Official Talk Leica thread

So out with the new camera today - Leica Q3, (still lots to learn, but the biggest thing is adjusting to a 28mm focal length when I've spent 10 years basically shooting at 35mm!) - a wander around Chester - really flat light today.


Chester-3 by David Yeoman, on Flickr


Chester-2 by David Yeoman, on Flickr


Chester-5 by David Yeoman, on Flickr
 
Have got to say that the 'party trick' of the crop mode is quite incredible. helped by the higher resolution. 90mm equivalent resulting in a 6MP image. Shot at F1.7 (of course!) - original RAW showing crop lines, and resultant JPG (not touched in post).


240203 90mm Crop Outline by David Yeoman, on Flickr


240203 90mm Crop by David Yeoman, on Flickr
 
This one


Chester-4 by David Yeoman, on Flickr

Loving seeing your stuff with this. This is really nice. How do you find it going to a small camera from the GFX? I have now sold my GFX and am in the market for either a Q2 or leaning towards the M10/M10R. I think it will encourage me to take it out more as the GFX with 55mm was just too big for general walk around without a purpose photography for me personally.
 
Loving seeing your stuff with this. This is really nice. How do you find it going to a small camera from the GFX? I have now sold my GFX and am in the market for either a Q2 or leaning towards the M10/M10R. I think it will encourage me to take it out more as the GFX with 55mm was just too big for general walk around without a purpose photography for me personally.

Before I ran the GFX50S + X100 series camera as a pair - I now intend to run the GFX and Q3 as a pair. Yes the GFX is weighty but there is something special about the images it produces, and the files are ultimately more flexible than the Q3 and certainly more flexible than the Q2 (I roadtested a Q2 from Leica Manchester a couple of years ago). I may refine my lens selection on the GFX.

That lens on the Q series camera is something quite special though. The Leica also feels very tactile, nothing gets in the way of photography, I can see myself enjoying it.

It is going to take me some time to get used to the 28mm FOV in landscape orientation, but interestingly in portrait mode the 28mm on the Leica gives 46 deg FOV (3:2 sensor), and on the GF45mm gives 45.5deg FOV (4:3) sensor, so that will require less adjustment to get my desired 5:4 crop ration vertical shots, I'll just be losing more top and bottom from the Leica and the resultant images are pretty much the same pixel size! (GFX50S v Q3) - in the case of the Q3, the resultant image is 7920x6336 and the GFX50S image is 7740x6192.

Since you are not that far from Leica Manchester, I would suggest contacting them and seeing if you can borrow a camera for a day (I did it on a weekday when the shop is quieter, phone them first) - then you will have a better idea if it is for you.

BTW I took the GFX+GF45mm to Malta for a week in November as my only camera, whereas previously I would have taken my X100F, yes it was weighty (though lighter than a GFX+GF55mm) but I really enjoyed using it. and I felt that my keeper ratio was higher than I would usually get with the X100F.

Before buying the Q3 I spent a long time looking a second user Q2s but for one in excellent condition with everything that it came with including the box and with some form of warranty, you are looking in the region £3,600-£4000, there are a lot of tatty ones out there, and missing parts. I then felt that the extra features of the Q3 and the fact that I was getting a new camera was worth the price difference. YMMV.
 
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Before I ran the GFX50S + X100 series camera as a pair - I now intend to run the GFX and Q3 as a pair. Yes the GFX is weighty but there is something special about the images it produces, and the files are ultimately more flexible than the Q3 and certainly more flexible than the Q2 (I roadtested a Q2 from Leica Manchester a couple of years ago). I may refine my lens selection on the GFX.

That lens on the Q series camera is something quite special though. The Leica also feels very tactile, nothing gets in the way of photography, I can see myself enjoying it.

It is going to take me some time to get used to the 28mm FOV in landscape orientation, but interestingly in portrait mode the 28mm on the Leica gives 46 deg FOV (3:2 sensor), and on the GF45mm gives 45.5deg FOV (4:3) sensor, so that will require less adjustment to get my desired 5:4 crop ration vertical shots, I'll just be losing more top and bottom from the Leica and the resultant images are pretty much the same pixel size! (GFX50S v Q3) - in the case of the Q3, the resultant image is 7920x6336 and the GFX50S image is 7740x6192.

Since you are not that far from Leica Manchester, I would suggest contacting them and seeing if you can borrow a camera for a day (I did it on a weekday when the shop is quieter, phone them first) - then you will have a better idea if it is for you.

BTW I took the GFX+GF45mm to Malta for a week in November as my only camera, whereas previously I would have taken my X100F, yes it was weighty (though lighter than a GFX+GF55mm) but I really enjoyed using it. and I felt that my keeper ratio was higher than I would usually get with the X100F.

Before buying the Q3 I spent a long time looking a second user Q2s but for one in excellent condition with everything that it came with including the box and with some form of warranty, you are looking in the region £3,600-£4000, there are a lot of tatty ones out there, and missing parts. I then felt that the extra features of the Q3 and the fact that I was getting a new camera was worth the price difference. YMMV.

Thank you for the detailed response. I was actually in leica Manchester the other day looking at the M10.

