User Report: My 1st Leica Q Shots by Yoon-Chou Chong

User Report: My 1st Leica Q Shots

by Yoon-Chou Chong

Got the Q just a day before the family holidays which was just as well to test how easy it is to pick up and go. The early pictures in Sydney were mainly from JPEG and although I have heard of Leica’s limits it was ok and does give it the ‘look’ (vs say the RX1 which probably matches in sharpness). Funny thing is when I am defaulting to Program, it always starts with F1.7 which if you aren’t thinking too much of your shots (that is pretty much what happens if you are shuffling with a 5 year old). The EVF was wonderful, and it brought me back to looking into it (rather than lazily on the screen).

2015-06 Sydney (2 of 16)

2015-06 Sydney (5 of 16)

2015-06 Sydney (6 of 16)

2015-06 Sydney (8 of 16)

2015-07 singapore (4 of 6)

2015-07 singapore (5 of 6)

2015-07 singapore2 (16 of 43)

2015-07 singapore2 (36 of 43)

30 Comments

  1. Many thanks all for all the encouragement and apologies to those who found not worthy of a posting. Indeed the selection is light as i was on ‘family time’ rather than a photography outing. But as someone had nicely commented each picture to me is a personal visual of mine and a capture of my memory. Even for a layman photographer like me, the Q was a wonderful equipment to use and easy to carry about and snap on. And most importantly the results are truly satisfying to the person taking the photo.

  2. WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE???

    Every picture Yoon-Chou Chong shared has some special quality:

    #1 Perfectly timed snap shot to illustrate b/w capability.
    #2 Love how the guy on the right detaches himself form the group of three.
    #3 Just beautiful and lovely expression! So glad that the focus once is NOT on the eye-lashes.
    #4 The vertical structure (man with boy on his shoulders) corresponds with the vertical shape of the umbrella in the background. Well seen!!!
    #5 Exuberance and joy. Caught a great moment here. That nothing is in focus adds to the feeling, making the photo more dynamic. I would hate to see this “frozen in action” with shorter shutter speed.
    #6 Lovely picture of today’s internet generation. Love the red ballon in background!
    #7 OK, this is just a static test picture. But it differs from other static test picture by the 2nd to left falling “out of line”. Made me smile!
    #8 My favorite: An intimate mother/daughter moment, both absorbed in taking selfie. Notice how earnest they are in their pursuit. Notice how wonderful the arms and hands of the two are interlinked, forming a strong graphic and emotional connection. This photo is a WINNER.

  3. Hi Yoon-Chou,

    Really liked the 3rd and last images posted here.
    By all accounts the Leica Q is a great camera in use and in the files it’s producing, I’ve not had the chance to handle one yet. The £2900 UK price tag is very, very high…but most Leica gear is, so it is what it is.
    Always interesting to see other people’s photographs and how they see the world…if we all saw things in the same way through our viewfinders, it would all become very dull, very quickly.
    Don’t take any of the harsh criticism to heart.

    • Harvinder, if you like the 28mm FOV, buy the new Ricoh GRII, it’s a great unit for way less money.

  4. The images are what they are, and why shouldn’t one use a Q to make them? I wondered what the “sharpness” reference to the RX1 had to do with anything, and the “default into P” was telling.

  5. Yoon-Chou, congratulations on getting the Q and thanks for sharing. Hans and Rich here are being very hard on you. But I’ve seen on other occasions people praising mediocre photos on this site and I myself have taken many pictures that were worse than what you’ve posted here. Your selection may be poor not because you lack photography skills but because you didn’t take enough street photos to end up with a handful of really good ones to share with us. Your being on a family holiday may have prevented you from doing that, I guess. Don’t be discouraged by the harsh criticism. Just keep it like Garry Winogrand said: “You see something happening and you bang away at it. Either you get what you saw or you get something else–and whichever is better you print.” With the Q you certainly have the right tool to bang away at something.

  6. Hope you don’t get discouraged from these reviews. These photos are nice, I really like the third and the last one, which has something mysterious. The others show a really good dynamic range. Keep shooting Chou Chong!

  7. Have a day off Hans,i quite like the colours and the girlie selfie shot.Remember we are all at different levels.I.m interested in the Q ,thanks Yoon-Chou.

  8. Thanks for sharing Chou Chong. Last one is very good. I prefer photos fron non pro photographers to realy know how a camera perfoms.

  9. I disagree about them being poor, might you need some training? Maybe, but a camera is a just a means of capturing a moment whether for professional uses or just to have a reference to a memory. Let people enjoy what they will, be it a potato or a leica.

  10. I am sorry but these a poor photographs in various ways. Take photo lessons and learn how to utilize this great camera.

    • Sadly, I have to agree, these are a pretty poor selection. It might be better to spend some money on a few photography books or lessons as you’ll get much more from the camera. Right now, you might as well be using an iPhone and save yourself a heap of money.

      • Do you guys have to be so mean? Nothing at all wrong with a critique but “…you might as well be using an I Phone,” cmon! Don’t be such a J…!

        • Agreed. It takes a lot of courage to submit photos to this wonderful site and have the World’s eyes gaze at them. If you’re going to critique then do it without trolling – offer better advice other than “get some lessons” or “read a book”. If the photos are really that bad then perhaps some feedback on why would be more appropriate and, more importantly, how they can be improved.

          I see a man here who’s enjoying his gorgeous Leica Q and is wanting to share that with us – and I thank him for that. If he’s happy with the pictures and is enjoying the experience then that should be good enough for everyone and full justification for him buying one.

      • Why are you so concerned about how others spend their own money? The selection was obviously thrown together from a bunch of test shots and even written so ” to test how easy it is to pick up and go.” No ones claiming to be a professional here. Maybe you can share how you managed to never take a bad shot in your life, or do you just not share test shots?

      • could you pick a photo and point what can be improved?

        I’m still learning and I thought a few of them were alright.

        • He’s got one good picture, the 2nd to last one. The rest are not artistic pictures, just snapshots of people in the street. If you don’t shoot for the sake of art, then you better use your smartphone to capture the things you want.

          • WT_! Are you kidding me? I guess I missed the regulation that DSLRs, high end compacts, mirrorless etc. cannot be used for family pictures. I guess I should apologize to you for occasionally using my M9 to take pics of my dog.

          • Hans, Rich and Abe, my god, get over yourselves.

            Yoon-Chou, I think your photos are beautiful and at the end of the day, the only thing that should matter to any photographer is whether we are enjoying ourselves.

    • Hans and Rich – what happened to constructive criticism? Is that the best you have to offer in support to other photographers out there? We can all nit-pick if we are perfect. For instance, Rich hasn’t mastered grammar as demonstrated by his opening split infinitive. Does that get us anywhere? No. Grow up and play nicely.

    • “No matter how long one does photography there is no end for learning.”

      -Hans Benndorf

      “It’s easy to be a di*k. It takes effort to help and encourage others”

      -Brian Jacobs

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