Shooting Concerts with the very capable Leica Q by Justin Press

Shooting Concerts with the very capable Leica Q
by Justin Press

Hello Steve!

I finally got a chance to enter into the world of Leica with the Q. Yes I know it’s taking the “easy” route into the world of the brand but I had to start somewhere. Plus I’ve been a Ricoh GR user for years now so it was a lateral move, albeit a more expensive and heavier move but a complete upgrade IMO.

I’m part of the team that promotes and producers ShipRocked, a full charter rock cruise with 3000 rockers from across the globe sailing every January. This year we had a usual array of heavy hitters in the rock world headlining along with a serious undercard. Days at sea with full concerts, activities and adult beverage enhanced shenanigans, all in good fun. This year we hit Nassau and a private island in El Salvador.

I had the Leica Q out running it thru it’s paces both in a concert setting and in the environment having to deal with humidity, sea air, sand and sweat. It held up like the $4200 champ it was designed to be.

Since it was first time I used it and had 1/2 day prior to prepare with it I was able to work around its features and handn’t a chance to fully utilize it’s total capabilities. In time that will come.

Here are some shots with the Q featuring the likes of Zakk Wylde & Black Label Society, NothingMore, In This Moment and Stone Sour along with a few at sea shots. The 28mm fixed is ingrained in my brain due to the GR so it was never a equation on how to use the focal length. As always thank you.

Justin Press

4 Comments

  1. If it only had a flash unit as the GR or even the X1/X2…

    The GR is the more versatile camera. I´d love to have the Q for that extra kick of IQ in PP though.

    I liked the one from the boat 😉 ! Thank you!

  2. Hi Justin,
    Good looking pictures showing a great atmosphere. How did you experience the differences between the Q and the GR? Does it really offer $3.500 more in result over the GR to you or is owning the Q a long lived dream come true?
    Thanks for your article, Robert

    • Robert, thank you ever so much. As how it compares to the GR, well weight obviously will not let you be as stealth as the GR which i miss. Though it’s heavy and solid, I still felt I had to be kid gloves with it, though maybe more to do with the fact that it costs more than my current car and I’d like to not bang it around right off the bat. As far as the bang for buck, no, honestly it does NOT deliver 6 times the performance of the GR especially when you go to the B&W Hi-C on the GR where it’s a monochrome machine. Though the ISO and speed of focus of the Q are just brilliant and that lens, well Ricoh is not even in the same park with the 1.7 Summilux. Dream come true, no, but a massive step for me into the Leica world which I’ve wanted to do. Eventually renting an M to fully see if I am dreaming and its just my soul is hoping for something it may not deliver or it will do exactly as I hoped and given me the look and feel and experience I’ve been yearning. I need to slow down and start thinking more and though a digital platform I feel the Leica M may help me do that. Hell, it may end up being a bust for me and I’ll go back to Canon and/or Sony and just click away. What I am ultimately wanting is a different look to the images I am trying to create. In the world of modern concert photography having a Leica does stand out a bit in the finished product especially against the Nikon/Canon hierarchy. But all cameras are so good these days, that a Leica is just another tool in the drawer. I could probably do myself a favor and stop subscribing to Leica-oriented Instagram feeds, it’s menacing. – Justin

Comments are closed.