenses (not all of them), but as far as their bodies, the M-Series is really the only one that takes advantage of thier design sensibilities.
I think they are testing the waters in here with the 43mm lens. People were saying for ages that they'd love a 50mm on the Q. In my opinion, it's a minority and that camera is loved for the 28mm. They just want to save cost for now as it's just a lens swap in the factory.
Personally I would have preferred a 75mm Summicron on it. I am a Q2 owner and the difference is just not worth it to have two cameras. But the 43mm definitely looks much better than the terrible 28mm on the Q2.
I got mine yesterday, actually one of the first few in my country. I already love it very much, complements the Q2 28 I also have. The lens is breathtakingly good! Only quirk: it doesn't connect to the Leica Foto App (yet). The App might not know the "43" at the moment, therefore it is not found via Bluetooth. But I'm expecting a patch for the App hopefully very soon. EDIT: The Foto App of Leica is updated now - it sees the 43! :-)
Thank you for the review. The quality of bokeh is a huge improvement. A little disappointed with AF though. Perfectly usable for single mode, but tracking is pretty useless. Coming from Q2, I was pretty excited about the phase detection AF in Q3, but unfortunately still slow.
Great camera and glad Leica decided to keep video on this camera. Its great to use in a pinch for a clip when you're out, instead of hauling another camera.
Thanks for the informative and well executed review! What I gather is that nowadays Leica is like Apple - laying on old laurels, copy-pasting old technology, artificially inflating the price, counting on prestige from the past to sell to people with more money than sense. I can't believe all the limitations I've heard about in this review! There's pretty much nothing about these cameras that makes me crave for one and I find this to be a crying shame, considering Leica's legacy.
When Leica rolled out Q1 years back, I was hoping there would be Q1 50mm lens version because I am a 50mm photographer. Now we are getting closer, but still waiting. Hope my dream will come true.
I had the original Q3 and loved it . . . but the 28mm (really closer to 23mm) focal length was too wide for me. I really prefer a 40mm for street photography. Now we have the Q3 43. My dream street kit. But, of course, we don't have it, do we? The worst part of buying a Leica is buying it . . . or rather, trying to find it ANYWHERE for sale! But the positive is . . . it gives me PLENTY of time to save up for it.
No , not for me with the new 43mm too narrow not a one lens for all occasional . The 28mm much more versatile and the high mega pixel still allowed you to crop to many focal length without loosing the iQ .
IP 52 is not really a good weathersealing. In europe, most electrical stuff for installation is usually IP54 (the second numer is about water sealing) The value 2 means dripping water, with a value of three it would be splashing water resistant and a value 4 would be splashing water from all directions (I thinks some OM cmaeras are rated with a 4 (IPX4)
True, but at least it _has_ a rating! Most camera gear except OM System doesn't have any IP rating at all, just says "Weather Resistant" or something similar.
I was lucky enough to borrow this camera from a friend that works at Leica. The photo quality and ease of use are amazing, but I was disappointed by the accompanying apps. At this price point, I expected an app that would let me view and manage my photos seamlessly from any device, especially for quick reviews during trips. The experience outside the camera is simply underwhelming.
I love that Leica went for a 43 summicron! Would have expected a 40 summarit, but that slight difference in spec is really cool and unconventional! Isn’t 43mm supposed to be the exact diagonal length of a fullframe sensor? Making it the official ‘normal’ lens.
I have never understood why the diagonal is so special, but yes, that is the thinking. A sensor that is actually fully 24x36 would have a diagonal of 43.267, but 43.0 is actually probably even closer to the real diagonal since most full frame sensors are more like 35.8mm.
43mm is an interesting one. Used a 43mm Limited on my Pentax MZ-3 for a couple of years. But it wasn’t the most used on it. I much preferred the 77mm Limited. 43mm just never really fitted my style.
It's very very close to how the human eye renders detail compression. 50mm is traditionally considered the standard but in reality it's between 40 and 50.
@@ianroe1076 See I don't understand where people get that. Perspective and "compression" is all about distance to your subject and not much else. Our eyes have a field of view similar to like a 210 deg fisheye, and the central zone of maximum resolution is similar to a 200-300mm telephoto. A 40-50mm photo shows a lot less than we see when looking at something! But somehow roughly 40mm does feel right to me. Whatever.
