The Leica Q3 camera is the new successor to the Q2, which has been available for almost four years now. While the Q2’s features are no longer up to date, the Q3 offers advanced equipment which is now available online and in specialist shops. The Q3 has not only improved image performance but has also significantly expanded the camera’s features.
The camera now offers 60 megapixels instead of 47, and the full-frame sensor has been updated from the M11. The autofocus now functions with phase detection in addition to contrast measurement, which relies on the image converter, allowing for better image quality. The Summilux lens with a focal length of 28 millimeters and f/1.7 has remained unchanged, which means that Leica now offers extended crop modes.
The Q3 offers extended crop modes with 39, 19, 8, and 6 megapixels, which correspond to effective focal lengths of 35, 50, 70, and 90 millimeters. Raw recordings are saved as DNG, simultaneously with JPEG recordings. The Q3 has a single SD slot, which now supports UHS-II, and allows extended video functions with 8K formats, supporting 300 MBit/s.
A special feature of the Q3 is its cinematographic C8K with 8,192 × 4,320 pixels and up to 60 frames per second with an aspect ratio of 17:9. However, recording at full resolution can only take 29 minutes to protect against overheating. The Q3 is operated like the classic Leicas with a rangefinder.
There have been changes to the back of the Q3; there are no longer any buttons to the left of the display, with two buttons now to the right for “Play” and “Menu.” On the top right edge, two new function keys whose actions can be freely assigned have been added. The Q3 has a swiveling display; however, it cannot be folded to the side.
The touchscreen display is now 3 inches and shows 1.8 instead of 1 megapixel. The Q3 has introduced a micro-HDMI port and a USB-C socket with 10 GBit/s. The Leica Photos app is available for both platforms, with data transfer at up to 3 MB/s via WLAN. Despite the new ports, Leica claims IP52 dust and splash water protection.
The price of the Q3 is 5,950 euros, which is only slightly higher than the current 5,600 euros of the Q2. The previous model will continue to be offered but will no longer be manufactured new. Given the small price difference, there are only a few reasons to go for the Q2.
