Steve Huff good intro review... though I have to say that I'm still exceedingly happy with my Sony RX1R. It's good to see that Sony is even a catalyst for better ideas from Leica. :)
@ Steve Huff: So you had a camera for a day or two and suddenly it has the best IQ, best ISO, best built and best everything else. You are really one of the sad stories of internet revolution. Where did you learn this trade,at birth...?
Jack Devant you did miss something. If you look closely, even the camera itself isn't in focus, which means it's the camera that record the video that was not in focus.
oh my god! when that macro twist happened and the depth of field focus scale switched out i had to change my pants! that was the coolest thing of all freakin time!!
You had me at the touch screen Af and touch release!! I would absolutely love that as a feature on my XT1. The face detection and moving the AF square is not good with the fuji. I need to save some serious dough and get this! Thanks for the very informative review!
Looks really nice Steve,AF is snappy and image colour is definitely Leica. I`ve never owed a Leica due to the cost,maybe this could be my first. It will be hard to say good buy to my Fuji though.
sadly it's over 4k at retail. I'd seriously think about it if it's 3k and manage to sell my X2. Really wish it's a 35 not 28. The crop mode would work but what's the point for a full frame.
The reason why you cant see the focus sometimes is the camera use to make this video in finding focus point when Steve moves. Not because it can;t focus. great video~~ Where is the link ?
Looks beautiful. A few thoughts: 1. Wonder if Leica would dare go head-to-head with Sony in interchangeable mirrorless by offering a new AF system. 2. Wonder if Sony will update the RX1r, of if it was just a one-off. The Leica Q could be a nice push for Sony to do something even better, and for 1/3 the price. 3. Steve's candidate for camera of the year? It does look great, but I'm thinking the A7R2 is going to be nearly impossible to top.
Really cool camera. Love the MF/AF switch, like exposure dial. But it seems, that it "beeped", but did not focus at all 4:43 and so on. Did I miss something? I know that in many cameras have AF priority mode, may be you should switch it on? What about AF method, do they have PDAF?
Leica's first genuinely modern non medium format camera! Like it a lot, but like a couple of others here, I would of preferred a 35mm rather than 28mm lens.
Initial impressions based on the video: Looks like Leica got it right except for the focal length of 28mm. Baffling decision. They should have gone with 35 2.0 or 50 2.0 (smaller lenses).
This looks really nice, very true to the Leica "look" and style, I have to say though that aside from the aesthetics this does kinda seem like it has just copied what is already available on the market for a third the price. I know you mentioned the colour pop and vibrance but truth be known most large aperture lenses exhibit these traits. I would love to shoot with one of these because it packages the best of the leica way - simplistic shooting, with great IQ and the accessibility of digital. If I had the money I would buy one no question I think, unfortunately I'd have to sell one of the kids to get that money :-) Great review, thanks.
Speaking of starting rumors, the Leica Q only stops down to F2.8 in macro mode. It is not a variable aperture for shots under 1 meter. Not sure where he got this idea, but it is false.
At 8:16 Is there a way to remove the darker bar look when shooting. It seems to hinder the full view of what will be captured in the shot. I want to be able to see everything clearly when composing.
***** If it was that i would've ordered one tomorrow morning. Really disappointed with the 28. Also, at 4.2k this is right in the firing range of the interchangeable-rangefinder actual leica, Leica M-E. All of this kinda ins the point getting one for me.
It will be interesting though, if they later on release this same camera with fixed 24/35/50 lens options to choose from. Seeing Leica land all-guns-blazing in the mirror-less industry, will be a sad sight though!
Finaly Leica is catching up in technology. I really like this camera but the lack of buttons, and this rounded style are not my liking. Hopping the RX2 with curved sensor and maybe a 28mm or 35mm 1.8 or 1.4. with razor sharp at max aperture very fast AF very high DR a good 24MP, 3 dials, very ergonomic, many custom buttons, ultra fast large razor sharp OLED viewfinder, high quality ISO 12.800. Less hope for that color accuracy of the Leica, but this is minor.
Marcelo Tezza a7 is too big... My ideal camera has a full frame sensor, interchangeable lens and is as small as possible. A full frame nex is the holy grail.
