The Leica Q2, released in April of 2019, is a fixed-lens, full-frame camera sporting a new (at the time) 47.3MP sensor and an impressive, stabilized 28mm F1.7 Summilux lens. Even though it’s technically just a “point & shoot” camera, it’s designed to look like the traditional Leica M rangefinder and is the replacement for the popular original Leica Q (Typ 116), launched back in 2015.
The Q2 looks incredibly similar to its predecessor, but inside of the box there’s been some pretty cool improvements, including better battery life, nearly double the megapixel count, a new processor, a better EVF, and then the most talked about feature, the addition of weather-sealing!
A Long time ago when I was living in Las Vegas, I got to get hands-on with the original Leica Q for a while to do some test shooting while working a few Comic-Cons, and again, even though it was just a point and shoot camera, and I’m not much of a “Leica guy,” the camera was incredibly impressive and it really did feel good to carry and shoot. So if the upgrades in the Q2 are even half as good as they’ve been described, it’ll definitely be worth the investment.
[Related Reading: The Leica M10 Monochrom Camera Officially Announced]
Leica Q2 Technical Specs:
- Pixels Actual: 50.4 Megapixel
- Effective: 47.3 Megapixel
- Maximum Resolution 8368 x 5584
- Aspect Ratio 3:2
- Sensor Type CMOS
- Sensor Size Full-Frame
- Image File Format DNG, JPEG
- Bit Depth 14-Bit
- Image Stabilization Optical
- Focal Length 28mm
- Digital Zoom 2.7x Maximum
- Maximum Aperture f/1.7
- Minimum Aperture f/16
- Focus Range 11.81″ to Infinity / 30 cm to Infinity
- Macro
- 6.69″ to Infinity / 17 cm to Infinity
- Macro
- Optical Design 11 Elements in 9 Groups
- Filter Size 49 mm
- Continuous Shooting Up to 10 fps
- ISO Sensitivity Auto, 50 to 50000
- Shutter Speed
- Mechanical Shutter
- 1/2000 to 60 Seconds
- Electronic Shutter
- 1/40000 to 1 Second
- Mechanical Shutter
- Memory Card Slot Single Slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC
- Wireless Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- GPS No
- Battery 1 x BP-SCL4 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.2 VDC, 1860 mAh (Approx. 370 Shots)
- Dimensions (W x H x D) 5.1 x 3.1 x 3.6″ / 130 x 80 x 91.9 mm
- Weight 1.58 lb / 718 g (Body with Battery)
- Price – $4,995 – Adorama | B&H | Amazon
[Related Reading: SLR Lounge & Leica Ambassador Jay Cassario Shares His Legacy & Motivation Behind His Photos]
Leica Q2 Reviews
Like I mentioned above, we’ve not tested this version out yet but we’re pretty pumped to get our hands on it and complete our original review in the near future. Until then, here are some of our favorites from around the web from other respected sources:
Kai W’s Leica Q2 First Look / Review
Steve Huff Review’s the Leica Q2
B&H Leica Q2 Review
Gear Patrol’s Leica Q2 Review
Park Camera’s Leica Q2 Review
Magic of Light’s Leica Q2 Review
Atola Visuals Leica Q2 Review
DPReview’s First Impression with the Leica Q2
The Camera Store TV’s Leica Q2 Hands-On Review
Alex Barrera’s Leica Q2 Review
Conclusion
It’s clear, (at least to Leica Shooters), that the Leica Q2 is basically the world’s best compact point-and-shoot camera. It’s very well built, feels great when carrying, handles quite well, it’s capable of excellent image quality, and with the new weather sealing, well…now you can use it in pretty much any environment you can think of. The Raw files are reportedly excellent to work with while the JPG’s are rather lackluster Perhaps that’s something that could be improved with a firmware update, or maybe to the True Leica Shooter, that’s all part of the appeal?
Either way you look at it, all of the awesome features come at a hefty price of nearly $5,000. It may feel extreme for most pro shooters, but for the Leica fan base, it’s just another drop in the bucket.
The rig is boasted as great for Street, travel, and casual photography, and even has some landscape photographers telling us they’ve made use of its wide-angle to capture some pretty compelling images.
What it’s not so good for is sports & action photography. Situations that require better zoom and faster autofocus. Basically, if you have to ask “Is It Worth It,” you won’t like this camera. For you, it is not worth it. You just won’t get it.
