My 1st Look at the Leica Q2 (Video + Images) by Steve Huff

My 1st Look at the Leica Q2 (Video + Images)

by Steve Huff

You can pre order the Leica Q2 at B&H Photo HERE

So I received the Leica Q2 just 2 days ago and I will be shooting with it for the next couple of weeks (and will most likely buy one, and I will tell you why in my full review that is on the way soon). It’s a beautiful camera indeed and I already like it more than the original just for the refinement in all areas (See my review of the original HERE). It now uses the SL battery – WIN. It has a gorgeous OLED EVF that has great color and resolution – WIN. It has a touch screen LCD that is crisp and with great colors – WIN. It has a refined style and fits my hand very nicely and it feels like an M10 in a strange but comfortable way – WIN! It has a new 47 MP sensor but the beauty is in the way the crop mode is implemented in the Q2. A simple push button on the back by your thumb can be pressed and each time you do it crops to 25, 50 and then 75mm frame lines so you can crop in camera easily. Yes you can crop using your editing software but this makes it quick, easy and convenient when you want more reach and the beauty is you can frame your shot at any of these magnifications.

DR is looking nice. Just a shot after some rain…click it for larger. 

The camera is a joy to use. The AF is peppy and quick, and the menu is as simple as it gets (which I love). All controls needed for taking photographs are at your fingertips, and nothing more. It shoots 4K video if you want it and even does 1080P at 120 FPS.

This is the most capable all in one high end camera I have ever held in my hands. The EVF beats the one in the Sony RX1RII, the battery life is longer than the Sony and the camera is also faster in operation and focus over the now older Sony. My review will be coming soon but here is a first look video on the Q2, as well as some images taken at 28. 35. 50 and 75mm.

My 1st look video!

Four images…one at full frame and 28mm and the rest using the in camera crop modes. When shooting RAW the raw files are also cropped.

28mm full frame wide open – Resized to 2200 pixels wide

35mm full size file from camera

50mm full size file from camera

75mm full size file from camera

46 Comments

  1. When I import my new Leica Q2 photos into photoshop (both DNG and JPG) Raw crops about 1/3 edges off the edges and Photoshop does the same with the JPG images. How do I solve this problem? I am going to Eastern Europe in a week and have to find a solution.

    • Q2 if you want the 47 MP and Q-P if 24 is your thing. The Q2 is giving you higher res, a better battery, improved EVF over the Q-P. Low light is similar, Af speed is similar. My fave thing here is the new battery, as I actually prefer the 24 MP sensor for my tastes. But for those who want more resolution, the Q2 is the way to go.

      • I agree Steve. The 24MP sensor in my Q-P is my preference. Sensor improvements aside and all things being equal, the larger pixels in the classic Q generally translates into a higher quality image with less noise. To my eyes at least, the Q files seem a bit more organic and filmic, whereas the Q2 files are starting to look a bit more clinical. Some of this could be the result of the anti-aliasing filter being taken off, or maybe the smaller, more densely packed pixels are changing the visual mojo a bit? Q2 files are still beautiful.

        Noise is clearly not as good in high ISOs, although Q2 owners are quick to point out that files can be downsampled to help mitigate things. From what I’m reading, the Qs DR and shadow recovery are better at high ISOs too, although the Q2 clearly has the latitude advantage on the low end. Overall, I haven’t been blown away by the samples I’ve seen – at least not enough to get me to sell my Q-P. And 88MB DNGs are not helping the cause. In the area that really matters (Image Aesthetics) the original Q seems to be the perfect recipe…for me.

  2. Dear Steve, Thanks for this and looking forward to the full review. There is a lot of info about specs & features and much less about actual image quality as compared to the Q and perhaps also to the SL and M10. There is now also some discussion about the Q2 having worse ISO performance compared to the Q and the SL and Nikon D850. It’d be great to see these addressed in your expert review. Thank you.

    • High ISO in the Q2 is lacking IMO when shooting in truly low light conditions. In good light though, it’s amazing in IQ and color.

      • Looking forward to review. Have seen some nice qualities from Ricoh GR III – a more affordable alternative I guess.

  3. I’ve used a Q since it’s launch day in June 2015. The idea of using a grip has never occurred to me. Leica users generally use a trap (I use the silk Artisan & Artist) and it also hand-holds beautifully, like all Leica. It is light and perfectly balanced.
    I don’t use Lightroom (Capture One Pro 11 for me) and Leica do not tend to tie in with other third parties unnecessarily, although you used to get a free Lightroom perpetual license with a new Leica Camera. You can use the Leica app to upload the file and process on a phone or tablet using Lightroom, Mobile, if that rocks your boat.

  4. A $5,000 ($6,000 with extra battery, grip and case) boutique camera like this new Q needed to have some innovative, post shot jpg options similar to the iPhone XS Max and the Zeiss ZX1. Leica should have given the user the ability to adjust depth of field (particularly at 75MM crop) and in-camera LR editing or similar. Oh and don’t forget an accessory hand grip 😉 Wouldn’t a traveler with sweaty, dirty hands have their whole trip ruined upon seeing this little 5000 gem crashing to the cobblestones, lens glass shattered and LCD cracked, red dot MIA? Eeech! 🙂

  5. Steve,
    In your video, when you “punched in” to 35, 50 and 75 it looked like there were “bright lines” showing the crop on your LCD monitor. Is that how you “see” the cropped image? In other words, does it just show the borders of what would be a cropped image on the full frame? Or when you push the crop button, does it actually show you a tighter image in the monitor?

