Leica Q2
In September 2024 I part exchanged all my mirrorless APS-C cameras, lenses, and other equipment in order to purchase a pre-owned Leica Q2, which, fortunately, was in very good condition.
I did so with some trepidation - moving from a system that gave me two camera bodies and a variety of lenses with different focal lengths, to one full frame 47.3 megapixel camera with a fixed focal length of 28mm.
Way in the past (pre-digital days) I had a Leica M6 together with a 35mm lens, and had loved the engineering and image quality. There was something special about that Leica and I hoped this would be replicated in the Q2.
Out of the box the Q2 oozed quality - exceptional build quality, simplicity of design and simplicity of controls. It felt natural in the hand, albeit, heavier than I had anticipated.
Now, almost two months later when I have taken images virtually everyday, I can give my initial impressions, alongside some of the images I have taken. I should say I only take RAW images (DNG format), so cannot comment on the JPG quality
The positives include -
In good light I have been blown away by the image quality.
The shutter can be set as barely audible, so I know the image has been taken but I doubt anyone else would have heard the “click”.
Build quality is amazing.
Leica will send you a printed manual, at no cost, if you ask via the link on their website.
It’s a Leica! What else is there to say?
The negatives include -
The noise levels (in lower levels of light) have been higher than I expected, although Adobe Lightroom Denoise does a good job.
Battery life is not great.
A very poor implementation (in my view) of Back Button Focussing.
Accessories (including spare batteries) very expensive.
Lack of an articulated rear screen.
The menu system is quite intuitive, but I have found that on occasion some of my settings seem to change by themselves, or, it could be my mistakes?
And, not really a negative, but the 47.3 mp sensor produces dimensions of 8368 x 5584, and a DNG file size between 80 and 90 MB, so it “eats” hard disk space.
But to me, image quality is everything, and (in general) that justifies the negatives.
Above all - it is a Leica.
I would also mention that I have also been impressed by Leica’s customer service which has been excellent. When I went to register the camera with Leica, originally the “system” would not let me do that as it was already registered - presumably by the previous owner. Leica customer support were very helpful in overcoming this with just a copy of the invoice I had and a photo showing the serial number on the camera.
Using a 28mm lens
Although with my previous system I routinely made images using the wide angle end of my lenses - often at 24mm equivalent - for landscapes and cityscapes, I always had the option to zoom in closer to, for example, isolate a particular part of the view. I had not, I admit, given much (if any) thought to how best to make images when 28mm was the only choice. Obviously I realised that wildlife photography would mostly be out of the question, but had not appreciated how much, in the past, I had zoomed in a little, to avoid having an empty foreground.
Of course, as many have said, your body has a built in zoom - just move closer - but that is not always possible. What is possible, given the 47.3 megapixels, is to crop quite heavily and still have the equivalent of, for example, the 26.1 megapixels of my Fujifilm X100V.
My preference, however, is to change my approach to framing an image so that it is based (as taken) on 28mm. This has been a steep learning curve, and at times I still wish I had the ability to zoom into the subject. Generally my approach is to make sure there is something in the close foreground to give a separation between the foreground and the subject, or, to make sure I am close enough to the subject so that it fills the frame.
I guess it is like only having one tool for all the DIY jobs you want to do. Great if the tool is the correct one for a particular job, but not great if you are trying to use a hammer to saw wood.
I was recently watching a YouTube video on using a wide angle lens where the photographer described the “problem” as a wide angle lens can tend to make the subject smaller in the overall scene, and, the wider angle can include the “boring” elements you do not really want to include. The answer, as he suggests, is to get closer, and point the camera down more so as to exclude a large amount of sky (unless the sky is essential to the image) and to find a foreground lead into the image. Also, he suggests, if there is a strong vertical element in the scene to put it in the centre to avoid vertical distortion at the edges.
The lens on the Q2 also has what Leica describe as a “macro” mode, although it is not 1:1. It is however implemented in an interesting way I have not seen before as physically moving the lens to the macro position also reveals a depth of scale that is linked to macro scale. I have not used this to any great extent as it is not a particular interest to me.
Software
I mainly use Lightroom Classic for file (catalogue) management and for image editing, supplemented by Radiant, and various presets. I have access to Photoshop but use it rarely.
I would recommend trying some presets. I have a few that I return to again and again, and too many that I rarely use!
I always shoot in RAW, and would recommend it. You can, of course, shoot in RAW+JPG, or just JPG if you prefer.
My editing approach is to adjust exposure, highlights, contrast, etc, crop the image if appropriate, adjust further in Radiant (if required), and finalise the image. If I feel the image would be suitable as a black&white image I usually make a copy and convert that, often using specialised presets.