Yes, some parts of Leica is done in Wetzlar Germany. But you should check out before your fantasy that Leica Q is not cooperated with Panasonic. Just open it and check out the battery.
Leica cameras bodies, mechanics and lenses are made in Portugal. Then they are sento to Germany where they add the electronics from Japan, the red dot logo and "Made in Germany". Listen to what the guy says in the first minute of the video here: vimeo.com/6551861
José Mota My Leica monocular is "Made in Portugal." The whole "Made in XXXX" is all just marketing anyhow, since as you point out, components come from all over the place, and the major manufacturers have great quality control, no matter where the final assembly.
Leica spent 3 years figuring out how to attached a lens to a camera, unlike the Sony folks. lol ... of COURSE its going to be better than the Sony R1. anyway ... all good, man.
"see what Leica finally got right" .... say that to a company that has been in business for over 100 years and has not changed the style of the camera really in 50 - 60 years. Ya .... they've been doing it WRONG .... all along. ;)
rodluvan1976 out of focus transition if he really says auto focus its probably just a slip of the tongue. You can see on the pictures that the out of focus transition / bokeh is really wonderful.
splootan "oh, it has OIS... interesting"... no word about WLAN and EVF (it has 3.68 million dots, making it the highest-resolution viewfinder available) = worthless video in terms of information, just Leica fanboy chatter. For a basic review see the Verge www.theverge.com/2015/6/10/8754047/leica-q-camera-announcement-price-hands-on-launch
What a boring presentation! If only he could keep his hands still and the camera in focus. A little more forethought and planning and subsequent editing would benefit.
No, the AF is focusing when it beeps kuglepen64 - there were absolutely NO AF issues whatsoever, so do not start rumors. Thank you.
Steve Huff good intro review... though I have to say that I'm still exceedingly happy with my Sony RX1R. It's good to see that Sony is even a catalyst for better ideas from Leica. :)
@ Steve Huff:
So you had a camera for a day or two and suddenly it has the best IQ, best ISO, best built and best everything else. You are really one of the sad stories of internet revolution. Where did you learn this trade,at birth...?
Steve Huff it "beeped", but did not focus at all 4:43 and so on. Did I miss something?
james wandiba He said he had it for 3 days, is that not long enough to test a camera?
Jack Devant you did miss something. If you look closely, even the camera itself isn't in focus, which means it's the camera that record the video that was not in focus.
oh my god! when that macro twist happened and the depth of field focus scale switched out i had to change my pants! that was the coolest thing of all freakin time!!
Looks pretty amazing. I love 28mm focal length.
So nice of a camera! It seems like the luxury answer to the Fuji X100T!
You had me at the touch screen Af and touch release!! I would absolutely love that as a feature on my XT1. The face detection and moving the AF square is not good with the fuji. I need to save some serious dough and get this! Thanks for the very informative review!
Would've wished for a 35mm, but the slightly wider angle is a nice addition because you can always crop with a full frame.
Looks really nice Steve,AF is snappy and image colour is definitely Leica.
I`ve never owed a Leica due to the cost,maybe this could be my first.
It will be hard to say good buy to my Fuji though.
sadly it's over 4k at retail. I'd seriously think about it if it's 3k and manage to sell my X2. Really wish it's a 35 not 28. The crop mode would work but what's the point for a full frame.
The reason why you cant see the focus sometimes is the camera use to make this video in finding focus point when Steve moves. Not because it can;t focus.
great video~~ Where is the link ?
Looks beautiful. A few thoughts:
1. Wonder if Leica would dare go head-to-head with Sony in interchangeable mirrorless by offering a new AF system.
2. Wonder if Sony will update the RX1r, of if it was just a one-off. The Leica Q could be a nice push for Sony to do something even better, and for 1/3 the price.
3. Steve's candidate for camera of the year? It does look great, but I'm thinking the A7R2 is going to be nearly impossible to top.
Really cool camera. Love the MF/AF switch, like exposure dial. But it seems, that it "beeped", but did not focus at all 4:43 and so on. Did I miss something? I know that in many cameras have AF priority mode, may be you should switch it on? What about AF method, do they have PDAF?
