Nine months with the Leica Q3
This is not a full review yet. I'm not too fond of the so-called reviews when someone does a full review after one or two days of use. I don't think it's fair to make a full thorough review even after a few weeks of use. Why nine months? I think 9 months is enough to know the camera well, it gives me enough experience, and within 9 months I used the Q3 in so many various situations so I know the strengths and negatives. All pictures in this post were taken with the Q3 during these 9 months. I selected them to prove that the Q3 is indeed an amazingly versatile camera. To start with the right mood, let's start with the positive things.
Auto and manual focus
The autofocus is greatly improved compared to the previous generations of the Q series. Face and eye detection works fine, absolutely usable. It is not as rapid as the current Canon or Sony autofocus systems but fast enough to use even in a commercial situation if you need the Q3 there. Animal eye detection is a bit slower than human eye detection. This is especially noticeable when for example the cat or dog moves around. The best is if the system has a tiny bit of stillness. If not, this can be a hit or miss, you have to take a few shots to make sure you have keepers. I don't emphasize this as an absolute negative as I have tried and used Canon's and Sony's top technologies and while they are better, they're still far from perfect and make mistakes when it comes to accurately tracking an animal's eye. When we talk about human eye detection the system is much more accurate and reliable. Still not as rapid as the top technology today, but I've used it in low light, in back light, when the person was moving and it is reliable.
Manual focus is my favourite on the Q3. Honestly, apart from the older film cameras and the current Leica M system, nothing on the market comes close if you want to use manual focus. The implementation, precision, and reliability are top-notch. I think Leica really put considerable energy into this. Of course, I've read that it is the same as other systems as the Q3 still uses focus peaking just like any other brands. Well, yes and no. The first and most important difference is the lens. The 28mm Summilux is built for manual operation. The tactile feel and the perfectly smooth controls that have just the right amount of resistance make manual focusing easy. This is fine-tuned with the sensor and the viewfinder (or the back screen) so it really feels like true manual focusing. Unlike most of today's lenses, we have proper markings on the lens barrel and what you see there is in fact works. If you set the distance to 2m, it is 2m every time. It might sound obvious but I've tried manual focusing with different mirrorless cameras and honestly, the experience is a huge disappointment. With the Q3 it is a great experience even if you plan to use the lens wide open at f1.7.
The lens
The Q3 has a fixed 28mm focal length Leica Summilux f1.7 lens. It is not the same as the 28mm Summilux for their M system. On the Q3 this lens can be switched to autofocus mode. It goes down to f1.7 instead of f1.4. The other main difference is, on the Q series, the Summilux is also a spectacular macro lens. I'm not a huge macro user but occasionally I use it and it is always a great reminder of how versatile this beast is. At first, when I read and saw many reviews about this lens I thought most reviewers were exaggerating how great it is. But after 9 months of heavy use in many situations, I can tell you that this lens is exceptional. I owned Sony GM and Canon L lenses but this is above all for me. It is incredibly sharp, has an amazing rendering wide open and stopped down. I saw all the suggestions as we need to use it around f5.6-f8 to get the best out of it, but honestly at f1.7 is just amazing. At f8 it is still amazing and while I know above f11 there might be diffraction which can somewhat ruin the quality of the picture, I've used it at f16 many times the the result is still stunningly great.
Although it is a 28mm lens, if you use it at f1.7 or f2 or even at f2.8, the bokey and the out-of-focus areas are amazing. Somehow the Summilux lens renders anything with great depth, a kind of 3d feeling. I cannot describe it properly. I have tons of files with top-notch optics from Sony GM and Canon L line and it's true that this is different. I like it better, but I know it is subjective.
I won't rave about it much longer, I plan to write a separate article about it, yes, it is that great.
Menu system
While I am a huge believer that we can learn and adapt to any menu system, it is still a fact that a well-designed menu can be a great help. I really wish more manufacturers would pay attention and spend the money and time to design a proper menu system. From the first moment, the Leica Q3 menu is clear, concise, and easy to use. It is somewhat customizable as you can do that in almost every camera in the market, but even if you don't make a favourites list and just rely on the default menu structure I am absolutely sure that you won't have any issues finding what you're looking for.