You gotta use different apertures than wide open and f16 for sun star testing. Leica and Voigtländer lenses start showing them in in between apertures.
I've seen people comparing the Q3 to other full frame cameras e.g. Sony A7 series, and even Hasselblad, for overall photography. Let's not get carried away :). I use a Q3 28mm, I replaced my 8 year old Sony RX1Rii with it (I love the RX1Rii, but Sony hasn't updated it in 8 years, though honestly it still is very competitive). I now also love the Q3 28mm. I've actually adjusted to the 28mm lens which I initially thought was too wide. I enjoy the simplicity, the ease of manual setting, the compactness as a travel camera, all work well for the types of images I take (more reportage/street type photography) -- the rest I am OK to trade off since I don't make my living off my photography. However, in terms of electronics (stabilization, auto focus, etc.), the Q3 (even with Q3 43) cannot even remotely compete with Sony A7 series and most other full-frame Japanese cameras today. And from lens quality perspective, from the charts I've seen as well DPreview images, Sony lenses e.g. 35mm GM seems to completely blow away anything at any price that Leica offers, and at far less price. If you go with Hasselblad with its medium format sensor and lenses, the image quality would be yet another jump up from the Sony full frame sensor systems. So these are different cameras for different uses, and providing different results.
I wish this had the Q2 40MP sensor to keep the price closer to the original Q3 price in spite of the APO lens. The 60 MP sensor is a must on the Q3 so you can easily go from 28mm to 50mm "mode" while retaining lots of usable image resolution. With 43mm you really don't need that kind of resolution, unless you're treating this like a medium format camera where the high resolution is to facilitate large printing or viewing.
Shot with a Q2 recently, the size, the feel in hand, the lens rendering were all magical, does the 43 have a similar feeling in its lens? there was a lovely pop to the images on the 28. Also, the Nikon Z6III looked awesome btw
I don't see Leica coming up with more focal length options. They're probably developing the Q4 now, and will stick with the 28mm and 43mm, which are perfect for this type of camera. I expect the next one to have IBIS, C2PA, better autofocus, faster readout speeds, and internal storage. That would make it basically perfect. But we'll probably have to wait for the Q5 in a few years for all that.
I’m seeing the same cyan/orange split LOCA. I’m new to Leica, with only a Q3 and Q3 43, but is this normal for a lens with an APO designation? The Q3 43 exhibits more LOCA than the Q3 does, and less than my Sony GM lenses.
I'll stick to the standard Q3. Some time ago when I was still bothering with Fujis I did a comparison with the X100F+TCL vs the Q2 and it was no contest in terms of versatility (or everything else, but that's another discussion) for me.
But with a flash they can only support up to 1/250th max, which we mentioned in the video. You can use high speed sync but that cuts your flash power dramatically so you still have the same problem.
Original Joe's!!! The counter is the best spot. I was there in 1957. When it opened. I was seven. Years later in the seventies I took my date there. Counter. The zabioni was a hit. Best time is lunch. Cheaper. End of counter best seat. Piano bar was a time warp.
For those of you who find the price too much, I can give some advice from personal experience. 1. If you really want a Q series camera, wait and save. 2. As the system matures, prices on existing models will drop with new releases, and they will become more affordable. I bought a Q2 for a really reasonable price earlier this year, and it's become my favorite camera, despite its age. These cameras can be within your reach if you have patience and persistence, and after spending time with the Q2 I fully understand why people love the Leica ecosystem so much.
Yea! But you forgot to mention ripoff priced batteries. They only Q I consider as smart purchase is Q original. It has common batteries, not Leica only ripoff, made in same china cheap to made batteries.
The Leica Q series is a ton of fun, and this new 43mm is super cool. I can’t afford this 343 but maybe I can afford a used Q2 in excellent condition sooner than later 😅
I've found no review of the Leica Q3 43mm focal length that acknowledges that Pentax released its high-quality full-frame (of course) SMC FA 43mm Limited lens decades ago, and has updated it with HD coatings since. I'm not attempting to compare Pentax to Leica, or worried that the Pentax has no camera body attached. I'm merely pointing out that Pentax put out a 43mm hi-def/hi-quality lens a LONG time ago under precisely the same rational that Leica has used this focal length now, and it has (to my knowledge) gone unmentioned by anyone now reviewing the Leica. I have the Q3 43 and the Pentax 43mm, but unfortunately not the Pentax full frame K-1 that would enable me to make a rough A/B comparison (which of course the Pentax would lose to the APO design, but respectably so, I'm sure).