How about the view finder?? How does it compare to the Fuji X-T1?
Leica's first genuinely modern non medium format camera! Like it a lot, but like a couple of others here, I would of preferred a 35mm rather than 28mm lens.
I really like their menu system. So simplistic and clean.
Do you know if leica will come with a leica Q with interchangeable lenses? I dont care about the autofocus but I do prefer the evf and wifi
Have you tried the AF in real low light, like dark bars?
It suddenly pops up in my mind... Is that 28mm f/1.7 lens metal casing as well? Like all other M lenses?
Hi Steve ,,
one question, does the lens accept filters? and what is the size if yes.
Initial impressions based on the video: Looks like Leica got it right except for the focal length of 28mm. Baffling decision. They should have gone with 35 2.0 or 50 2.0 (smaller lenses).
This looks really nice, very true to the Leica "look" and style, I have to say though that aside from the aesthetics this does kinda seem like it has just copied what is already available on the market for a third the price. I know you mentioned the colour pop and vibrance but truth be known most large aperture lenses exhibit these traits. I would love to shoot with one of these because it packages the best of the leica way - simplistic shooting, with great IQ and the accessibility of digital. If I had the money I would buy one no question I think, unfortunately I'd have to sell one of the kids to get that money :-)
Great review, thanks.
Speaking of starting rumors, the Leica Q only stops down to F2.8 in macro mode. It is not a variable aperture for shots under 1 meter. Not sure where he got this idea, but it is false.
Wow. Looks like an impressive camera!
interesting review, i agree with many of your points. This camera will blow the Sony A7II out of the water.
At 8:16 Is there a way to remove the darker bar look when shooting. It seems to hinder the full view of what will be captured in the shot. I want to be able to see everything clearly when composing.
Any shutter lag?
Whoah...!! You frightened me at 11.30 you wear the grizzly look well. Keep the reviews coming. Stay well friend
How I wish it was a 35mm lens and at $3500 I might have pulled a trigger. 28mm is too wide for my taste as a fixed lens camera at this price.
I am wondering why they didn't do 35mm? 28 seems wide for a fixed lens camera. Guess it comes down to shooting style.
Rediscover Film Same here. I feel like with a 35 I can still shoot some portraits and the 28 is just not flattering at all.
***** If it was that i would've ordered one tomorrow morning. Really disappointed with the 28. Also, at 4.2k this is right in the firing range of the interchangeable-rangefinder actual leica, Leica M-E. All of this kinda ins the point getting one for me.
***** plus a 35mm lens is smaller most of the time, i hope the release a 28/35/50, something i always wanted with the fuji x serie
It will be interesting though, if they later on release this same camera with fixed 24/35/50 lens options to choose from.
Seeing Leica land all-guns-blazing in the mirror-less industry, will be a sad sight though!
Anybody have info as to the weatherproofiness of this camera? I am having difficulty finding any spec on that around the internet. Thank you!
Steve, how does the size as compared to M6?
I'm IN LOVE with my Fuji X100T, but I can feel my wallet twitching...
Funny, the first thing i was thinking when you showed the controls was how it looks like a Fuji and works like a Fuji. ;)
I knew it! I knew you had it all along.
looks good thanks for the review.
Absolutely Stunning !
Finaly Leica is catching up in technology. I really like this camera but the lack of buttons, and this rounded style are not my liking. Hopping the RX2 with curved sensor and maybe a 28mm or 35mm 1.8 or 1.4. with razor sharp at max aperture very fast AF very high DR a good 24MP, 3 dials, very ergonomic, many custom buttons, ultra fast large razor sharp OLED viewfinder, high quality ISO 12.800. Less hope for that color accuracy of the Leica, but this is minor.
Marcelo Tezza I too have high hopes for the RX2
Marcelo Tezza rx2 lens better be interchangeable...
Alec Lewis Andrew Doherty no? A7 already exist
Marcelo Tezza a7 is too big...
My ideal camera has a full frame sensor, interchangeable lens and is as small as possible. A full frame nex is the holy grail.
