I'm always keen to try out different cameras or lenses whenever possible. Very often, an upcoming holiday would be the perfect "reason" to get that new camera or lens. Some may say that it's a sign of GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome, a common disease that plague photographers. I hope not, but who cares.
This isn't another camera review that goes into technical details from innovation to resolution. In any case, I am neither qualified nor interested to do so. There are tons of well-written and technically competent reviews on the internet, which would have covered every possible pixel.
Hence, in the spirit of my casual photography + travel blog, below are sample images taken from my short trips with one of my most favourite cameras - the Leica Q (Typ 116).
There is no long travel stories like in my other posts here. Since it's supposed to be a camera review, everything below is all about Leica Q - its impression and sample images (all JPEG, unless otherwise stated).
Hope this helps.
The Leica Q (Typ 116) is a relatively small camera considering its full-frame sensor. It's still larger and heavier than the Sony RX1 series but I find it's dimensions and weight well-balanced, fitting nicely in my hands. Its 49 focusing points can be selected via the four-way joystick controller easily, which was placed on the iconic red dot in the above photo (the double-image is due to the mirror).
The Leica Q is an excellent camera for capturing quick portraits with it's bright aperture, sensible ergonomics, and compact form factor. Its face detection works very well on most occasions, locking on to the closest face instantly, both in the day and at night.
It would be nice to have an articulated/tilting LCD screen. However, low angle shots are still possible with its bright 3" 1.04 million dot LCD. The "Touch AF" and "Touch AF Release" (instant auto-focus by touching on the desired subject to be focused on the LCD screen, and to release the shutter at the same time for the latter) functions are very useful in tricky situations.
Razor-sharp lens ensuring every fine wire and rust is captured from edge to edge.
The Leica Q handles tricky back-lit situations rather well, managing the exposure decently.
The camera is very snappy to use. Its auto-focus is fast and accurate, even in low light condition.
The Leica Q offers electronic shutter speed up to a maximum of 1/16,000 sec. Hence, it's possible to take advantage of the shallow depth of field at f/1.7 in bright sunlight condition.
A macro mode is available with a simple turn of a dial on the lens, which enables the camera to get close to its subject within 17 cm from the sensor plane (approx. 8 cm from the front of the supplied metal lens hood). Once the dial has been turned to macro, the largest aperture available would become f/2.8 automatically.
