Leica Q3 hands-on

Hands on with the new Leica Q3

Last week, Leica took the wraps off of its latest advanced fixed-lens camera, the Q3. With a 60-megapixel sensor, ports, more buttons, optional Qi wireless charging, 8K video and improved autofocus, this $6000 camera has a lot to like.

Hello again, friend of a friend

At first glance, the Leica Q3 might seem a dead ringer for the prior generation Q2. But Leica says it’s actually a fairly deep reworking of the camera, save for the still-lauded 28mm F1.7 Summilux lens. It seems like the design goal was to keep the compact form factor and minimalist ethic untouched, while crossing the last items off Leica fans’ wish lists. As we’ll explore here, current Leica Q fans will find themselves right at home while new buyers reap the benefits of the latest technology from the Wetzlar-based camera company.

A trend continues, as the number of main buttons on the back has been reduced again, from 5 on the original Q and 3 on the Q2 down to 2, with everything now moved onto the right side with the D-pad. Here they should be easier to access with your right hand.

Who’s got the (Fn) button?

Function buttons…everyone wants them. The Q3 ups the count of customizable buttons, now featuring two stealthily placed on the back beneath the shutter speed dial, while the center button on the D-pad can also be reassigned for other uses outside of menus. They’re easy to reassign, too – press and hold for a couple of seconds and you’ll see a menu from which you can choose another function.

Wait…the Q has ports now?

The original Leica Q was a very minimalist design; in its way, it intentionally aped an old M3 rangefinder. But in its quest for a simple silhouette, the Q and Q2 omitted any kind of ports, meaning the only way to charge the battery was with an external charger.

The Leica Q3 breaks that tradition with a USB-C connector (with USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfer speed) for internal charging on the go, as well as a microHDMI port. Hidden away under a flap, these ports make the Q3 far more versatile, and now compatible with external video recorders. This immediately comes in handy when talking about a key new feature – the ability to capture 8K and Cinema 8K footage. When output to an external recorder, you can get up to C8K 4:2:0 10-bit at 30p with HLG and L-Log.

Bigger battery, same runtime

According to Leica, the Q3 comes with a new battery model that’s slightly larger at 16 Wh, up from 14 Wh in the Q2. Even with the larger capacity, this battery still is rated at 350 shots on a single charge in the Leica Q3.

Thankfully, the battery appears to be fully compatible with the old model, so if you have spares you can continue to use them. At almost $300 per replacement battery, these are an investment even Leica shooters wouldn’t want to give up!

Finally, a tilt screen!

Caving to the demands of street photographers everywhere, the Leica Q3 finally has a tilting screen for waist-level or high-angle shooting. The hinge feels sturdy, too with very little flex. More than any other change, internal or external, the screen arrangement might be the biggest day-to-day improvement in this camera.

Same great, versatile lens

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – and Leica didn’t. The Q3 has the same lens as the Q2, and it’s still a peach. We love its super-smooth manual focus ring and clicky aperture setting. Plus the macro mode setting with its separate focusing scale is too slick. With the Leica Q3, you’ll still get a 28mm focal length, plus more digital crop modes to punch in to: 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and now 90mm.

That last setting is possible thanks to the Leica Q3’s 60-megapixel CMOS sensor, which seems similar to the one from the M11 released last year. Of course what the M11 didn’t have was autofocus, whereas the Q3 now uses a hybrid autofocus system with both phase detect and Panasonic’s DFD technology, according to Leica making it quicker and more reliable than before.

IP52 and wireless charging, too

On the bottom of the Leica Q3 is the sneakily hidden SD card slot. Slide this spring-loaded flap back, and it reveals the single UHS-II card. This helps keep the sides smooth, while making battery and memory accessible separately, and lets the Leica Q3 retain its dust- and splashproof IP52 rating.

Sidling next to the card door is a trio of contact pads. These connect to the HG-DC1 grip that adds Qi wireless charging to the Leica Q3. At almost $200, it’s a pricey accessory, but the fact that it does double duty as a grip and adds wireless charging makes it sting a little less.