Yes, some parts of Leica is done in Wetzlar Germany. But you should check out before your fantasy that Leica Q is not cooperated with Panasonic. Just open it and check out the battery.
Cam of the year 2015? Sony a7r II.
***** not so fast... the new pentax full frame still hasn't come out yet. :P
Leica cameras bodies, mechanics and lenses are made in Portugal. Then they are sento to Germany where they add the electronics from Japan, the red dot logo and "Made in Germany".
Listen to what the guy says in the first minute of the video here:
vimeo.com/6551861
José Mota My Leica monocular is "Made in Portugal." The whole "Made in XXXX" is all just marketing anyhow, since as you point out, components come from all over the place, and the major manufacturers have great quality control, no matter where the final assembly.
So you cannot change lenses on this thing??
ManyDoors777 Did you not watch the video? It says so less than a minute in.
Is Leica starting to call their f/1.7 lenses a "Summilux" lens?
Does it use a Sony sensor?
any info on the sync speed?
This is only "camera of the year" because you haven't reviewed the Sony a7r mk2 yet I'm assuming?
looks awesome!
MAN!!!!! That noise at the beginning... I thought my brain would explote!! (Im wearing headphones)
Why is there no information on the number of clicks, why is there no information. The amount of the lens leaves_?
what a dream camera =)
looks so good - I just need to find a cash machine... dont tell my Ricoh GR she will get jealous
Looks good for an rx1 clone as long as it does not cost as much as an M body. Too bad about the aging Sony sensor!
In body stabilization?
It said OIS. Optical image stabilization means the IS is within the lens, not the body. Sorta isn't relevant on a fixed lens camera though.
i don`t get the point why i should buy a cam like this with a fixed lens for this price range ? dosn`t make any sense
Hmm. Doesn’t look like the auto-focus is actually focusing even when it beeps. That ain’t good.
Lol I want to become a camera reviewer so Leica will send me stuff :D
what a camera!! And sony needs to take some pointers on a small high quality lens that has REAL manual focusing and af not this pull by wire crap!!
Buy,Buy,Buy!
28mm on a FF sensor with fixed lens? hmm no thanks
Leica spent 3 years figuring out how to attached a lens to a camera, unlike the Sony folks. lol ... of COURSE its going to be better than the Sony R1. anyway ... all good, man.
I wish that the body was slimmer and smaller(like M3).
2015 and still 720p...
Putting a 35mm on this would kill the M9 dead.
Nice.
Absurd price for a fixed lens camera.
That camera cost $4,600!
"see what Leica finally got right" .... say that to a company that has been in business for over 100 years and has not changed the style of the camera really in 50 - 60 years. Ya .... they've been doing it WRONG .... all along. ;)
I WANT THIS !!!! :-)
beautiful auto focus transitions? wtf is that?
rodluvan1976 out of focus transition if he really says auto focus its probably just a slip of the tongue. You can see on the pictures that the out of focus transition / bokeh is really wonderful.
Rolf rolfo Brenner No! he means that when it's focusing it is a smooth transition from one point to another with no hunting.
MrKdr500 This camera does not autofocus.
DefinitelyNotOfficial it does
rodluvan1976 Oh, sorry, my bad, I thought it didn't for some reason.
Germany? Let say Portucal.
i hate the intergrated thumb grip design.
hate is a strong word, i know.
but i truly hate this.
Hé, AF!
the intro killed my ears, why such an annoying sound to start this interesting review?
BIG FAT LIKE !
yeh right! you been shooting with the camera for 3 full days! only now you decide to check the menus!!?? hahaha what a joke this guy really is!
splootan "oh, it has OIS... interesting"... no word about WLAN and EVF (it has 3.68 million dots, making it the highest-resolution viewfinder available) = worthless video in terms of information, just Leica fanboy chatter.
For a basic review see the Verge www.theverge.com/2015/6/10/8754047/leica-q-camera-announcement-price-hands-on-launch
What a boring presentation! If only he could keep his hands still and the camera in focus. A little more forethought and planning and subsequent editing would benefit.
I must own this camera!!! Selling my kidney to fund it!!! :)