Your photographic style can be as versatile as your personality. It is important that the equipment you use supports your photographic vision. The camera and its lens are – along with your eyes – one of the most essential tools to help us achieve this. There are many areas of photography and each one requires special settings, in most cases a specific camera or well-chosen lenses so to say.

Over the years of shooting, I discovered that for my style of photography, I prefer to use a 35mm prime lens with an open aperture. As my Canon 5D Mark III is very heavy, I was looking for a lightweight mirrorless full-frame alternative and discovered the Leica Q2.

The Leica Q Series - From the Leica Q to the Leica Q3 43

In 2015, Leica introduced a new camera segment – the Leica Q series – which are digital full-frame cameras with a fixed, non-interchangeable prime lens and an integrated macro mode. The success of the Q family is based on the high quality of the lenses, the workmanship, the image quality, the timeless Leica design and the affordability compared to other Leica cameras.

The Leica Q (Typ 116) was the first model to be released in 2015 and is a full-frame fixed-lens camera with a Leica Summilux 28mm lens and an aperture range from f/1.7 to f/16, with the possibility of digital zoom to 1.25x or 1.8x (35 and 50mm). Over the years, a number of alternative designs were introduced such as the Leica Q Titanium Gray paint finish, Leica Q Silver, Leica Q Khaki - with technical specifications identical to the original model.

Somewhat different was the Leica Q-P which was announced in 2018. It came without the red dot logo, but with the classic Leica script engraved on the top plate and it had a different shutter release button, reminiscent of the Leica M and CL cameras.

The Leica Q2 succeeded the original Leica Q and Leica Q-P in 2019. It was promoted as the next generation model of the Q line with a newly developed 47.3MP CMOS full-frame sensor, again a Summilux 28mm f/1.7 prime lens with additional new features such as a digital frame selector for 35, 50 and 75mm as well as a protective seal against dust and spray water for shooting in all weather conditions.

The Leica Q2 also had several design options, such as the Leica Q2 Reporter - designed for the demanding working environment of reporters and press with Kevlar instead of the traditional leather trim; the Leica Q2 007 Edition - in honour of James Bond's 25th mission, "No time to die"; the Leica Q2 "Ghost" by Hodinkee - with a stylish grey leather trim, paying tribute to the iconic diving watch known as the "Ghost Bezel", the Leica Q2 Disney "100 Years of Wonder" version with a Mickey Mouse print on the plate to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary or, in my opinion, the most beautiful, the limited special edition Leica Q2 "Dawn" by musician Seal, which pays tribute to the soulful lyrics of the artist's songs and also comes with a matching scarf.

2020 marked the launch of the Leica Q2 Monochrom, the only full-frame compact camera with a dedicated monochrome sensor – the perfect companion for fans of black-and-white photography – also available in a reporter version.

In 2023, Leica introduced the Leica Q3, the third generation of the Leica Q family. The Leica Q3 features a stabilised Summilux 28mm f/1.7 lens with a 60MP CMOS full-frame sensor and the ability to digitally crop to equivalent focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 90mm. The Leica Q3 is capable of 8K video recording and is the first model in the Q line to feature a tiltable, high-resolution 3-inch touchscreen.

The Leica Q3 43 was launched in September 2024. The biggest difference between the Leica Q3 43 and all previous models is that the Q3 43 does not have the usual 28mm focal length - the new feature is an APO-Summicron lens with a fixed focal length of 43mm f/2 and a digital zoom that allows zooming to focal lengths of 60, 75, 90, 120 and 150mm. The new 43mm lens is advertised as being able to capture moments as the eye sees them - the focal length closely mimics human vision, allowing the subject to be captured in a truly natural and balanced, true-to-life way. Like the earlier Leica Q models, the Q3 43 has an integrated macro mode and, like the Q3, it has a tiltable touchscreen.

I'm not technically adviced enough to explain the difference between summilux and summicron lenses, but Leica describes the new lens as exceptionally sharp. It produces nice colours in all lighting conditions thanks to the complex construction of the apochromatically corrected optical design which includes four aspherical elements. These lens types are said to be among the best in the world. Combined with a great ISO performance (from ISO 50 to 100000), the APO lens should also allow for short exposure times, even in low light.

Leica Q2 vs. Leica Q3 43 | My first impressions

To be honest, it took me a while to get used to my Leica Q2 when I bought it in 2021. Due to my Canon setup, I had to get used to a 28mm lens and I was also a bit disappointed because I didn't like the first results that much even though I've seen a lot of videos of photographers praising the famous Leica look - also, the fabric of the lens cap came off, making it impossible to use and I had to replace it with another model soon after I bought it. In my opinion, the original lens cap is really badly designed and it's definitely not something you expect when you invest in a Leica camera which is usually known for good and durable quality.

Personally, the Leica Q2 was probably not the best choice as I tend to like to create a dreamier look with lots of bokeh in my photographs - Leica cameras are best known for the documentary and more straightforward street photography style - but I know that beforehand and it's my fault, not the camera's!

