A Q3 43mm Apo-summicron camera to be announced soon? Hopefully true.

[splitimageview]

True.

Leica Q3 43 review

Leica has announced the Q3 43, a variant of its full-frame fixed lens compact with a 43mm F2.0 normal lens. We've had the chance to use and test it, to produce an in-depth review.

www.dpreview.com

 

[Out to Lunch]

 

[agentlossing]

I have tried it on pentax limited and its a very strange focal length. Nor 35 nor 50. If they dont want to have such problems maybe they could reduce the prices. The cl was of course cheaper than the m cameras and it did very well. There is a reason why 40mm, although small and cheap in almost any system, doesnt get much love. Id happily consider a full frame 35 or 50mm with autofocus and leica but with such a price its coming out, without interchangeable lenses one must be sure that his favorite focal length is that.

Lots of people love the ~40mm focal length. Plus, it was seen on very many compact fixed-lens cameras, from the Rollei 35 to Canonets and many in between.

 

[raid]

No. I shall not be tempted by this. It would kill the enjoyment of picking a lens out when I take photos.

 

[splitimageview]

Lots of people love the ~40mm focal length. Plus, it was seen on very many compact fixed-lens cameras, from the Rollei 35 to Canonets and many in between.

And the CL.

 

[Evergreen States]

Lots of people love the ~40mm focal length. Plus, it was seen on very many compact fixed-lens cameras, from the Rollei 35 to Canonets and many in between.

40mm is a good focal length. The only problem with a 40mm lens is that it's not a 50mm lens.

 

[splitimageview]

With 60mp, it is both.

 

[wlewisiii]

I like the 50. But even more? I like having multiple 50's. In the end it's my real problem with the Q.

Right now I'm loving the fact that I have a small bag with my M 240 with a 50 on one side and my (new-to-me) Pentax K5 APS-C DSLR with a compact but really high quality 20-40 zoom on the other side. That's a whole lot of photo mojo in a tiny package for much much less money than even a Q1 would set me back, good as it might be.

For those who want it and will enjoy it? It will be a lovely camera. Leica knows it's market and they make wonderful products. But this one is not one that will tempt me 🙂

 

[raid]

I have currently my M10 with the 75mm 1.4 Summilux in my tiny camera backpack, along with a 35mm/2 Biogon on the side.
If I had inferior lenses only, then getting the Q3 would be a reasonable thing to do for me.

 

[ellisson]

Not for everyone, for sure. But that's Leica: there's a market for fixed lens, AF cameras with that luxury Leica engineering and their best lenses. If digital, full frame, fixed lens, autofocus Leica is your thing, great. If not, there are the innumerable options between M, CL, SL, S, X, Barnack.....and all the other camera and lens makers. Always nice to have choices!

 

[Beemermark]

They choose the lens for basically an existing camera to entice owners with too much money and GAS to buy another Leica. In otherwise just marketing folks.

 

[JohnGellings]

They choose the lens for basically an existing camera to entice owners with too much money and GAS to buy another Leica. In otherwise just marketing folks.

Imagine that, a camera company trying to sell something to people... I would have never guessed. Joking aside, the Q series seems to be the Leica that many non Leica users buy.

 

[eckhardf]

Hmmm, the AF doesn't seem to work on mine! 😆

 

[agentlossing]

View attachment 4845360


Hmmm, the AF doesn't seem to work on mine! 😆

Works on mine!

 

[ellisson]

Hmmm, the AF doesn't seem to work on mine

But you don't have to pay $6900 plus tax to change your lens!

 

[Evergreen States]

View attachment 4845360


Hmmm, the AF doesn't seem to work on mine! 😆

Just stop it down one more stop and it's better than autofocus!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

LCAG doesn't know how to make compact AF lenses. The results are ugly and missbalansed.
Nothing special f2 , wierd focal length. And humongous size. Meh...

 

[Archiver]

LCAG doesn't know how to make compact AF lenses. The results are ugly and missbalansed.
Nothing special f2 , wierd focal length. And humongous size. Meh...

DPReview reports that the Q3 43 lens design is a Panasonic patent! But their APO Summicron L lenses are gigantic, to be sure.

It's an intriguing camera - 43mm f2 can be very useful for when 50 is too restrictive but 35 is a bit too wide. The Sigma DP2 has a 42mm equivalent lens, and that is a fine walkaround camera, especially when paired with a wide angle complementary cam/lens. Voigtlander's Ultron 40mm f2 SL II is likewise very useful for walkaround when paired with a wide lens.

Would I buy one? I haven't even bought a Q, let alone a Q2 or Q3, as my gear budget has gone into the Panasonic m43 and L mount systems over the past 12 years or so. But if I wasn't actively using my gear for hybrid purposes (stills and video) and was only after high quality stills in a compact Leica branded package, the Q cameras would be it.

 

[eckhardf]

LCAG doesn't know how to make compact AF lenses. The results are ugly and missbalansed.
Nothing special f2 , wierd focal length. And humongous size. Meh...

I really like the 40-43mm focal length for a fixed lens body - much more versatile than 28mm which pushes you to the wide end for all shots. In this regard I like the Q3 43 much more than the 28mm version.

I do think that Leica has missed an opportunity here though and agree with Ko.Fe that the lens is just too big and unbalanced. When I think fixed-lens; I think of an EDC (Every Day Carry/Camera), a travel camera for somebody who doesn't want to carry much gear, or a camera for people who want only one camera they can pick up at a moments notice. In all these scenarios compactness is a desirable feature. The 40mm focal length seems to have the greatest ability of being shrunk to pancake size, yet here it's huge. Leica can make great, sharp, tiny non-apo lenses (40mm Summarit f2.4 on the Minilux for example or the 40mm Summicron M lens). I don't think making the lens APO or 1.5x Macro justifies the large size in this context.

Perhaps it's as Ko.Fe says; it's the AF machinery that makes the lens so large?

 

[Archiver]

I really like the 40-43mm focal length for a fixed lens body - much more versatile than 28mm which pushes you to the wide end for all shots. In this regard I like the Q3 43 much more than the 28mm version.

I do think that Leica has missed an opportunity here though and agree with Ko.Fe that the lens is just too big and unbalanced. When I think fixed-lens; I think of an EDC (Every Day Carry/Camera), a travel camera for somebody who doesn't want to carry much gear, or a camera for people who want only one camera they can pick up at a moments notice. In all these scenarios compactness is a desirable feature. The 40mm focal length seems to have the greatest ability of being shrunk to pancake size, yet here it's huge. Leica can make great, sharp, tiny non-apo lenses (40mm Summarit f2.4 on the Minilux for example or the 40mm Summicron M lens). I don't think making the lens APO or 1.5x Macro justifies the large size in this context.

Perhaps it's as Ko.Fe says; it's the AF machinery that makes the lens so large?

I do wonder. Nikon has made a remarkably decent 40mm f2 AF for Z mount, so what gives with size of the Q43's lens? But we need to ask this of Panasonic. They designed this beast. Is it because it's apochromatic? Even Voigtlander's manual focus APO lenses are large.

All this talk of 40-43, I'm tempted to take the Sigma DP2 out tomorrow, hahaha.