I use a 44mm equivalent on my X2D as a walk around and it's a really nice FOV - not too long, not too wide. 28mm is just a little boring, IMO. 43 would be my choice if I was going for a Q3.
There is a nasty issue if you put an UV filter on the 43 and try to go to macro mode. Bad lens hood design on it. You will find out as soon as you do. How do you protect this lens from dirt and other things?
Ok ... I guess I am in the other camp but I feel the original Q3 makes much more sense for street photography. I don't see why Leica hasn't put a zoom lens on this as I feel that really would be a great alternative to the 28mm. if they are going to have two versions of this camera.
I also feel like I'm getting a lot of this from my 7CR and 40mm. But for the Leica ergonomics and the little extra R&D touches that make that more special. I'm just not sure the price delta covers that, but I'm not a market specialist so maybe I should Stfu.
Same setup for me, the Q3 tech is a step backward but it is compelling. For the money I’d buy a Hasselblad and put a small lens on it. Leica reliability is also questionable, electronics are not their forte.
This is the second review I’ve seen of this camera and tbh the photos have not impressed me. These images all remind me of Sony photos and I don’t see that Leica quality. I think this lens is missing that it factor.
Have you tried protecting the lens with a UV filter, even a very slim 49mm filter, adding on the standard Leica Lens Hood, and then going into Macro Mode? 🤬
A Camera so magical it makes your wallet disappear.
your family too
The most unbiased Leica review I've ever seen. Great job Chris.
You acknowledge that it's not a good value product yet show how it still tugs at the heart strings. Sort of like a classic supercar. Should you buy one objectively? no. Would you if you had enough disposable income? YES definitely.
Love your camera work in this one Jordan. Really nice and natural, enjoying the wide angle shots of Chris.
You would, I won't touch it with 10f pole. 43mm is useless artifact from seventies. I'd rather get Q Vario with something like 20-35 non-retracting zoom.
I can *almost* deal with saying "fips" instead of frames per second, but I truly CANNOT abide the use of "fips PER SECOND" 💀
Maybe the frames per second accelerate by 2 frames per second per second?
*softly* Don't, don't put it out there in the universe...
Shouldn't it be "fffpss" and not "fips"? Might as well sound real dumb.
@@Seapatico vehicle identification number number. Automated teller machine machine.
Frame per second per second.
Thanks I hate all of them.
@@POVwithRC Did he say the fips per second were out of this world?
Love the “no” in the background haha
raise your hand if you can't afford one
🙋
🙋🏻
I can afford to buy out all of leica but I just don’t feel like it fr fr
I can, if I sell my car
Still getting it today though 😂
This is the first time at least I'm seeing a journalist calling out Leica for selling old tech for an exorbitant price instead of selling new tech for an exorbitant price. Every sellout on the internet seems to only praise them for the good bits (which are notably very good) but completely ignore the blemishes.
Way too much use of "adequate" to describe a camera this expensive.
It is just an adequate camera that's why.
That’s an adequate bit of constructive criticism… 😏
I see what you did there.😊
Iguess gucci brand also also have "adequate" bags.
The images it captures are going to be amazing. Some specs might be ‘adequate’ but I’d take image quality and ease of use EVERY time.
Thanks guys. I really like the quality of the footage with the Z6iii today.
I think I saw a little flickering and noise in the shadows.
😂@@80-80.
Yes, the footage in the city was lovely, the colors, the composition… a great promotion for the Z6iii.
I can feel my dental rates going up so my DDS can afford one.
I have the original Leica Q w/28mm for almost 7 years now. Still in love with it after all these years.
6.800 Euros for a camera with rolling shutter and autofocus issues - that´s exactly my kind of humour!
yes, its an unusable camera for fulltime professionals!
I was thinking the same thing….What’s amazing…People will pay for it….🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
@@a_f2598 Some people simply do not want to use anything else that's on the market. Hence the price.
Why would you shoot videos on a compact rangefinder?
@@cucumberworks why would you not if you already have it?
Holy shit this is the only gear review video with really good pictures shot through the camera.
Got a call this morning, gonna wait for them to get the 28 mm in stock. 43 is amazing but too narrow for my street.
The 43mm lens definitely makes this more enticing than the original Q3! I still just wish Leica would give us this body with an L-mount. I’d love a weather resistant, rangefinder style (NO OVF) Leica with autofocus. L-mount would give me the option to adapt M-mount lenses if I wanted to slow down or zone focus. It’d probably cannibalize their other camera lines, though, so I doubt I’ll ever see that. Maybe a 2nd version of the Panasonic S9 will eventually tick all of the boxes?
YES!!! This would great.
Buy an a7CR and the Sony 40mm f2.5.
@@Kevon420 I just use a Nikon Z7II with the 40 F2 for a walk around its works pretty good, I would be nice to have the Leica, but I can live with that.
LUMIX S9?
@@Kevon420 that’s a solid setup, and definitely more cost effective! My daily driver is an A7Cii with the 40mm f/2.5, but I prefer the (lack of) grip on the Leica M and Q series cameras. The Q’s EVF is significantly better, too.
The only review saying that AF not improved from the previous version Q. I appreciate.
And it's not 35mm, Chris will be very happy. I think all the missing things are present here because it's actually the same body, just a different lens attached in front.
With that said, if they make a Q camera with the Leica 28-35-50mm tri-elmar it will be an absolute killer!
I think that’s the general idea of the Q-line with the 28mm lens. Cropping for 35/50 with still decent resolution left. That’s how I use my Q2 and it’s great. Of course cropped "50mm" with 1.7 doesn’t look like 50mm 1.7, but the Tri-Elmar has f/4.0 anyway.
@@hallomarvin42 well you can crop with every camera to every single focal length at the computer. This is not an achievement or something to be advertised as a camera strength. The Tri-Elmar was f/4, that's true, but what if they make a new modern version with f/2? Yes, it will be bigger, but it's a great opportunity for Leica I think.
@@AnastasTarpanov I was thinking the same, then took a look at the size of the Tri-Elmar f/4 lens. Its big! It would be quite an engineering and optics challenge to make that an F/2 lens for same or similar body size of the Q camera. I suppose you manually switch position distances of one or more elements in the Tri-Elmar lens body, leaving some the same for the different focal lengths. And then there is the optical stabilization motors and. the leaf shutter. That would be a very long lens! I like this idea, but would be very surprised if Leica could do this in a smallish, similar size Q camera and lens, even at F4. Maybe F 5.6? Not!
I tried it in the shop and it’s amazing. The quality of the images blew me away. It’s just the price that’s stopping me from buying one!
The best thing on this review was the 7S t-shirt and the Z6III video quality :D
No other camera manufacturer could get away with these specs even at half the price. Clearly aimed at people with more money than sense. The fact they will sell every one they make, makes me take my hat off to Leica. I'm just glad other camera makers do try to make their cameras better
I have the Q2… getting this today. If I had the Q3 28 I wouldn’t get both though. Stoked on the focal length.
Z6 iii looks great!
They're gonna make a monochrome version of this one and the price will be an additional $3000 🤣🤣
and people will buy it! and they will also buy the limited white edition for 15k! 😂
Then they’ll take away the screen and add on $2k.
@@Maddin1313 can’t, monochrom would remove the phase detection af and limit it to strictly contrast af. It would be a step back
most people will spend that type of money just to say they have a monochrome Leica Q3. crazy asf
9999 EUR! 😅🤣😂
Good to see that Leica has finally discovered the success that Ricoh has with the small GR IIIx 👍
If only the GR II series were not sensor dust magnets. A sealed camera like this wins in that respect. It costs almost as much as a new GRIII to ge the camera opend up & the sensor cleaned in the GRIII
It can be seen in this review and others that it has a great 3D effect highlighting the subjects in focus, not to be confused with bokeh separation.
Thanks for the review
43mm?
NOW I'm interested!
$7K?
Nevermind.
My dream camera..... Just 5k over my budget. 😢
Exactly the same for me.
Don’t worry, you’re better off with the a7cr
@@MrMacroJesseSky nah. I'll stick with my original Q, CL, and M10. Even if I sold all three Id still be short by the time the price is hugely inflated for the UK market.
