My First impression oF the new Leica Q
Nearly a week ago Leica presented the new Leica Q. Since the camera came out, I was reading the reviews and was quiet excited about the idea of the Q. Today I had the chance to take a first look on the Q and get a first impression.
Full frame sensor, 28mm f/1.7 uninterchangeable lens, macro functionality, electronic viewfinder, and 35mm and 50mm crop mode - all in a compact body.
I have to admit, I immediately got hooked up! The Q feels just right in your hand... It is much lighter than a Leica M - but not to light - it feels well balanced and the ergonomics is great.
The Q is a mixture from the X and the M System - which makes it pretty easy to find direction to control the camera. I love the idea that you can work pretty easy in AF and MF Mode - side by side. Focusing manually is a joy. If you turn the focus tab, the center of your screen gets zoomed in and you can focus precisely. Everything works quickly and smoothly! It feels like working with a Rangefinder, but much easier to use.
The AF is very quick and accurate. My Leica Dealer told me, that it is also pretty quick and accurate in low light situations.
The shutter sound is very discreet, which is perfect for street photography. The EVF looks bright and right - all informations are shown.
28mm.
There are some people who already complaining that 28mm might be to wide for that camera - 35mm would be just perfect. For me, who likes to shoot architecture, documentary and street photography, 28mm feels just right. I love the fact, that you can use the camera in crop mode while shooting DNG and jpeg side by side. The DNG will always be in 28mm - but the jpeg will come out in crop mode (35mm or 50mm).
Till now, I haven't tested the camera - so I can't say anything about the Image Quality. The 28mm Summilux 1.7 ASPH seems to be a fantastic lens - sharp till the corner with wonderful bokeh. The images I have seen so far look wonderful!
I am curious how this camera will work in real situations and I hope I can test the Q more detailed soon. Till now I just can say the Q seems to be like a real package! The price of 3.990 € is a lot of money, that is for sure - everyone has to decide if they want to pay this amount of money for the Q. I guess it all depends what kind of photographer you are and how much it is worth to pay for a digital camera system with a fixed lens.
My personal opinion is that Leica managed to produce a modern camera without loosing focus on their craft-ship, tradition, the simplicity and focus of "Das Wesentliche".