Goodbye Leica Q. By Ata Adnan

Goodbye Leica Q.

By Ata Adnan – His website is HERE

It took me a good 3-4 years of photography to know about the existence of LEICA- or so I think.

Anyway, I had never thought of buying any, until Leica came out with a revolutionary camera, a high end premium compact camera. I remember owning the Fuji X100S back then but here was a camera that costed 4 times as much, but I was in LOVE and I wanted it badly.

As luck would have it, I won that year’s Sony World Photo Awards for Bangladesh, and I ended up selling my Sony A7R and the 24-70/4 Lens to get hold of a Leica Q(thanks to Leica Cyprus who gave me a great deal).

Fast forward to 2017, and I am on way to say goodbye to this little gem of a camera! Why you ask? In the current mix of things, I feel shifting to the M-system is a better option.
So, here’s my journey with the LEICA Q over the past 18 months or so:

1.The day my Q arrived in Bangladesh- through a friend in America. Most of my cameras have a long history of friends and strangers helping me to acquire it.

2. Unobtrusive? I’d extend it to being an extremely friendly camera! the 28mm f/1.7 lens is stellar

3. One might think that with such a wide lens, there’s no hope of a shallow DOF- well, they are wrong!

4.This is SOOC, the colors are indeed quite punchy!

5.I love photographing my family and the compactness of it does makes thing quite easy!

6.The optional 35mm and 50mm crop modes are quite useful, and I remember using the 50mm here on my cousin. Though the files are quite small in resolution, it never bothered me to be honest.

7.A stranger breathing his last breath on the streets of Chittagong- the camera can be a perfect companion for reportage work.

8.A cow dies while being taken to the cattle market ahead of the Eid ul Adha, an annual festival of animal sacrifice.

9.A cow dealer sleeps amidst his cattles. These men travel hundreds of miles to sell their catlles. The portability of the Q came into play once again, and the QUITE SHUTTER does help!

10.My grandma had fallen sick all of a sudden and we rushed her to the hospital. After an hour or so, she was feeling much better and it was just Gastritis and not a heart attack like we thought. On our way back, I took this photograph of my grandma, mom and my wife, shot at ISO-12500. I cant imagine any other camera letting me keep this memory.

11.Focusses quite close- perfect for this kind of street portraits.

12.I am primarily a people photographer and I did use the Q quite a lot for portrait work on the streets.

13.I am primarily a people photographer and I did use the Q quite a lot for portrait work on the streets.

14.Everytime I am at the airport, all my camera equipments are in the bag, except the Q which is always on me!

15.When I went to India to get my mother operated, I packed quite light- the Leica Q and the lightweight combination of Sony A7R2 with Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 for portraits. Luckily, the combination worked quite well for me!

16.I am sure even the cat didnt hear the shutter sound here! Old Hyderabad, India

17.Another SOOC, the EVF helped me immensely to expose it the way I wanted.

18.Another lucky encounter on the train during Halloween, glad that my Q was out!

19.A morning walk with the wife and the Q. Colombo, Srilanka

20.Perfect for hit and run!

21 Some folks keep telling me about how the Q has a distinct look to its files in monochrome-I’d say I do agree!

22.Again, another photograph helped immensely by the EVF. I also shot this in B^W.

23.The drizzle was light and the colors looked even better!

My reviews are never about technical stuff, but they are about things related to the experience of taking photographs. I can’t tell how much I’ve enjoyed using this little gem of a camera! If I could, I wouldnt have sold it. But, with a heavy heart, I have to. Because I have decided to take a leap of faith and move into the Leica M system (and I can’t afford both).

Oh, and I have been asked this quite a few times: “Is the Q worth the amount of money?”. I’d always say YES!

The Q is available both in USA and UK.

Follow me on Instagram , Flickr and my PRINTS are available.

55 Comments

  1. Ata,

    These are the strongest collection of images I’ve seen in a while and not just because of the exotic location. Straightforward, engaging, observant. You sir, could use any camera you choose. You’re not limited by the tool. Bravo.

    Chris

  2. A slice of life as you live and see it. Nice photography and reportage. Your pictures came alive for me as I sit here. They takeneed me to that moment.
    Thanks for sharing

  3. Great pictures of Sonar Bangla and else. I have been using the Q for one year now and I am thinking of giving myFuji X100 with its 28 mm (add-on) to my children. Just curious about one feature: do yu find the option of3 frames useful or does the loss of quality hampers its use?
    Balo taken

    • Looks like you are quite fascinated by Bangladesh.
      The crop factor/frame is quite interesting and can be used for day to day photos,wouldnt shoot the 50mm crop mode for assignments though!