@@ForestCyclingAdventures welcome to second hand Sony
@@KONAMAN100 have an A9 and a7iii. Don't compare to how the leicas feel. They are tools for work , not pleasure
Leica's still the Price over Performance king
So let's produce it in Thailand or China and it's gonna be much cheaper, but this is not what Leica is about!
Well... NOW I want a Q3.
The 28mm was never for me.
This? Amazing!
All it is lacking is the internal storage or dual slotcard.
$6,900 is wild
Some lovely photography here, Chris!
Thanks for your review. Your commenting on and showing the autofocus action on this camera has informed my decision about pursuing this model. I had been enthused about the 43 mm focal length apo-corrected lens. I am a rangefinder Leica M-series with 50 mm focal length user and was interested in a weather sealed camera as good alternative on foul weather days. Thanks again for your helpful gear reviews.
I just bought the q3 28. Then Leica gave the news of the 43 mm version. Frankly speaking somebody like me (lets say a simple street photographer) I believe 28 mm is more suitable, since obviously it gives more possibilities, I don't think (at least in my hands) lens quality between summilux and aposummicron would have remarkable distances.
Did the same. I like the wider options of the Q3 28 for street, landscape and travel. I had a choice, but went for the one that was closer to my shooting style and preferences. Both great lenses, though.
Thanks Chris for your honest review.
As a full time pro shooter, work with the Q2 when doing reportage abroad. What I find most annoying on both the Q2 and the Q3 is the missing joystick for moving the AF point around the frame. Especially when working in situations where things change rapidly. I was told by Leica to use the touchscreen to move the AF point around. It's an option, but my fingers aren't long enough to move the point to the far left when shooting. It can be done that way, but I find it disturbing when concentrated on a subject. Furthermore, when moving the point with the touchscreen, there is a little lag, before you can move the point. I guess that is made so you won't move the point by with your nose or the like by accident. However, using a Q2 makes a little easier than on the Q3s where the screen has been moved a little further to the left. Just a thought.
PentaxPixel
3:00 they could also do what Hasselblad does on the X2D with their "street photography mode". In that mode, the camera will immediately upload new photos in 10bit HEIF to your phone without having to sync, so there's an instant backup.
@@summarity nice, I like that
Honestly, my end game camera.
sure..lol
The image of the dog was just so beautiful
Never saw such a beautiful image from a fixed lens body
Most non-hyped review I've seen so far. Thank you for letting the gas out.
The amount of pretzeling that is necessary in order to justify this things is really remarkable! (for the fan boys out there)
Fair review, thank you. I used it today and tend to agree
You can attach several external Rode microphones through USB-C port. And charge the camera wirelessly btw, just to mention
Why don’t all modern cameras come with built in storage? Our phones are smaller and some models have TBs of built in storage.
Really useful review. Leica makes several incrdible lenses (not all of them), but as far as their bodies, the M-Series is really the only one that takes advantage of thier design sensibilities.
Footage from the Nikon z6 iii looks really crisp
I think they are testing the waters in here with the 43mm lens. People were saying for ages that they'd love a 50mm on the Q. In my opinion, it's a minority and that camera is loved for the 28mm. They just want to save cost for now as it's just a lens swap in the factory.
Personally I would have preferred a 75mm Summicron on it. I am a Q2 owner and the difference is just not worth it to have two cameras. But the 43mm definitely looks much better than the terrible 28mm on the Q2.
@@AnonGoogleuserWhat makes the Lux 28 on Q cameras terrible?
@@AnonGoogleuser uhhh?
@@AnonGoogleuser I think what you need is the SL3
I heard that the Q/Q2/Q3 body was customized to correct for its 28mm lens imperfections. I am wondering if they did the same for the 43mm lens
I got mine yesterday, actually one of the first few in my country. I already love it very much, complements the Q2 28 I also have. The lens is breathtakingly good! Only quirk: it doesn't connect to the Leica Foto App (yet). The App might not know the "43" at the moment, therefore it is not found via Bluetooth. But I'm expecting a patch for the App hopefully very soon. EDIT: The Foto App of Leica is updated now - it sees the 43! :-)
Thank you for the review. The quality of bokeh is a huge improvement. A little disappointed with AF though. Perfectly usable for single mode, but tracking is pretty useless. Coming from Q2, I was pretty excited about the phase detection AF in Q3, but unfortunately still slow.