Another thing that i should probably have said regarding the GFX is, I dislike an electronic viewfinder (which is ruling the Q out at the moment). I have an M film camera so I have lenses and it would make for a light setup for me. I DO miss the IQ of the GFX but I also value the user experience which sadly, for me was lacking. I can't fault the files at all though. It made stunning photos but I would never pick it up as an EDC. now I think about it, I have carried a Pentax 67 around many places and not complained about the weight but the output was worth it so perhaps it's not just a size thing.
 
Had a good play with an M10 in the shop over the weekend and really liked it. Missed out on a couple last night on eBay but it has left me wondering if I should just stick with and shoot my film body for the immediate future. Over £3,000 is a LOT of film. I'm on the fence.

Any M10 shooters lend me any advice please?

Thanks.
 
Buongiorno ! ... (M9 - ZEISS Planar 2/50 f 2,8 ; crop):



L1007219_DxO-z50p-c.jpg


It is a common problem with car meetings: either there are spectators in the pics (see above), or the cars are very close together and have to be cropped free ... ---
 
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Any M10 shooters lend me any advice please?

I've had both m10, (now gone) and 10r which I still have (and also 240, now gone and M9 - which I still have)

The problem is that I don't have any film M to compare, I assume the digital M is quite an analogue usage experience (although they can do aperture priority and auto iso) but of course the files will be digital.

Between 10 and M10R I prefer the files from the R, they have -to me at least- a nicer tonality and greater ability to recover highlights.

People like to talk about getting it right in camera, and I'm all for that, but equally with digital and a high contrast scene, exposing for the highlights and lifting the shadows in post is getting it right in camera and the 10r has a (again to my eye) nicer roll off into highlights than the regular 10.

Also the R has a native iso100 and iso100 on the 10 is a pull, the 10 really is a camera in which care is required with highlights, but the extra res of the R can really highlight poor hand held technique when viewed at 100%

Between the 10 and the 10R I'd say the quieter shutter, superior sensor, and touch screen (I was sceptical but it's useful) makes the R the winner. Between the 10P and the 10R where you're just paying for the sensor upgrade it's a tougher call
 
I've had both m10, (now gone) and 10r which I still have (and also 240, now gone and M9 - which I still have)

The problem is that I don't have any film M to compare, I assume the digital M is quite an analogue usage experience (although they can do aperture priority and auto iso) but of course the files will be digital.

Between 10 and M10R I prefer the files from the R, they have -to me at least- a nicer tonality and greater ability to recover highlights.

People like to talk about getting it right in camera, and I'm all for that, but equally with digital and a high contrast scene, exposing for the highlights and lifting the shadows in post is getting it right in camera and the 10r has a (again to my eye) nicer roll off into highlights than the regular 10.

Also the R has a native iso100 and iso100 on the 10 is a pull, the 10 really is a camera in which care is required with highlights, but the extra res of the R can really highlight poor hand held technique when viewed at 100%

Between the 10 and the 10R I'd say the quieter shutter, superior sensor, and touch screen (I was sceptical but it's useful) makes the R the winner. Between the 10P and the 10R where you're just paying for the sensor upgrade it's a tougher call

Thank you for your thoughts.

Sadly, I think the R is going to be out of my budget but I am happy with 24MP. There doesn't seem to be many P variants on the used market either at the moment so I would probably be looking at the vanilla M10.
 
I purchased a DeadCameras strap for my Q3 this week. It arrived from Portugal in good time, and is not just a strap, its a work of art. Handmade from top class leather and fitted with a small red dot. I chose a custom length and its exactly as requested.

It's not often enough that suppliers are credited for what they provide, but this company really goes the distance.
 
Thank you for the detailed response. I was actually in leica Manchester the other day looking at the M10.

Another thing that i should probably have said regarding the GFX is, I dislike an electronic viewfinder (which is ruling the Q out at the moment). I have an M film camera so I have lenses and it would make for a light setup for me. I DO miss the IQ of the GFX but I also value the user experience which sadly, for me was lacking. I can't fault the files at all though. It made stunning photos but I would never pick it up as an EDC. now I think about it, I have carried a Pentax 67 around many places and not complained about the weight but the output was worth it so perhaps it's not just a size thing.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Sadly, I think the R is going to be out of my budget but I am happy with 24MP. There doesn't seem to be many P variants on the used market either at the moment so I would probably be looking at the vanilla M10.
M10 here.
Beginning to find it heavy to lug around, but range finder without the evf is fun to use.
Mainly dependent on the evf on the last lot, and adapting lenses.
I can recommend the m10 as a really good camera.
 
M10 here.
Beginning to find it heavy to lug around, but range finder without the evf is fun to use.
Mainly dependent on the evf on the last lot, and adapting lenses.
I can recommend the m10 as a really good camera.

Thanks for your thoughts. I think weight wise, it's not too different to my film Leica? So should be ok in that regard and definitely lighter than the GFX I have sold to make way for it.

I actually bought one from a major retailer last week but sadly it had a mark on it that wasn't visible in the photos (I don't mind the odd mark but this was a bit much) and came with no UK plug so have requested a return. From the quick 7/8 images I took, the files look lovely.
 
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