Even the overview page is fantastic. Great design, makes sense, easy to use. Even if I search for something I rarely use or need I can easily find it within seconds. The icons are great, labelling is clear and understandable. You cannot find strange abbreviations you'd have to learn. No hidden or obscure things. I know it sounds weird that I am so grateful for a menu system but I really love the fact that anytime I use it, I don't have to scratch my head and get lost for long minutes just to find a function. There are some things I don't use often, yet I can easily find them when I need them. I have experience with all the major manufacturer's menu systems and honestly, all could learn a thing or two from Leica in this regard.
Battery
This is a subject that can generate fierce debates even amongst Leica users. With the arrival of the Q3 we also have new, higher capacity batteries. With all that said, the battery life in my experience is good. And by good I mean not great at all. It could be much better. It is not bad though, if you're a heavy user like me, you can charge the battery via USB-C during the day and in that case, one battery might be enough for a day. But for really heavy use I recommend at least 2 batteries. If you even tough enough to wake up before sunrise and want some great pictures after sunset, you might need 3. The good news is if you have one charger and one good power bank, then you can charge 2 batteries simultaneously. I know there is a suggestion to charge your batteries only up to about 80%, but when you're traveling I suggest charging them fully. You'll need that extra 20% on a long day. If you'd like to save some power during the day I suggest making a profile where wifi and other connectivity settings are turned off. This might help you have a bit more from the battery. Still, when you need it, you can switch these on but don't forget to turn them off if you don't need them.
LeicaFOTOS app
Once it's been set up, the connection is fast and reliable. You can download jpg or raw files onto any device, or remote control the camera if needed. I always struggled with camera apps before. The only reliable solution was to have a camranger but that is big and requires additional battery and cabling. It can be great on a location shoot, but not in everyday life. The LeicaFotos app really just works. On the very first occasion, I paired it with my phone with the cable. Since then I have used it without the cable and every time just works reliably. I remember they made a huge marketing campaign built around the Fotos app and this time for a good reason. It is more robust, faster, and more reliable than any other app I used with other brands. Data transfer is very fast even if I download raw files from the camera. I had zero connection issues with it so far.
Build quality
This is an easy one. This is the best-built camera I've ever owned. I have a photographer friend who doesn't like Leica at all and even he was amazed by the build quality. I owned a few flagship cameras before from Sony and Canon, have some experience with Fuji and Nikon. None of them come close to this quality. The materials and the craftsmanship are extraordinary. I trust that no matter how harsh the environment is the camera will work just fine. In the heat of summer, this body can get very warm as it is not made from plastic but I had zero issues with it. It cools down very quickly in the shade as it is expected from the metal body. The buttons and switches give a great tactile feel. Compared to the size of the camera body you can feel the weight in your hands. Not too heavy but not feather-light. I think it's only a feeling but it helps to hold it stable with low shutter speeds. Of course, the built-in IBIS helps but I can comfortably shoot at 1/8 of a second. I didn't do a proper test on how low I can get handheld, 1/4 is still easily manageable.
File quality - results
Before I jump into this, I think today you cannot buy a camera that wouldn't produce decent results. Technology is so advanced now that if you cannot take great pictures, it is not the camera's fault.