Great camera and glad Leica decided to keep video on this camera. Its great to use in a pinch for a clip when you're out, instead of hauling another camera.
Thanks for the informative and well executed review!
What I gather is that nowadays Leica is like Apple - laying on old laurels, copy-pasting old technology, artificially inflating the price, counting on prestige from the past to sell to people with more money than sense. I can't believe all the limitations I've heard about in this review! There's pretty much nothing about these cameras that makes me crave for one and I find this to be a crying shame, considering Leica's legacy.
I NEED that Seven Samurai tshirt in my life
Is it the best camera in the world? propably not. Do I want it? Hell yes! Can I afford it? Never.
Not the best camera in the world, I have never wanted to own a Leica, I can actually easily afford one.
@@oc2phish07 I'm really happy for you, you nameless and extremely likeable NPC from the TH-cam comments.☺️
@@oc2phish07 cool guy alert
Never, ever say never. You want it? It can be yours.
It's so perfect!
My bank balance says "NO".
"You will get _some_ rolling shutter issues"
Shows the most distorted image ever
After all these years, Chris still says m11 MonoChrOME, haha i love it
When Leica rolled out Q1 years back, I was hoping there would be Q1 50mm lens version because I am a 50mm photographer. Now we are getting closer, but still waiting. Hope my dream will come true.
I had the original Q3 and loved it . . . but the 28mm (really closer to 23mm) focal length was too wide for me. I really prefer a 40mm for street photography. Now we have the Q3 43. My dream street kit. But, of course, we don't have it, do we? The worst part of buying a Leica is buying it . . . or rather, trying to find it ANYWHERE for sale! But the positive is . . . it gives me PLENTY of time to save up for it.
The best thing about owning a Leica is knowing that there are other brands out there doing it better for cheaper.
No , not for me with the new 43mm too narrow not a one lens for all occasional . The 28mm much more versatile and the high mega pixel still allowed you to crop to many focal length without loosing the iQ .
IP 52 is not really a good weathersealing. In europe, most electrical stuff for installation is usually IP54 (the second numer is about water sealing) The value 2 means dripping water, with a value of three it would be splashing water resistant and a value 4 would be splashing water from all directions (I thinks some OM cmaeras are rated with a 4 (IPX4)
True, but at least it _has_ a rating!
Most camera gear except OM System doesn't have any IP rating at all, just says "Weather Resistant" or something similar.
I was lucky enough to borrow this camera from a friend that works at Leica. The photo quality and ease of use are amazing, but I was disappointed by the accompanying apps. At this price point, I expected an app that would let me view and manage my photos seamlessly from any device, especially for quick reviews during trips. The experience outside the camera is simply underwhelming.
I love that Leica went for a 43 summicron! Would have expected a 40 summarit, but that slight difference in spec is really cool and unconventional!
Isn’t 43mm supposed to be the exact diagonal length of a fullframe sensor? Making it the official ‘normal’ lens.
I have never understood why the diagonal is so special, but yes, that is the thinking. A sensor that is actually fully 24x36 would have a diagonal of 43.267, but 43.0 is actually probably even closer to the real diagonal since most full frame sensors are more like 35.8mm.
43mm is an interesting one. Used a 43mm Limited on my Pentax MZ-3 for a couple of years. But it wasn’t the most used on it. I much preferred the 77mm Limited. 43mm just never really fitted my style.
It's very very close to how the human eye renders detail compression. 50mm is traditionally considered the standard but in reality it's between 40 and 50.
@@AnonGoogleuser those limited lenses 🤤
@@ianroe1076 See I don't understand where people get that. Perspective and "compression" is all about distance to your subject and not much else. Our eyes have a field of view similar to like a 210 deg fisheye, and the central zone of maximum resolution is similar to a 200-300mm telephoto. A 40-50mm photo shows a lot less than we see when looking at something! But somehow roughly 40mm does feel right to me. Whatever.
You gotta use different apertures than wide open and f16 for sun star testing. Leica and Voigtländer lenses start showing them in in between apertures.
Great video as always... Thank you guys!
