When you spend $5000 on a fixed lens camera, even if it’s half the price of an M, you have the right to expect a lot.
I come from a 50 year career in photography, selling cameras for arguably a premier Leica dealer in the 1970s. I own several M cameras (film) and several lenses. I think I know what to expect. So, having had the Q2 for less than a day, here are some initial opinions and a few comments on buying a Leica on Amazon.
What I’ve noticed that I don’t like: Although the menu is simplified (compared to other camera), finding your way around is often dependent on certain settings. It took me 10 minutes to get to ISO setting when it wasn’t grayed out. The focus lock (to get out of AF or in) you have to press a tiny button that is hard to find and press easily. If you don’t press it, you may not be in autofocus when you think you are. Camera comes with a lens hood with a loose slip on cap. You don’t get a lens cap that fits on the lens, just the one that fits the hood. When it falls off, you’re probably going to be pissed at the replacement cost. And the hood screws on and doesn’t line up unless you give it a hard twist. Nothing to show you it’s lined up other than a good guess or tightening it harder than you might like. Leica uses their own hot shoe design. Unless you lay out hundreds for a Leica flash, another brand will only work manually, no TTL. Good luck seeing the red A for automatic shutter or aperture. It’s not much lighter that the black surface it’s on.
The good: it’s a Leica. This is not a lightweight point and shoot. It’s a tank. You get 47 mp at 28mm, so cropping down to 35, 50, or even 75 gets you a reasonably sharp result. Zoom lenses are a product of the digital age. If you wanted one for a Leica, you bought a Nikon or Canon with a Vivitar lens. Some design factors are typically Leica. No battery door, so you can change batteries in the dark without looking (assuming you’ve laid out $275 for a spare battery). Electronic viewfinder that actually works well. Focus aids that fringes items in focus. Quiet, quick, unobtrusive (except for that red dot that says your holding on to a chunk of change). Manual aperture and shutter speed like it was in the film era. Bright touch screen.
I’ve quickly discovered why I’m loving this camera. You can buy an M camera for almost twice as much, but a lens will cost almost as much as the Q2 in addition. What you end up with is still a manual focus, manual aperture camera with ‘digital’ film. The Q2 allows you to easily operate manually or an automatic ‘point and shoot’ camera.
The Q2 is as much a piece of art or jewelry as it is a camera. It even comes in a box that looks like a jewelry cabinet. Thus my disappointment receiving a camera that was obviously used, or an open box return at best. (See photos). And my advice buying one on Amazon, although my rating is solely based on the camera, not the vendor or fulfillment. When I’m spending more than a few hundred dollars on something I make sure of two things. It comes from an authorized dealer (or Amazon), and it must be ‘Prime’. Otherwise, when you get what you don’t expect, you don’t have the benefit of returning it without questions, or getting hit with a restocking charge. With Leica, there is not a registration card in the box, and as long as you’re buying a legit camera (yes, I’m sure some vendors still sell Grey market cameras), Leica will honor their warranty.
I’m sure when I get a fresh unit (this one looks new, but I question why someone would return a Q2 unless something was wrong with it), and I have some time to get used to it, I’ll have a better opinion and will update my review. Don’t consider this a vendor review. I deliberately didn’t name the vendor. I’ll leave one there once I resolve my fulfillment issues.
UPDATE: Received fresh camera from another vendor. What a wonderful camera! In fact, after a disappointing time with an M9 a few years back, this camera is close to perfect. The only thing I would consider giving it up for would be a Q2 Monochrom. 🤤
Besides that, a cap that wasn’t destined to get lost would be nice. The one they give you is about 1/4” too shallow. And maybe flash contacts that could use a non-Leica, less than $500 flash. What is it? CF21 or CF23? You could sell them for $150 instead of forcing people to buy a used one on eBay. I don’t need the red dot either. I can tell it’s not a LUMIX.
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 | Leica Q2 Digital Camera (Reporter Edition) | Leica Q2 Monochrom Full Frame Compact Digital Camera | Leica M11 Digital Rangefinder Camera | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 RII Digital Still Camera | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Rating | (102) | (8) | (24) | (4) | (54) |
| Price | $4,929.95 | $5,995.00 | $6,195.00 | $8,439.95 | $3,139.95 |
| Sold By | Fast Ship Direct | Amazon.com | Adorama | Electronics Basket | Electronics Basket |
| Screen Size | 3 inches | 3 inches | 3 inches | 0 | 3 inches |
| Has Image Stabilization | Yes | — | — | — | No |
| Includes External Memory | No | — | — | — | No |
| Item Dimensions | 5.12 x 3.62 x 3.15 inches | 3.1 x 3.6 x 5.1 inches | 9.5 x 8.8 x 6.6 inches | 10 x 15 x 12 inches | 8 x 8 x 5 inches |
| Item Weight | 1.60 lbs | 4.90 lbs | 4.80 lbs | 1.00 lbs | 3.50 ounces |
| Optical Sensor Resolution | 0 megapixels | — | — | 18.0 megapixels | 0 megapixels |
| Optical Zoom | 0 | 0 | 1x | 0 | 1x |
| Video Capture Resolution | FHD 1080p | 1080p | 1280p | 1080p | FHD 1080p |
| Viewfinder Type | Electronic | — | Electronic | — | Electronic |
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Detailed Review of the Leica Q After Using it For 4 Years
DIY Life Tech
Leica Q2 - great camera, poor fulfillment
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2020
When you spend $5000 on a fixed lens camera, even if it’s half the price of an M, you have the right to expect a lot.I come from a 50 year career in photography, selling cameras for arguably a premier Leica dealer in the 1970s. I own several M cameras (film) and several lenses. I think I know what to expect. So, having had the Q2 for less than a day, here are some initial opinions and a few comments on buying a Leica on Amazon.What I’ve noticed that I don’t like: Although the menu is simplified (compared to other camera), finding your way around is often dependent on certain settings. It took me 10 minutes to get to ISO setting when it wasn’t grayed out. The focus lock (to get out of AF or in) you have to press a tiny button that is hard to find and press easily. If you don’t press it, you may not be in autofocus when you think you are. Camera comes with a lens hood with a loose slip on cap. You don’t get a lens cap that fits on the lens, just the one that fits the hood. When it falls off, you’re probably going to be pissed at the replacement cost. And the hood screws on and doesn’t line up unless you give it a hard twist. Nothing to show you it’s lined up other than a good guess or tightening it harder than you might like. Leica uses their own hot shoe design. Unless you lay out hundreds for a Leica flash, another brand will only work manually, no TTL. Good luck seeing the red A for automatic shutter or aperture. It’s not much lighter that the black surface it’s on.The good: it’s a Leica. This is not a lightweight point and shoot. It’s a tank. You get 47 mp at 28mm, so cropping down to 35, 50, or even 75 gets you a reasonably sharp result. Zoom lenses are a product of the digital age. If you wanted one for a Leica, you bought a Nikon or Canon with a Vivitar lens. Some design factors are typically Leica. No battery door, so you can change batteries in the dark without looking (assuming you’ve laid out $275 for a spare battery). Electronic viewfinder that actually works well. Focus aids that fringes items in focus. Quiet, quick, unobtrusive (except for that red dot that says your holding on to a chunk of change). Manual aperture and shutter speed like it was in the film era. Bright touch screen.I’ve quickly discovered why I’m loving this camera. You can buy an M camera for almost twice as much, but a lens will cost almost as much as the Q2 in addition. What you end up with is still a manual focus, manual aperture camera with ‘digital’ film. The Q2 allows you to easily operate manually or an automatic ‘point and shoot’ camera.The Q2 is as much a piece of art or jewelry as it is a camera. It even comes in a box that looks like a jewelry cabinet. Thus my disappointment receiving a camera that was obviously used, or an open box return at best. (See photos). And my advice buying one on Amazon, although my rating is solely based on the camera, not the vendor or fulfillment. When I’m spending more than a few hundred dollars on something I make sure of two things. It comes from an authorized dealer (or Amazon), and it must be ‘Prime’. Otherwise, when you get what you don’t expect, you don’t have the benefit of returning it without questions, or getting hit with a restocking charge. With Leica, there is not a registration card in the box, and as long as you’re buying a legit camera (yes, I’m sure some vendors still sell Grey market cameras), Leica will honor their warranty.I’m sure when I get a fresh unit (this one looks new, but I question why someone would return a Q2 unless something was wrong with it), and I have some time to get used to it, I’ll have a better opinion and will update my review. Don’t consider this a vendor review. I deliberately didn’t name the vendor. I’ll leave one there once I resolve my fulfillment issues.UPDATE: Received fresh camera from another vendor. What a wonderful camera! In fact, after a disappointing time with an M9 a few years back, this camera is close to perfect. The only thing I would consider giving it up for would be a Q2 Monochrom. 🤤Besides that, a cap that wasn’t destined to get lost would be nice. The one they give you is about 1/4” too shallow. And maybe flash contacts that could use a non-Leica, less than $500 flash. What is it? CF21 or CF23? You could sell them for $150 instead of forcing people to buy a used one on eBay. I don’t need the red dot either. I can tell it’s not a LUMIX.