With all that said I've found that the files from the Q3 are outstanding. Let me elaborate on this before I marked as a Leica fanboy. Noise is not an issue, you can notice it at iso6400 but it's still not bad at all. I know it's not an issue as almost any software can do wonders when it comes to noise reduction. But it is a great feeling that you don't rely on a post-production technique or technology to save a frame. The shadows are real goldmines. It is absolutely amazing how much detail this little beast produces in the shadow areas. Highlights are easily manageable, maybe they tend to clip a bit more easily compared to Canon for example, but this is a tiny difference. I'm sure many of you heard in reviews that the lens and sensor combination is exceptional. This is true. Since I have the Q3 I hardly ever used sharpening in post-production. The clarity slider doesn't get much use either. You just simply don't need them. Colour reproduction is excellent but be aware of the fact that white balance can be strange sometimes. If you’re in a mixed light situation Auto White Balance might not be the right choice to use. The built-in grey card option is easy to use and yields great results in every situation. Overall I’ve found that the DNG’s from the Q3 generally need much less processing compared to other cameras’ raw files. Of course, I know that this is subjective, but I feel that the Q3’s raw files have more detail by default.
Internal digital zoom/crop
The 60 megapixel sensor offers plenty of resolution so cropping is not an issue. The Q3 can visualize what 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, and 90mm will look like. When I got the camera I thought I wouldn't use this function, it's nice to have but I'm not really into it. I won't say I use it daily as I fell in love with the 28mm, I sometimes use the 35mm and the 50mm. I never saw much use of the 70mm and the 90mm. I don't say they are not usable, but for me, they don't see much use. I've tried it and the resulting files are great so it's probably only me who don't use them. The 35mm is especially great as it almost works like a real range finder as you can see what happens outside the frame lines. It's a great experience when you try to compose layered busy shots. The same goes for 50mm but I sometimes find the 50mm frame lines a bit tiny in the viewfinder. Anyway, this is a great feature and really adds to the usability of the camera.
Flip screen
It feels a bit odd to write about this as almost every other camera on the market already has a flip screen. This implementation is a bit limited compared to the competition but on the other hand, it is really built like a tank. I trust that this will last for many years without any issues. I know technology is evolving but I find today's flip screens a bit flimsy. I know it is great for vlogging if the screen can be turned fully up or to the side but I have yet to test a well-built one. I'm not vlogging but I understand that for a content creator, Leica's implementation is limiting. I often use it when I'm shooting from the hip or from a really low angle. I don't say you cannot live without a flip screen but it is enormously useful.
What could be improved?
So here we are at the part where I'm sure someone gets offended. But there's no such thing as a perfect camera. The Leica Q3 is not perfect either. It can be perfect for someone and it is I feel the best for me, but objectively there's still room for improvement. Here's my little list of what could be better:
Battery life. As I mentioned, it is not bad at all, actually it is good, but I think it could be better. I don't know how much more efficiency can be achieved with optimization but I'd be happy if this new battery would last longer.
Startup time. The Q3 is slow to boot up. It got better with the latest firmware update, but it is still slow compared to other cameras. It is interesting that usually the very first switch on of the day noticeably takes longer, after that it is not so slow, but I think this could be improved.
Accessories. In my opinion, at least the thumb grip should be a default accessory when you buy a camera like this. It is that useful. I know it's extra money for the manufacturer but for this price, they should include this in the package.
Autofocus speed. The speed and accuracy of the autofocus can be improved and I hope they're going to make it better with future firmware upgrades. Especially the animal eye detection part but there's room for improvement with the human eye detection also. On the video side though Leica needs to not only improve but actually make autofocus usable. Right now it is slow and inaccurate and even when it gets the subject precisely, many times it simply loses focus even without disturbing things in the frame. I'm absolutely sure that this can be corrected with firmware upgrades and really hope Leica is working on this because the Q3 is actually a really great camera for video too.
Storage. I know, a quality SD card is cheap, and you can buy plenty of storage but again, for this price point they should have some internal memory in the Q. I'd be happy to see a 128GB internal storage for example. It would not only be great if you forget to bring an SD card with you, but it could also serve as a safety net, making the Q comparable to a double card system.
These are my thoughts and experiences with the Leica Q3 after 9 months of constant use. The million-dollar question is of course always: is it worth the high price tag? I can only tell you my stance. For me it is absolutely worth it, this is the first camera in my life that I like even more after 9 months of use. In my opinion, it is pointless to try to compare cameras solely by their technical details. All current systems can give us excellent results.