I used to like 35mm focal length very much until I tried Canon's ef-40mm. I loved this focal length range so much.🥰
I've seen people comparing the Q3 to other full frame cameras e.g. Sony A7 series, and even Hasselblad, for overall photography. Let's not get carried away :). I use a Q3 28mm, I replaced my 8 year old Sony RX1Rii with it (I love the RX1Rii, but Sony hasn't updated it in 8 years, though honestly it still is very competitive). I now also love the Q3 28mm. I've actually adjusted to the 28mm lens which I initially thought was too wide. I enjoy the simplicity, the ease of manual setting, the compactness as a travel camera, all work well for the types of images I take (more reportage/street type photography) -- the rest I am OK to trade off since I don't make my living off my photography. However, in terms of electronics (stabilization, auto focus, etc.), the Q3 (even with Q3 43) cannot even remotely compete with Sony A7 series and most other full-frame Japanese cameras today. And from lens quality perspective, from the charts I've seen as well DPreview images, Sony lenses e.g. 35mm GM seems to completely blow away anything at any price that Leica offers, and at far less price. If you go with Hasselblad with its medium format sensor and lenses, the image quality would be yet another jump up from the Sony full frame sensor systems. So these are different cameras for different uses, and providing different results.
I wish this had the Q2 40MP sensor to keep the price closer to the original Q3 price in spite of the APO lens. The 60 MP sensor is a must on the Q3 so you can easily go from 28mm to 50mm "mode" while retaining lots of usable image resolution. With 43mm you really don't need that kind of resolution, unless you're treating this like a medium format camera where the high resolution is to facilitate large printing or viewing.
Great review and thanks for highlighting these issues! I prefer to wait for the next series, hopefully with the 55mm lens..
PENTAX K1 + 43mm f/1.9 LIMITED. You get to actually see through the lens, the AF is good, and the lens is incredible.
lets not talk about the af
Shot with a Q2 recently, the size, the feel in hand, the lens rendering were all magical, does the 43 have a similar feeling in its lens? there was a lovely pop to the images on the 28. Also, the Nikon Z6III looked awesome btw
Do you recommend a second battery for Q3 43?
leica q3: uh, a little too wide... leica q3 43: uh, a little too tight..... 35 right from the getgo would have been the smart choice - hi chris! :p
I get an extremely good 35mm crop in camera from the 28mm version. Frame in EVF means you can compose with awareness of what’s outside the crop.
Don’t get me started.
I don't see Leica coming up with more focal length options. They're probably developing the Q4 now, and will stick with the 28mm and 43mm, which are perfect for this type of camera.
I expect the next one to have IBIS, C2PA, better autofocus, faster readout speeds, and internal storage. That would make it basically perfect. But we'll probably have to wait for the Q5 in a few years for all that.
Like your Seven Samurai shirt, Chris ! Love the movie since i was a kid. With the legendary Toshirô Mifune. ♥
Thanks! One of my favorites too. My grandfather helped make it and got an Oscar nomination for it. I still watch it regularly.
@@niccollsvideo Wow, that is incredible, Chris ! Keep it going. I miss you guys on DPR...but petapixel seems to be fine now.
Almost thought it had a four-thirds sensor
Same here.
Amazing camera but does it worth the cost vs sony ac7II in terms of image quality?
I’m seeing the same cyan/orange split LOCA. I’m new to Leica, with only a Q3 and Q3 43, but is this normal for a lens with an APO designation? The Q3 43 exhibits more LOCA than the Q3 does, and less than my Sony GM lenses.
Great Video! can't wait to try this one day!
Hey what trigger are you using! Can’t find one for my q3!
Great video. Do you think Leica will follow up with a Q3 43 monochrome? And if so, might it have some improvements on things that the Q3 43 missed on?
Great review as always!
I'll stick to the standard Q3. Some time ago when I was still bothering with Fujis I did a comparison with the X100F+TCL vs the Q2 and it was no contest in terms of versatility (or everything else, but that's another discussion) for me.
How does the leaf shutter help reduce the light more than a focal plane shutter? Most dslrs and mirrorless cameras can do 1/4000 second shutter speed
But with a flash they can only support up to 1/250th max, which we mentioned in the video. You can use high speed sync but that cuts your flash power dramatically so you still have the same problem.
Original Joe's!!! The counter is the best spot. I was there in 1957. When it opened. I was seven. Years later in the seventies I took my date there. Counter. The zabioni was a hit. Best time is lunch. Cheaper. End of counter best seat. Piano bar was a time warp.
