Leica Q3 Review | Photography Blog

Ease of Use

The Leica Q3 has exactly the same 60 megapixel full-frame BSI (BackSide-Illuminated) CMOS sensor that was initially developed especially for the flagship M11 rangefinder camera, which offers a 21% increase on the resolution offered by 2019’s 47.3 megapixel Q2 model.

In conjunction with the brand new Maestro IV image processor, this allows the Q3 to output 14-bit raw files with a claimed dynamic range of up to 14 stops, provide an extensive ISO range of 50-100,000, and shoot 60 megapixel images at 4fps with continuous AF/AE.

It also has a special IR + UV cut filter in front of the sensor which corrects even the most oblique rays of incident light and a new colour filter array that offers more natural colour reproduction than previous Q-system cameras.

Whilst 60 megapixels will undoubtedly be a big draw for potential owners of this camera, Leica have also sensibly provided two smaller 36 and 18 megapixel modes which help avoid some of the processing and storage challenges of the the 60 megapixel mode while also boosting the burst shooting buffer times.

So the Q3 can be set to record 60, 36 or 18 megapixels DNG Raw images with 14-bit color and 14-stop dynamic range using the full sensor area, something that Leica are calling “Triple Resolution Technology”.

The Leica Q3 has a fixed, as opposed to removable, lens. The 28mm focal length provided is all-encompassing and makes this camera particularly suitable for landscape and travelogue photography.

A straightforward and clearly marked macro setting on the lens barrel allows subjects as close as 17cm to be captured, while otherwise the minimum focusing distance is a regular 30cm. The manually selectable aperture range extends from f/1.7 up to f/16 with an automatic setting provided too.

This is coupled with a bright/fast f/1.7 aperture to allow for lower light shooting hand-held. As the lens is fairly wide the user is naturally prompted to get quite close to their subjects if they want them to fill the frame, or the majority of it, to really make the most of the ‘bokeh’ opportunities offered by that maximum aperture.

Leica has additionally provided a screw-on/screw off lens hood, should you wish to use it as an additional aid to preventing lens flare, or avoid unwanted artifacts in brighter conditions. There’s also a thread on the front for traditional 49mm glass filters.

Incidentally, the lens and aperture provided here is exactly the same as that of the 2015 ‘Q’ and the 2019 ‘Q’ – Leica hasn’t chosen to throw the baby out of the bathwater and has retained what it says proved popular with regard to the 8-year-old original model

Impressively the lens is optically stabilized, a surprising feature given the wide-angle, full-frame nature of the lens, which coupled with the impressive noise performance at high ISOs makes it very easy to hand-hold the Q3 in less than perfect lighting conditions and still achieve pin-sharp results.

In addition to the 28mm optical focal length, the Q3 provides four different crop modes that simulate longer focal lengths.

At the press of the small unmarked button next to the rear thumbgrip on the rear of the camera, you can switch to 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and a brand new 90mm crop mode, with a rectangular overlay displayed to help with composition.

The 35mm equivalent crop provides 39 megapixels resolution, the 50mm crop 19 megapixels, the 75mm crop 8 megapixels and the 95mm crop 6 megapixels.

These digital crops are only applied to the JPEG files, with a full-size 60 megapixel DNG Raw file also recorded at the same time.

As the camera is cropping into the full-size image, rather than interpolating up a la most digital zooms, there’s no degradation of the image quality, just a reduction in the megapixel count.

You could of course apply similar crops yourself during post-processing, but providing them in-camera has the main added benefit of making composition much easier and more intuitive whilst also saving on memory card space.

The 35mm and 50mm crop modes proved to be genuinely useful, effectively giving you a 28-50mm focal range that’s easy to use whilst still offering enough resolution.

The 75mm and 90mm modes are harder to use due to the tiny are of the frame that’s made available for composition – the camera really needs to provide higher magnification when using these modes – and also the sub-10 megapixel resolution images that are recorded.

There is no built-in flash provided on the Leica Q3, although there is a provided hotshoe for the addition of flash, should that be required.

As you’d probably expect of a Leica camera, manual focusing on the Q3 is a veritable joy, although the means of switching between AF and MF is quite subtle and initially well hidden.

Switching to manual focus occurs via a fingernail press of the so tiny you’ll miss it lever on the lens itself, that in turn allows the lens ring to move (it’s ‘stuck’ in place in auto mode) and manual distance markings on said barrel to be selected, whereby the camera provides the user with an enlarged portion of the subject on-screen, allowing focus to be more critically determined.

Auto-focusing on this new Q-series camera has taken a big leap forwards, as it now incorporates a hybrid AF system that includes phase detection as well as contrast detection pixels., providing higher speed (5x faster than the Q2) and greater precision when focusing and tracking objects.

Interestingly, it additionally employs Panasonic’s depth from defocus system to build up a depth map of the scene to further enhance the AF.

In another first for the Q-series and Leica cameras in general, the Q3 benefits greatly from the addition of intelligent subject recognition.