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2020
Images in this review
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 4, 2020
When you spend $5000 on a fixed lens camera, even if it’s half the price of an M, you have the right to expect a lot.
I come from a 50 year career in photography, selling cameras for arguably a premier Leica dealer in the 1970s. I own several M cameras (film) and several lenses. I think I know what to expect. So, having had the Q2 for less than a day, here are some initial opinions and a few comments on buying a Leica on Amazon.
What I’ve noticed that I don’t like: Although the menu is simplified (compared to other camera), finding your way around is often dependent on certain settings. It took me 10 minutes to get to ISO setting when it wasn’t grayed out. The focus lock (to get out of AF or in) you have to press a tiny button that is hard to find and press easily. If you don’t press it, you may not be in autofocus when you think you are. Camera comes with a lens hood with a loose slip on cap. You don’t get a lens cap that fits on the lens, just the one that fits the hood. When it falls off, you’re probably going to be pissed at the replacement cost. And the hood screws on and doesn’t line up unless you give it a hard twist. Nothing to show you it’s lined up other than a good guess or tightening it harder than you might like. Leica uses their own hot shoe design. Unless you lay out hundreds for a Leica flash, another brand will only work manually, no TTL. Good luck seeing the red A for automatic shutter or aperture. It’s not much lighter that the black surface it’s on.
The good: it’s a Leica. This is not a lightweight point and shoot. It’s a tank. You get 47 mp at 28mm, so cropping down to 35, 50, or even 75 gets you a reasonably sharp result. Zoom lenses are a product of the digital age. If you wanted one for a Leica, you bought a Nikon or Canon with a Vivitar lens. Some design factors are typically Leica. No battery door, so you can change batteries in the dark without looking (assuming you’ve laid out $275 for a spare battery). Electronic viewfinder that actually works well. Focus aids that fringes items in focus. Quiet, quick, unobtrusive (except for that red dot that says your holding on to a chunk of change). Manual aperture and shutter speed like it was in the film era. Bright touch screen.
I’ve quickly discovered why I’m loving this camera. You can buy an M camera for almost twice as much, but a lens will cost almost as much as the Q2 in addition. What you end up with is still a manual focus, manual aperture camera with ‘digital’ film. The Q2 allows you to easily operate manually or an automatic ‘point and shoot’ camera.
The Q2 is as much a piece of art or jewelry as it is a camera. It even comes in a box that looks like a jewelry cabinet. Thus my disappointment receiving a camera that was obviously used, or an open box return at best. (See photos). And my advice buying one on Amazon, although my rating is solely based on the camera, not the vendor or fulfillment. When I’m spending more than a few hundred dollars on something I make sure of two things. It comes from an authorized dealer (or Amazon), and it must be ‘Prime’. Otherwise, when you get what you don’t expect, you don’t have the benefit of returning it without questions, or getting hit with a restocking charge. With Leica, there is not a registration card in the box, and as long as you’re buying a legit camera (yes, I’m sure some vendors still sell Grey market cameras), Leica will honor their warranty.
I’m sure when I get a fresh unit (this one looks new, but I question why someone would return a Q2 unless something was wrong with it), and I have some time to get used to it, I’ll have a better opinion and will update my review. Don’t consider this a vendor review. I deliberately didn’t name the vendor. I’ll leave one there once I resolve my fulfillment issues.
UPDATE: Received fresh camera from another vendor. What a wonderful camera! In fact, after a disappointing time with an M9 a few years back, this camera is close to perfect. The only thing I would consider giving it up for would be a Q2 Monochrom. 🤤
Besides that, a cap that wasn’t destined to get lost would be nice. The one they give you is about 1/4” too shallow. And maybe flash contacts that could use a non-Leica, less than $500 flash. What is it? CF21 or CF23? You could sell them for $150 instead of forcing people to buy a used one on eBay. I don’t need the red dot either. I can tell it’s not a LUMIX.
I come from a 50 year career in photography, selling cameras for arguably a premier Leica dealer in the 1970s. I own several M cameras (film) and several lenses. I think I know what to expect. So, having had the Q2 for less than a day, here are some initial opinions and a few comments on buying a Leica on Amazon.
What I’ve noticed that I don’t like: Although the menu is simplified (compared to other camera), finding your way around is often dependent on certain settings. It took me 10 minutes to get to ISO setting when it wasn’t grayed out. The focus lock (to get out of AF or in) you have to press a tiny button that is hard to find and press easily. If you don’t press it, you may not be in autofocus when you think you are. Camera comes with a lens hood with a loose slip on cap. You don’t get a lens cap that fits on the lens, just the one that fits the hood. When it falls off, you’re probably going to be pissed at the replacement cost. And the hood screws on and doesn’t line up unless you give it a hard twist. Nothing to show you it’s lined up other than a good guess or tightening it harder than you might like. Leica uses their own hot shoe design. Unless you lay out hundreds for a Leica flash, another brand will only work manually, no TTL. Good luck seeing the red A for automatic shutter or aperture. It’s not much lighter that the black surface it’s on.
The good: it’s a Leica. This is not a lightweight point and shoot. It’s a tank. You get 47 mp at 28mm, so cropping down to 35, 50, or even 75 gets you a reasonably sharp result. Zoom lenses are a product of the digital age. If you wanted one for a Leica, you bought a Nikon or Canon with a Vivitar lens. Some design factors are typically Leica. No battery door, so you can change batteries in the dark without looking (assuming you’ve laid out $275 for a spare battery). Electronic viewfinder that actually works well. Focus aids that fringes items in focus. Quiet, quick, unobtrusive (except for that red dot that says your holding on to a chunk of change). Manual aperture and shutter speed like it was in the film era. Bright touch screen.
I’ve quickly discovered why I’m loving this camera. You can buy an M camera for almost twice as much, but a lens will cost almost as much as the Q2 in addition. What you end up with is still a manual focus, manual aperture camera with ‘digital’ film. The Q2 allows you to easily operate manually or an automatic ‘point and shoot’ camera.
The Q2 is as much a piece of art or jewelry as it is a camera. It even comes in a box that looks like a jewelry cabinet. Thus my disappointment receiving a camera that was obviously used, or an open box return at best. (See photos). And my advice buying one on Amazon, although my rating is solely based on the camera, not the vendor or fulfillment. When I’m spending more than a few hundred dollars on something I make sure of two things. It comes from an authorized dealer (or Amazon), and it must be ‘Prime’. Otherwise, when you get what you don’t expect, you don’t have the benefit of returning it without questions, or getting hit with a restocking charge. With Leica, there is not a registration card in the box, and as long as you’re buying a legit camera (yes, I’m sure some vendors still sell Grey market cameras), Leica will honor their warranty.
I’m sure when I get a fresh unit (this one looks new, but I question why someone would return a Q2 unless something was wrong with it), and I have some time to get used to it, I’ll have a better opinion and will update my review. Don’t consider this a vendor review. I deliberately didn’t name the vendor. I’ll leave one there once I resolve my fulfillment issues.
UPDATE: Received fresh camera from another vendor. What a wonderful camera! In fact, after a disappointing time with an M9 a few years back, this camera is close to perfect. The only thing I would consider giving it up for would be a Q2 Monochrom. 🤤
Besides that, a cap that wasn’t destined to get lost would be nice. The one they give you is about 1/4” too shallow. And maybe flash contacts that could use a non-Leica, less than $500 flash. What is it? CF21 or CF23? You could sell them for $150 instead of forcing people to buy a used one on eBay. I don’t need the red dot either. I can tell it’s not a LUMIX.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 25, 2020
Top reviews from other countries
Rebecca Metz
Wenn es wirkliche Liebe ist .... :-)
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on June 21, 2021Jim
This camera has no Warranty and will not be repaired by Leica
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 27, 2022
STEFANO
Qualità top a prezzo elevatissimo.
Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on February 17, 2020