Should have been a Q4 43 and fixed all those deficiencies he mentioned.
@@Mamo878 yeah, it's a little disheartening for six grand. Should be perfect.
They’re going to make a 35(ish)mm next…The Q4 34 😊
For those of you who find the price too much, I can give some advice from personal experience. 1. If you really want a Q series camera, wait and save. 2. As the system matures, prices on existing models will drop with new releases, and they will become more affordable. I bought a Q2 for a really reasonable price earlier this year, and it's become my favorite camera, despite its age. These cameras can be within your reach if you have patience and persistence, and after spending time with the Q2 I fully understand why people love the Leica ecosystem so much.
Yea! But you forgot to mention ripoff priced batteries. They only Q I consider as smart purchase is Q original. It has common batteries, not Leica only ripoff, made in same china cheap to made batteries.
The Leica Q series is a ton of fun, and this new 43mm is super cool. I can’t afford this 343 but maybe I can afford a used Q2 in excellent condition sooner than later 😅
So since this isn't much of an improvement on the current Q3, do you recommend I wear the same crappy pants for this new model as the old model?
I have a Q2, love it and wanted a Q3 but just can’t justify the price. 43 is great but 28 is still a bit more flexible for general usage.
Wish they would do a 35 to 90mm zoom version, fixed focal length stops many people from buying, cropping isn't the same....
I've found no review of the Leica Q3 43mm focal length that acknowledges that Pentax released its high-quality full-frame (of course) SMC FA 43mm Limited lens decades ago, and has updated it with HD coatings since. I'm not attempting to compare Pentax to Leica, or worried that the Pentax has no camera body attached. I'm merely pointing out that Pentax put out a 43mm hi-def/hi-quality lens a LONG time ago under precisely the same rational that Leica has used this focal length now, and it has (to my knowledge) gone unmentioned by anyone now reviewing the Leica. I have the Q3 43 and the Pentax 43mm, but unfortunately not the Pentax full frame K-1 that would enable me to make a rough A/B comparison (which of course the Pentax would lose to the APO design, but respectably so, I'm sure).
Now this is a lens choice that I would enjoy using more often. Time to save up for Q4 43 lol
Is there a technical reason that this great 43mm (which I’ve been begging for) does not use f/1.4 Summilux?
I have the 28mm version, and I would prefer that. Cropping is easy with a massive 60 Megapixel image
Audio sounds great, per usual. Can you please share what microphone and the wireless/recorder set up? (e.g., Sennheiser AVX?)
I like that jacket Chris has.
I use a 44mm equivalent on my X2D as a walk around and it's a really nice FOV - not too long, not too wide. 28mm is just a little boring, IMO. 43 would be my choice if I was going for a Q3.
There is a nasty issue if you put an UV filter on the 43 and try to go to macro mode. Bad lens hood design on it. You will find out as soon as you do. How do you protect this lens from dirt and other things?
Ok ... I guess I am in the other camp but I feel the original Q3 makes much more sense for street photography. I don't see why Leica hasn't put a zoom lens on this as I feel that really would be a great alternative to the 28mm. if they are going to have two versions of this camera.
Thank you for saving me the cash. I am die hard Sony shooter and the focus is the most important part to me.
I also feel like I'm getting a lot of this from my 7CR and 40mm. But for the Leica ergonomics and the little extra R&D touches that make that more special. I'm just not sure the price delta covers that, but I'm not a market specialist so maybe I should Stfu.
Love how you ended your comment 😂
@@raymondchen6906 It has to be a standard disclaimer. If I don't tell myself to Stfu, someone else will 😅
Same setup for me, the Q3 tech is a step backward but it is compelling. For the money I’d buy a Hasselblad and put a small lens on it. Leica reliability is also questionable, electronics are not their forte.
This is the second review I’ve seen of this camera and tbh the photos have not impressed me. These images all remind me of Sony photos and I don’t see that Leica quality. I think this lens is missing that it factor.
@@cinemaheist8 Well, we all know who makes the sensor package for this. It's the same high res unit in the R cameras from Sony.
Have you tried protecting the lens with a UV filter, even a very slim 49mm filter, adding on the standard Leica Lens Hood, and then going into Macro Mode? 🤬
The second they release a 75mm version is the second I sell all my current cameras and become an exclusively Q3 75 shooter.