  6. Also, can just the magnified cropped view be shown on the screen/EVF instead of the full 28 with crop lines?

  7. Steve, the original Q limited the ISO / Shutter Speed combination. I really wanted to use that gorgeous 28mm lens for Astrophotography. Couldn’t because the Q would not let me shoot at 3,200 ISO and 30 second exposure. Always forced lower ISO or Faster Shutter speed. Would you please check to see if you can shoot the Q2 at ISO 3200, Shutter speed of 30 seconds? Thanks.

    Rudy

  8. From the Leica Press information: “The cropped image from the framing selected is saved in JPEG format with correspondingly reduced resolutions of 47.3, 30, 14.7, or 6.6 megapixels. The uncropped image is always saved simultaneously as a DNG file with the full resolution of 47.3 megapixels.”

    When using the crop tool in PS make sure the ‘Delete Cropped Pixels’ box is UNCHECKED.

    • As I said here quite a few times now…When using ACR the RAW files are given to you as you shot them, in whatever crop you shot them. I can not even get teh full frame shot in ACR if I shoot in say 50m mode. So what I said was correct, at least for those using ACR as I do.

      • If you go into camera raw and click on the crop tool then you will see the full image with the in camera crop being shown. Just drag the crop box to the full size.

  9. Steve,
    I have seen the flash sync speed reported at 1/500 and also 1/2000. Can you confirm which is correct?
    Thanks. Looking forward to your full review!

  10. When you write your review can you check lens flare? Thanks. I’m strongly interested in getting one for landscape photography and a daily user.

  11. Very nice video review, thank you Steve!
    Looks like the perfect package of a camera one can get in 2019.

  12. I realize that Leica is all about keeping up appearances and the new Q does so nicely. That said, my camera MUST have a grip, especially if my camera cost me FIVE THOUSAND SAMOLIANS! I am not seeing a grip accessory anywhere and it does not appear that the 19505 grip from Q1 will work on Q2. Do you have any information on this Steve? Thank you!

    • Why must a camera have a grip? It would just make it bulky.

      When i learned to shoot witha Nikon FM that did not have a grip.

      The lens on the Q is fixed so you are never going to have a long tele lens on it

      So why a grip ? We were given fingers and opposing thumbs so we can grip things. 🙂

    • The grip from the original Q DOES work with the Q2 (I had kept my grip from my original Q), as does the approx. $60 Amazon thumb grip

  13. Although the DNG files appeared cropped on import they aren’t actually cropped are they? The JPGs are cropped and the rest of the parameters for JPGs are applied.

    • No, for me they are imported as the crop as well. I just edited some cropped RAW’s and they remained in the crop to the finished product.

  14. “When shooting RAW the raw files are also cropped.” what exactly does that mean?

    • The raw file will show a cropped preview, but the raw file itself will save the full 47MP image.

      • Again. I load the RAW files, open the raw files, process the raw files and export the raw files and they are all in the crop mode I used. So if I shot in 75mm crop, the raw file is cropped at 75 and stays cropped from opening, edit to export. At least for me they are. I can not get the full frame from the raw files I shot in crop mode on my machine using Adobe products.

        • The 5DS did a similar thing. Basically has tags in the EXIF for the crop. To access the full file, just hit the crop tool and you’ll see the cropped area and you can alter the crop after the fact. Downside? Well all the files should be just as large regardless of crop.

        • There seems to be some controversy on the Internet about this. Everywhere I read that the camera captures the whole 28mm scene and that it is possible to de-crop the image. Did you compare the file sizes?

          • Of course the camera capture the whole 28mm when you shot on crop mode, like with the Leica Q! That thing is just stupid, take any camera with a 28mm , shoot, then crop with your computer and you have the same result! The DOP stay a 28mm DOP … Leica Q , Q2 are cameras with a 28mm! Nothing more … nothing less… the main problem on the Q is the 2002 buffer and I don’t thing it change with the Q2 … DNG are too heavy ( DNG+jpeg is 90 Mo… only 65 with the Fuji GFC 50 MP )

        • Sry Steve but Michael is right.
          The crop is non destructive in the DNG files. I saw it on a review from techradar on Youtube that the DNG shows up as the cropped jpeg but you can simply undo the crop and you are back to the original 28mm photo. That’s the most versatile solution i can imagine. Very nice!

          • I am old school and use ACR and photoshop (I have my reasons) and can’t stand Lightroom so never went to it. In ACR and PS, you get what you get. A crop, no way to resize it for the raw. It is what it is when going back to using antique ways of processing raw files : )

          • Agreed, in lightroom the raws open in the crop mode. If you click the crop tool the full 28 mm image opens with the frame around your crop. You can then move the frame around resize it etc.. So far a very cool feature.

  15. Hi Steve/I have wished for a Sony 28mm RX1r for sometime and use an A7rII as it is prob the nearest thing. This leica sounds great and i’m sure it will sell well.Look forward to the review and i enjoy your take on the voigt/leica type lenses.

    • Hi steve.looks like a great camera .How is the digital VF? I always had problems using it.The fixed lens is a benifit as dust creeps in all the tome especially on my M9M.The colours seem great and it looks very capable in low light.How does it feel in your hand?is it big enough for people with big hands?
      How does it compare to Sony 7 and Fuji cameras.
      What about b/w shots?
      Wakting for your next detailed article
      Danny

  16. I like how the raw files show the crop when bringing into lightroom. It reminds me of the Olymous EM1 raw files. I’d always shoot it in 3:2, and that crop would show up even though the entire 3:4 frame was there too. It was always nice to adjust my composition a touch with this if it was off just a little bit. Looking forward to your review, Steve.

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