It’s a pretty simple system by modern standards that only recognises the eyes, faces and bodies of people plus animals, with two rather confusing options buried at the bottom of the AF Mode menu – the first option is Eye/face/Body Detection and the second is Eye/Face/Body + Animal Detection (why isn’t animal detection separate?) – but at least it’s a good start that works well in practice.

Leica camera have never been particularly renowned for their blistering continuous shooting rates, and the Q3 is certainly no exception to that rule.

While on paper it offers up to 15fps bursts, the reality is that the focus and exposure are locked at the first frame until you drop down to a rather more pedestrian 4fps. The buffer is at least 63 shots in RAW, though, so you can at least shoot for a long time at 4fps before that rate slows down.

Some photographers may also argue that 4fps is more than fast enough for a street camera with a 28mm lens, especially as the excellent autofocus system can be employed at the same time.

The Q3 has both a mechanical shutter that provides speeds between 120sec to 1/2000sec and an electronic shutter that runs from 1sec to 1/16000sec, with a Hybrid option also available that automatically switches between them. Flash synchronization is up to 1/200sec.

This isn’t just a camera for stills, as Leica have included 8K video recording for the first time ever on any of their models. DCI 8K recording is supported at up to 30p with 4:2:0 10-bit color when recording internally or at 8-bit when recording externally via the micro-HDMI port.

If you only need 4K recording, that’s provided at up to 60p with 4:2:2 10-bit color internally or externally, while Full HD runs up to 120p for slow motion playback.

Other key video features include ProRes recording at 1080/60p, Leica’s L-log profile, and LUT compatibility. The Q3 doesn’t have a microphone socket, though, instead relying on its new USB-C port to allow an audio input.

This new port can also be used to charge the camera via a powerbank, useful for extending the battery life when out and about. Talking of which, the Q3 uses a new battery, the BP-SCL6, which has a CIPA-rated lifespan of 350 shots per charge. The Q3 is also still compatible with the BP-SCL4 battery that was used in the Q2.

The electronic viewfinder that sits in the corner of the camera has also received a significant upgrade, with the resolution being bumped up from 3.68 megapixels on the Q2 to 5.76 on the Q3. It has a 0.79x magnification and either a battery-conserving 60fps or a smooth 120fps refresh rate for more realistic motion rendering.

Another important feature that we’ve not seen before on a Leica camera is the newly tilting 3-inch LCD touchscreen. This can now be moved both upwards and downwards to suit working from a variety of shooting positions, rather than fixed in place as on the previous Q models, which makes waist-level and overhead shooting much easier.

The resolution has also been increased significantly from 1.04M dots on the Q2 to 1.84M dots on the Q3.

The new screen does rather spoil the aesthetics of the Q3, however, as it juts out slightly from the rear of the camera, interrupting the smooth lines. Still, this is first and foremost a photographic tool, rather than an expensive ornament, so we can overlook this slight faux pas on Leica’s part.

It has also necessitated a restructuring of the controls on the rear of the camera. Instead of the vertical row of three buttons to the left of the LCD screen, as per the Q2, the Play and Menu buttons have been moved to above and below the D-pad respectively, with the customisable Function button moving alongside the Photo/Video button.

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Leica Q3 camera, which were all taken using the 60 megapixel Large JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Leica Q3 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We’ve provided some Leica RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

Leica are the last manufacturer standing when it comes to making high-end premium fixed-lens compact cameras for enthusiasts and professionals – and if that sounds like a product niche, it’s because it most certainly is – but thankfully they haven’t rested on their laurels with the new Q3 despite the lack of competition.

In true Leica fashion, this new version of the 4 year old previous model represents an evolution rather than revolution, but the additions and changes that have been made genuinely improve on what was already a very good camera.

Chief amongst these is not the 60 megapixel resolution or 8K video which will surely garner most of the headlines, rather the incorporation of the tilting LCD screen and higher-res EVF that add a lot to the cameras handling and versatility, and especially the vastly improved auto-focus system which along with the already spotless manual focusing makes the Q3 a joy to use.

Modern seamlessly meets traditional with the Leica Q3, which somehow manages to avoid being a hodge-podge of old and new ideas to create a camera that offers the best of both worlds.

Traditionalists will still find plenty to enjoy here, including the frankly frightening attention to detail and impeccable build quality, but if you’re a fan of more modern cameras who always been turned off by Leica’s approach, the Q3 is by far the most likely offering to change your mind.

That is, if you can afford the Leica price of admission, which at £5,300 / $5,995 is both significantly higher than the Q2’s launch price (£4250 / $4995) and high enough to put most users off. The best advice that we can give is probably to rent one and try it out for yourself before splashing out all that cash.

Most people will look at the price-tag, roll their eyes and instantly dismiss the Q3, but we think you owe it to yourself to at least take it for a test-drive, if only to experience the unique Leica approach to making a modern yet still traditional camera.

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Leica Q3.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Leica Q3 from around the web.

Specifications

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