After a rather rocky start, I began to like the new features of the camera - the Q2 felt very light compared to my old Canon setup and I became a fan of the sharpness of the photographs - when you zoom in on a Leica picture, I guarantee it's amazing to discover all the details! The downside is that the photo files are so large that it literally takes hours to resize them in Photoshop - even though I have a good laptop for editing, it takes a lot of patience to resize a series for my blog without losing all the details. It also takes a bit of time to connect the camera to the Leica app - once you get a connection, it works fine.

The Leica Q2 has become my only camera for all my travel photography and I could not imagine photographing without it anyomore - it's easy to carry and now that I'm more used to the look, I really like the results. I feel like the look really authentic which is very important for me.
For portraits, products and flowers, I still prefer my Canon camera because I can change lenses - especially for portraits, I think a 35mm focal length looks better, or at least less distorted.

I was really excited when Leica announced the Q3 43 as I hoped to have found my ultimate dream camera. I particularly liked the 'human perspective' aspect - the new focal length is definitely great for portraiture, the photos on the Leica website looked stunning and I was very curious to see what the bokeh would look like.

I had the chance to attend a Leica photo walk in Klagenfurt in November and was more than happy to try out the Leica Q3 43. The Leica Q3 43 looks quite similar to the Q2 - the main differences I immediately spotted were the colour of the body (the Q3 43 is grey, the Q2 is black) and a different shutter button. If you know how to use the Leica Q2, it is easy to get used to taking pictures with the Leica Q3 43. Although I always wanted a higher focal length, I struggled to get great shots in the city, I felt the 43mm was too 'zoomed in' - I never thought this could happen, but it seems I am already so used to the 28mm of my Leica Q2 and it will still be my favourite choice for street and travel photography. I also wanted to see how the bokeh looks like with this new Leica lens - on my Instagram account you'll mainly find flowers with dreamy bokeh - November wasn't the best month to try it out and I couldn't make up my mind, I feel like I need to try it again in early spring or summer. Portraits definitely look great, I wasn't quite sure if I was expecting an even bigger difference from the Q2.

After the photo walk, I came to the conclusion that the Q3 43 cannot replace my Leica Q2. Travelling with two Leica cameras (in addition to my analogue ones) didn't seem very compelling to me because I'm always tempted to reduce the weight and size of my equipment and I was hoping to find a camera that could do everything: portraits, landscapes, nature photography. It's also a big investment to buy both cameras, as the Leica Q3 43 costs around 6750 euros. When I told a colleague of mine who is also into photography about the new camera and its cost, he immediately said that I could buy three really good lenses from another brand for that price - and that's true. The Leica Q3 43 is definitely a wonderful camera and I can see it being a perfect match if your preferred focal length is 50mm.

At the moment I won't be getting the Leica Q3 43 (but never say never, it is still tempting to get one), I'd rather save my money for a Leica camera that might be more suited to my needs. Until then, I'm trying to get better results out of my Leica Q2 - as always, it's not the equipment that needs improving, but the photographer and I hope I'll be able to use the Q2 better for portrait photography.

Leica Q3 43 | Sample Pictures

All photographs were taken during the photo walk in moody November in Klagenfurt / Austria. They are slightly colour-adjusted in Adobe Lightroom.

Pictures taken with the Leica Q2

The picture were taken on the same day in Klagenfurt.

You can find a lot of posts here on my blog, where I have taken all photographs with my Leica Q2. Here are a few examples:

Leica Q3 43 | Original files vs. edited ones

To help you see the colours straight from the camera, here are examples of unedited and edited images. As I mentioned before, it was a very moody, cloudy, almost rainy November day - not the sort of weather I usually take pictures.

My dream Leica Q camera

It is always fun to think about what my ideal Leica Q camera would be and look like - be aware that I am only dreaming here: it would be the Leica Q-M. The M stands for its similarity to the M series. The Leica Q-M would have a fixed 35mm f2.0 focal length - that's actually the focal length I wish for - perfectly between 28mm and 43mm. The old analogue Leica cameras look great and the Q-M would match that style with the Leica script engraved on the top plate (similar to the Leica Q-P) and the shutter release button look of the Leica M series.

The Leica Q-M wouldn't be a rival to the original M series as you can't change lenses - it would be a great alternative for a younger target group of photographers who can't or don't want to invest in cameras costing over 10k. As a female most of the time single traveller, I feel safer if my camera is not worth a 2-carat diamond.

I would like to see a high ISO range so I can take great pictures in low light (the Q2 is not the best in terms of ISO) and for filming it would be nice to have good image stabilisation and autofocus, it does not need the tiltable screen of the Leica Q3, but maybe a flip screen (not mandatory). The design should be as clean as possible, but the ability to add a microphone and gimbal would be useful. Ideally, the packaging of the Q-M should be similar to that of the Leica Q2 and, of course, the camera should come with a charger (I have heard that the Q3 43 comes without one, which is a pity!)

In case you are interested in analogue Leica cameras too, check out my analogue story which features the Leica C1 and Leica Minilux: