Leica Q Series for Street Photography?

Brom

Brom

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David
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I've just sold all my macro gear, macro rail, Nikon bellows, Cognisys stack shot, lights and my Nikon D810. So now I've got a few quid burning a hole in my pocket. I want to buy a dedicated street photography camera as lugging round a DSLR is not the best and does draw attention to me.
So...I've looked at lots of cameras, read loads of reviews and was thinking of the Fuji X100 series, probably the X100F. Fred Fogherty was my favourite street photographer and he used an X100 and produced cracking images with it. But, and there's always a but, I've got just about enough cash to buy a used Leica Q series. I'm trying hard to justify it, I know if I buy the x100F the rest will get frittered away, so...should I realise the dream and buy the Leica or am I just wasting money?
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 
Brom said:
It probably will but I'm just trying to justify spending the money before the wife finds out about it. :)
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Shops close in about an hour ;)
 
There's no doubt the Q is a very lovely camera. I had a 'review copy' for four months and overall loved it. The lens is sublime, the AF is excellent and if you don't like AF the lens is perfect for zone focusing. It feels great in the hand and works well ergonomically. The quality of files it produces is excellent.

It's fairly discrete (especially if you put a blob of black tape over the red dot) - certainly far more so than a DSLR. So it's a good all-round street camera.

Negatives: you're stuck with the 28mm lens, which isn't to everyone's taste (I liked the wide perspective). Battery life isn't great and original batteries are expensive. It's expensive to buy (but will hold its value well).

Personally, apart from a battered old M4, I don't buy into the Leica 'thing' (okay, the lenses are as good as it gets - however, I'm not convinced by the sensors). For the money, I'd look elsewhere. If you were a student of mine I'd say buy the X100F and spend the rest of the money on travel, books and education.

Hope that helps,
Brian
 
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Brom said:
It probably will but I'm just trying to justify spending the money before the wife finds out about it. :)
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Just tell the wife your off to get a Leica and be done with it. I've had one since the day it came out and I love it to bits (so much as one can love a camera). Light and practical. Inconspicuous (you can put some black take over the logo if you prefer). Very strong (it survived a major quad bike accident). Really fantastic lens (most of my lenses are Leica M). The Maestro II processor is the business (and probably Panasonic), has been carried over in to the Leica SL and M10. Great for street, especially the touch and release. About 10fps. The viewfinder is very good - I use optical viewfinder mostly but this if really good. Superb ISO performance. A few snaps attached.

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L1010667.jpg L1000087.jpg A couple more, one for the colour and one for the general max performance (I think ISO 100, f/1.7, 1/250)
 
If you have the red dot itch you will not be happy with anything else you purchase.
Do yourself a favour, scratch the itch and just buy it.

If you are thinking more practical, then the Fuji would seem to answer all the questions and leave you with some spare cash in the pocket to use on training, a nice bag, some accessories and even some brownie points from her indoors .....
 
Meeten said:
If you have the red dot itch you will not be happy with anything else you purchase.
Do yourself a favour, scratch the itch and just buy it.

If you are thinking more practical, then the Fuji would seem to answer all the questions and leave you with some spare cash in the pocket to use on training, a nice bag, some accessories and even some brownie points from her indoors .....
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... or you could forget the camera and get the wife a Prada handbag. That would be impressive.
 
Meeten said:
Get the Leica before she even knows that was an option!
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I once bought my wife three bags at once including a Prada, plus a pair of shoes for me. Leonardo da Vinci Airport - Duty Free. Incredible discounts that I think paid for the holiday (long weekend). I now never have to buy her another one as long as I live.
 
If you worry about the camera drawing attention to yourself you maybe be a bit to timid a character to do street photography. whether it be with a 'phone or a Leica the very act of taking a photograph in some areas is deemed by the locals to be deserving of a 'kicking'
 
I was looking at some of the pictures I took with my Q on an early outing, had probably only had it a week or two, and it was my first automatic camera for years. It was Gay Pride 2015.
So here are two pairs of images, good and bad. When left in auto-aperture, the Q tends to stick to f/1.7 so you have to remember you are likely to have a shallow DOF, otherwise set to 5.6 or 8 depending on light and subject. So the first image went wrong because auto-focus was set on centre and picked out some bloke in the background. I switched to manual focus, brilliantly implemented by a catch on the focus ring, and got one in focus. I remember doing the third one using touch and release, so I got the smiling happy chappy in the middle in a shallow DOF. The net one using auto-focus again went completely wrong.
So, besides the fact that I probably need to go on one of Brian's courses (I am self-taught, it probably shows), the Q gives you lots of options for street photography, as long as you remember what the camera's capabilities are and what you are intending to do.

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Something I also get wrong is do touch and release and then forget and start thinking its on central focus and everything is out of focus. If takes a few button presses to change focus mode.
 
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redsnappa said:
If you worry about the camera drawing attention to yourself you maybe be a bit to timid a character to do street photography. whether it be with a 'phone or a Leica the very act of taking a photograph in some areas is deemed by the locals to be deserving of a 'kicking'
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I tend to chat to people if they are assessed as harmless and then ask to take a picture. Some are just begging for it. I had a go with a long lens once, liked some of the results, but thought it was a bit voyeuristic. According to Brian's site street is best with 28 to 50mm, so I was 310mm over the limit. So does it count as street photography? The first two are with the Q, the next two obviously not.
 

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dancook said:
Love the Leica Q for street, tried many cameras for street and for me it was the perfect one..

https://leicaqstreet.wordpress.com/
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Very much enjoyed a brief browse of your portfolio, and very impressed with the 50SL images, especially the older guitarist.

Bizarrely we have the same strap. My son picked it out for me. (Image as posted elsewhere today, what not to do with a Q.)
 

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StevenS said:
The first two are with the Q, the next two obviously not.
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To be honest I would not have known which camera was used to take which photo.
 
There's always the RX1R and RX1RII to look at. £1500-2500 if would seem depending on model. More features than the Leica, smaller so less noticeable too. Basically an A7R or an A7RII in a compact body with a 35mm f2 strapped permenantly to the front.

X100F
RX1R
RX1RII
Leica Q

That's about all yours options if you want the best. The X100F has an aps-c sensor rather than full frame but it's optical viewfinder is rather good!

I love my Fuji kit so I'd probably go for that but those sonys are also very very good. All three cameras offer more than the Leica and for less, that's the thing.

You could probably get a second hand m240 with a 35 sumicron for £3500 and certainly for £3500 if you went for an Voigtlander 35mm instead.
 
Andrew Moore said:
There's always the RX1R and RX1RII to look at. £1500-2500 if would seem depending on model. More features than the Leica, smaller so less noticeable too. Basically an A7R or an A7RII in a compact body with a 35mm f2 strapped permenantly to the front.
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RX1R II improved on the AF capability of the RX1R by "30%" - but what's an 30% on dog slow? still I read complaints.

I had the RX1R - image quality was great, but the AF was too slow to capture moments and you cannot zone focus easily. The batteries go through quickly so you'd be right in letting the camera go to sleep, but the camera will reset the focus every time it wakes up - so you cannot wake it up just before a shot, because you'd have to re-setup the zone focus.

The Leica Q is a million times better, I'm not going to even call that an exaggeration :D

You can glance down at the camera if you like to hip shoot and see your exact zone focus setup through the distance gauge.
However the focus is so quick, that I quickly got hooked on using it wide open at 1.7 and using it that way..

Also just being able to adjust aperture and shutter speed looking down at the camera is a big plus.
 
Also though I have done less Street photography lately, I continue to use the Q along side the SL - for weddings, events and live music - still importing a lot of photos.... but here's one with the Q from last night - ABC on stage

ABC @ Lowdefest 2017 by dancook1982, on Flickr
 
I'm personally not an AF kind of guy, I like the f5.6-7.1 range and usually set to infinity for instant point and click. If af is a must and it is that slow then it's probably a bad shout.

I've used the x100f and it's no different to my XT2 or XPro2 and they are lightning quick so that camera would never disappoint.

One I forgot about but is also a brilliant little camera..
Leica X + the Visoflex. That's about £1200-1300 for the pair and isn't too far removed from the Q really except for the smaller sensor feel in images from time to time. That would certainly be worth a look too I reckon!
 
As an X100T user I'm probably biased, but for me a fixed 28mm on full frame would be too wide. For others, of course, it may well be ideal. With the Fuji you also have the option of the accessory lenses, which convert the 35mm equivalent lens to 28mm or 50mm equivalent.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with the quality of the results from either camera:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/3057487@N22/pool/
https://www.flickr.com/groups/qleica/pool/

If price is no object, I would try both and see which you get on with. The Fuji hybrid viewfinder is pretty special. You might also want to look at, say, a secondhand Leica M240, which has a similar sensor to the Q - e.g., if you don't mind a bit of brassing, Aperture has a body for £2650 right now, and a user 35/2 for £1050, not much more than a Q.
 
The Q is a great camera, but if I were in the market for a digital Leica, I'd go for a used M240/M-P/M262, mainly because I already have a film M system.
 
FruitFlakes said:
The Q is a great camera, but if I were in the market for a digital Leica, I'd go for a used M240/M-P/M262, mainly because I already have a film M system.
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Q and M is not an either/or. I use both. The Q is about the same price as a 28 Summilux and it comes with a whizz-bang camera.

For someone considering a Q, the M system is irrelevant.
 
StevenS said:
Q and M is not an either/or. I use both. The Q is about the same price as a 28 Summilux and it comes with a whizz-bang camera.

For someone considering a Q, the M system is irrelevant.
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I never said it was an either/or thing though? It's an awesome camera that was the closest thing in actual size to an M6 until the M10 came out.

And most people don't have £7k+ to drop on an M+lenses and a Q. So I take that back. It is either/or, for most.

If you're considering a Leica for street work then an M is always worth a look at, especially if you have an affinity for a 35 or 50 and don't want to deal with cropped files.
 
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FruitFlakes said:
I never said it was an either/or thing though? It's an awesome camera that was the closest thing in actual size to an M6 until the M10 came out.