Accessories
As I mentioned above Leica accessories tend to be very expensive and I have a mixture of Leica and third party accessories.
UV filter - there are a variety of opinions as to whether an UV filter should be used. In the end I took the view that some protection for the front element of the lens was important. I use an Urth 49mm UV Lens Filter (Plus+) — Ultra-Slim, 30-Layer Nano-Coated filter which has very good reviews and is a “sensible” price for my pocket. I have noticed any decrease in image quality.
Hand grip - The Q2 has no finger grip on the front surface and after some research I purchased, from Amazon, the JJC Aluminum Arca-Type Camera Hand Grip for Leica Q2, which, as with the filter, has good reviews at a “sensible” price. It has the advantage of an ARCA type baseplate to attach the camera to my tripod, although only in landscape format. The finger grip is very useful as it makes my grip on the camera feel much more secure.
Strap - on previous cameras I always used a wrist strap rather than a neck strap. With the Q2 I initially tried the same but there was something that did not feel right, so I started to consider whether I could use a neck strap which I could also wrap around my wrist when needed - the best of both worlds I hoped. I do not like the straps that generally come with cameras and although the Leica strap is better than others I also do not like leather straps, so, after more research, I came to the conclusion that a rope strap could be the answer. Ultimately I bought a 120cm VKO Climbing Rope Camera Strap, and so far have been very pleased with it. It feels soft compared to leather, can be wrapped around my wrist if required, is generally comfortable, and looks good. It also has a small double leather type “cinch loop”, which can be used to put a loop into the rope either to shorten it , or make a wrist loop - hard to explain and not shown on the Amazon page. It attaches with split rings and is supplied with leather like protectors. In some ways I wish it was easier to use when, for example, using a tripod, but I prefer the security of the split rings over the quick release version which is also available.
Thumb grip - as I did with a wrist strap this is something I used on previous cameras. I should mention that the downside of a thumb grip is that you fit it into the flash hotshoe thereby blocking any use of a flashgun. Initially I was put off by the high price of the one made by Leica and the price (somewhat less) of the one made by Match Technical. I ended up buying a cheaper one via Amazon despite some reviews commenting it was a very tight fit and difficult (some claimed impossible) to remove. In was indeed a very tight fit and although I would have probably never removed it (in order, for example to use a flash) it left me worried about it. In the end I did remove it with the aid of Molegrips, and some extremely cautious levering with a screwdriver blade - fortunately with no damage or scratches on the camera. And then luckily I came across a Leica one, second-hand, online with a reputable photographic shop, swallowed hard, and bought it. Very pleased with it especially as it has a button on it that pushes on the zoom button on the camera which some other versions block, and gives extra security/stability when holding the camera.
Further thoughts
There are many reviews in internet forums and on YouTube. Whilst generally they are positive, inevitably some people want different features, or existing features implemented in a different way.
I would recommend Ken Rockwells’ comprehensive review of the camera which includes his recommendations - https://kenrockwell.com/leica/q2.htm#rex , and his tutorial at - https://kenrockwell.com/leica/q2.htm#usage . The latter is also available as a YouTube video.
I would highly recommend registering the camera with Leica, and also joining LFI which enables you to post images which might get accepted to their Mastershot Galleries The cost is €49 p.a. (currently) and also gives access to all digital LFI content, LFI magazine issues in the app, the LFI magazine archive in the app (issues since 1949), and LFI+ stories on the website images. For a higher cost (currently €79 p.a.) you also get print copies of the magazine. Through both you also get access to a range of other resources.
This post is an abridged version of the text of one of my eBooks which also includes images.
A great day out with the OM-5
.... with the OM-5 at the National Trust property at Stourhead. Weather perfect - very sunny if a little cold at times, but the OM-5 performed well. These two examples are virtually SOOC with only Lightroom "Auto" applied.
New website
After some difficulties have setup my new website. Will be adding content over the next few days/weeks.
OM System OM-5
Bought one as a lightweight everyday kit to complement my Q2.
Very pleased with it so far, but, obviously (?) the sensor does not match the Q2. However in good light the images are very good - less so in poor light.
Have been experimenting with developing images in Lightroom Classic. So far my impression is that less is more.
Used it more today in bright sunny light. Image quality very good with no need for any noise reduction. Exceptionally pleased with how light the kit is and with a holiday to Seville planned it will be great for long walks around Seville, as well as Cordoba where we will be spending a day.
The following image gives an idea of the basic image quality.
Roller coaster