  4. Am I the only one to say that most pics are out of focus and I mean out of focus with regards to the eyes of the portrayed people. I am sure the Q can do better.

  5. Super photos here. No doubt you will do equally well with the M camera. I love 50 and 35 lenses on the M cameras , Folks I know with Leica rangefinders of all vintages tend to have 50 or 35 combined with 90 and sometimes 75 lenses.
    The Q proves the strength of the 28 lens without a doubt.
    Please post some of your new M photos soon!

  6. Ata, your photos are pure art! I am taking a Q to Italy next month. Can you tell me what your favorite settings are for the Q? thanks

    • Well, I have always used the aperture priority setting with the right thumb adjusting the exposure bias to get the perfect exposure via the EVF. Makes life much easier!

  7. I’m sorry but I was enjoying your photographs until the one of the dying man. The exploitation of suffering while explaining the benefits of a camera seems rather crude to me.

      • I do not believe that, in fact, I am glad he included it. It’s part of life, and as photographers..some of us anyway, feel we should document life as it happens, no matter the scenario. Death is not taboo, it will happen to every one of us, it is part of life..death. Not sure why so many are offended by it as it has been happening ever since the creation of man. Ata was documenting what was happening on the streets as a photographer. If it is unsettling to someone than that is that persons issue, not the photographers.

        • Steve, if the photo was shown in the context of a reportage and the dying unknown person had something to do with the story I would agree with you 100%. However, here we are looking at a camera review with sample images. In this context I believe it’s disrespectful to the dying person and unethical in general. Death is not a taboo but we photographers also have to respect ethics.

    • I might agree if Mr. Adnan were just some tourist taking snapshots to impress others with his expensive camera and treating everyone in his viewfinder as just more scenery. But Bangladesh is his native country and I think his sensitivity to his subjects is abundantly evident in his photographs.

      • I am a doctor by profession and I’ve seen death from very close. The camera was discrete enough to be used in that situation and caused no chaos. Why did I include it in the review? Because no other DSLR could have allowed me to tell that story, and thats primarily why I take photos- to tell stories.

        • That’s ok, but not for a thing like that. There are several ways to show this characteristic of the camera.

  8. I absolutely love and adore my Q. It’s perfect. I could never part ways with it. I fell in love with photography because of it. However I did recently add the m240 and 35 and 50 lux asph to my bag and couldn’t be happier. I now have the perfect mix of focal lengths and cameras for different situations. Your photos are great btw. So much character.

  9. Lovely photos, Ata. The one in the taxi is wonderful, as well as the one of the chef. I also like the portrait of your cousin – whatever one thinks about hijabs, they’re rather stylish. If something looks good on you, I say, wear it as much as you can.

    It’s like sunglasses: some people look great while wearing a certain style, while some just don’t. Aviators look better on women, while classic Ray-Bans look better on men. Ah, but I’m rambling.

    The Q is not only and amazingly good camera, from all angles, but what’s interesting is that its files are sharper than the D800E and the RX1rII. The M240 is probably the same, at least at lower ISO ratings.

    At the end of the day, a camera has to let you take great pictures. The Q seems to be a winner. And given its results, it’s not really that expensive. To get the same image quality from a DSLR or an A7, you have to spend more than the cost of the Q to do it, as far as I can see.

  10. Wow! Great work, look forward to seeing more of it! It really inspires me to develop my own skill and continue getting better.

  11. Ata, this is great stuff.
    You show that it is possible to achieve a enormous variety with just one camera and one angle.
    And that the subject is more important than the gear.

  12. Wonderful images and story. That Q was more than worth whatever you paid for it.

  13. Some really excellent, involving photos here. Lots of interesting stuff going on too.

    I was lucky to be loaned a Q for a few days last year. I really enjoyed it, there is something special about it. But it’s a little above my pay grade…. and I’m afraid my photography isn’t going to win me any prizes allowing me to get one 🙂

  14. If the M ups your game (improves your photography), I certainly want to see the results. I will be looking, I just archived your Instagram and Flickr contact info.

    Thank you for posting. What a great selection to demonstrate your ability with this very interesting camera.

    Roger

  15. Well, you’ve certainly had a good and varied time with your Q – that’s obvious from your photos. My special favourites are the lonely figure among the trees and the lone bird among the leaves – superb wide angle stuff, as also the one of your family. I think I disagree with you about close-up street portraits: i see some nose distortion there. But all in all I’m going to sue my X Vario a bit more at 28mm equiv. having seen what you can do ! Thanks.

  16. Ata: I love the photos. They are a great tribute to what can be accomplished with a Q and to your composition skills. I have traveled in some of the same areas as you’ve shown, and can only dream that my photos were half as good as yours. Regardless of camera, please keep up your great work. robo

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