And most people don't have £7k+ to drop on an M+lenses and a Q. So I take that back. It is either/or, for most.

If you're considering a Leica for street work then an M is always worth a look at, especially if you have an affinity for a 35 or 50 and don't want to deal with cropped files.
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I have a Q and an M10, using the M10 today. (Also an M7.)

The thread has got a bit over-complicated. The OP should either get a Q or X100t, not start looking at M. His budget is obviously around £2500, which doesn't give you much in the M system, but for that the Q is a great street camera with great lens and functionality.
 
StevenS said:
The OP should either get a Q or X100t, not start looking at M. His budget is obviously around £2500, which doesn't give you much in the M system, but for that the Q is a great street camera with great lens and functionality.
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Spot on about the budget, I can probably stretch to 3k if necessary. It all boils down to do I listen to my head or go with my heart? I'm not getting any younger that's for sure, I'll be 70 in a few years time and always wanted a Leica but not been able to afford it. So 'Head or Heart?" What the hell, I've got the cash available, Leica here I come. :)
As an aside, this thread has been very informative so thanks to everyone who contributed, it's given me, and I hope many others, food for thought. Thanks guys, much appreciated.:)
 
Brom said:
Spot on about the budget, I can probably stretch to 3k if necessary. It all boils down to do I listen to my head or go with my heart? I'm not getting any younger that's for sure, I'll be 70 in a few years time and always wanted a Leica but not been able to afford it. So 'Head or Heart?" What the hell, I've got the cash available, Leica here I come. :)
As an aside, this thread has been very informative so thanks to everyone who contributed, it's given me, and I hope many others, food for thought. Thanks guys, much appreciated.:)
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There's a lot to be said for the 'heart' side of the argument. If you love using a camera, you'll take good pics with it. Best of luck - if you get the Q you certainly won't be disappointed.
 
StevenS said:
I have a Q and an M10, using the M10 today. (Also an M7.)

The thread has got a bit over-complicated. The OP should either get a Q or X100t, not start looking at M. His budget is obviously around £2500, which doesn't give you much in the M system, but for that the Q is a great street camera with great lens and functionality.
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Could go for an M9 and a 35mm Zeiss Biogon or an earlier Leica 50mm Summicron for about that much. Useless at high ISOs but the sensor has a really nice look.

Or even a Ricoh GR, they're the perfect street camera imo. Hardly bigger than an iPhone so there's no excuse to not always have it on you and an extremely responsive UI designed for shooters. The lens is very sharp as well. The Q can then be an upgrade later on if Brom really gels with 28mm.
 
M9 ISO limit is about 800, the zEiss 35/f2 ZM is superb, but still costs as much as the Q and far less flexible. I've heard good things about The Ricoh. You will not lose much if anything on a second hand Q.
 
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Brom said:
Spot on about the budget, I can probably stretch to 3k if necessary. It all boils down to do I listen to my head or go with my heart? I'm not getting any younger that's for sure, I'll be 70 in a few years time and always wanted a Leica but not been able to afford it. So 'Head or Heart?" What the hell, I've got the cash available, Leica here I come. :)
As an aside, this thread has been very informative so thanks to everyone who contributed, it's given me, and I hope many others, food for thought. Thanks guys, much appreciated.:)
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Good decision. Couple of further points. Panorama scanning never works properly for me, always get banding, but not relevant to street.
When turned off there is a rattle in the lens. Don't worry, it's normal, it's the IS system.
Don't get the Leica UV filter as it has no internal thread. Found that out when I got a Lee filter holder and couldn't attach it. There are cheaper options with a thread.
Get the Leica half case.
Get someone to get you the Artisan silk strap for your birthday.
You can use the remote app to take pictures wireless from your phone without people realising what you're up to.
The lens cap has a habit of falling off. You will lose it eventually. They are not sold as accessories, but you can buy as a spare part from Leica Mayfair Service for about £20.
Never ever use a third party battery in a Leica.
 
Finally, remember you can use the Q like a manual M Leica. Set an appropriate ISO, then use aperture priority and manual focus. It makes you think a bit more and you may get even better images. It's also a lot of fun and rewarding.
 
StevenS said:
Finally, remember you can use the Q like a manual M Leica. Set an appropriate ISO, then use aperture priority and manual focus. It makes you think a bit more and you may get even better images. It's also a lot of fun and rewarding.
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This is exactly how I would use it for street photography - it's a breeze and quite liberating.
 
StevenS said:
Finally, remember you can use the Q like a manual M Leica. Set an appropriate ISO, then use aperture priority and manual focus. It makes you think a bit more and you may get even better images. It's also a lot of fun and rewarding.
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You can use any camera like that, it's not really a Leica feature? Also, I personally wouldn't recommend getting any UV filter for a digital camera as they're pretty irrelevant from a correction point of view. If you want some lens protection, use a hood (assuming Leica include one?)
 
I thought the Q was around £3.5k, or do you mean secondhand?

When a camera comes with a £20 lens cap, I tend to leave it in the box and use a £2 cap from ebay. I suspect the eternal UV filter vs no filter debate will not be settled in this thread :)
 
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