Last Updated on 10/01/2020 by Chris Gampat
I’ve been really thinking this over, and I believe that the Leica Q2 really isn’t that bad of a price.
At just a little under $5,000 the Leica Q2 is a camera that the company has obviously worked hard on and upgraded in pretty much every way. While it’s still lacking things like a joystick and could probably benefit from a few more buttons, the camera is highly capable and arguably does almost everything else that lots of other full frame cameras with 40MP+ are capable of. However, it’s doing it in a small body that is targeted to photojournalists and those who do lots of work involving candid documentary style moments. And most of all, you can take it out into the pouring rain and not have any problems.
It’s Small
The Leica Q2 is almost the world’s smallest full frame camera–the winning title goes to the Sony RX1 series of cameras. But either way, the Leica Q2 is still incredibly small and lightweight. We’re talking about near Canon EOS RP type of small and lightweight.
Full Frame 47MP Sensor
Lots of photographers don’t need a 47MP sensor, but it’s quite capable. Similar sensors are in cameras all around the market and they’re amongst the highest rated options on the market. If you want less megapixels, you’re also probably paying less money. Take a look at the Sony a7r III and the Sony a7 III for example.
IP52 Weather Sealing
Perhaps this is the thing that lots of folks aren’t talking about enough. In the presentation of the Leica Q2 to me, Leica claimed IP52 weather sealing. That’s not too far off from what an iPhone is capable of doing. It also means that it is probably better sealed than the Olympus OMD EM1x.
Autofocus That’s Almost as Good as Sony’s With an Option for Great Manual Focus
The Leica Q2 has autofocus that is a hair faster than Canon’s and a hair slower than what Sony can do. It’s good. The problem: it could use a joystick to take the most advantage of that autofocus. If that’s annoying you then switch to manual focus and use the focus peaking. In low light, this feature will suffer a bit. But it will surely work. And if push comes to shove, then consider using the touchscreen.
The Lens
Leica is branding the 28mm f1.7 lens attached to it as a Summilux. Leica’s 28mm f1.4 M mount summilux is quite pricey. But in this case you’re getting marginally slower performance in terms of the aperture but you gain proper weather sealing, autofocus abilities, macro autofocusing abilities, and a very small size. I think that’s a very fair trade off.
Think of it Like a Camera and a Lens Being Bought Together
Lots of folks are thinking of the Leica Q2 as just a camera. But if you really compare this “just a camera” to other cameras on the market and then bundle in an equivalent lens with it, things change.
Panasonic
In the case of Panasonic, the closest thing that we can get is the Sigma 28mm f1.4 Art lens. It’s weather resistant too, as we saw in our review. Plus it’ll be available in L mount soon.
Panasonic S1R: $3,697.99
Sigma 28mm f1.4 Art: $1,399
Total: $5,096.99
For Panasonic, we should remember that you’re getting a whole lot of great features in a massive body and the ability to change the lenses when you wish. But if you were to buy this specific combo, you’d see that the Leica is actually considered a better buy from a price standpoint. Panasonic also isn’t claiming an IP52 weather sealing rating.
Sony
For Sony, we’re doing the same thing. Sony has a 28mm f2 FE but lots of reviews are lukewarm about it. The Sigma version is arguably better. If we went with the Sony version, the price would be significantly less; but so too would the image quality.
Sony a7r III: $3,198
Sigma 28mm f1.4 Art: $1,399
Total: $4,597
Sony has the more affordable price point here. Sony, however, doesn’t have an IP52 weather sealing rating. You’re getting slightly faster autofocus though and a larger package overall. But if you go for the Sony 28mm f2, you’ll save a lot more and have a smaller package. But you’ll have less weather sealing and worse image quality.
Nikon
Nikon doesn’t really have anything available at the moment, so we’re considering a version of the Sigma lens with the body. We’re leaving out the price of the adapter; but consider that this is an extra cost.
Nikon z7: $3,396.95
Sigma 28mm f1.4 Art: $1,399
Total: $4,768.95
Nikon is also more affordable than Leica at this point. Like Leica, it has a single card slot. The Nikon bodies and Sigma bodies are very weather sealed but there is no claim from Nikon. You’re also getting significantly worse autofocus performance and a few other odd quirks that we found in our review period.
Leica
Leica Q2 (with 28mm f1.7 bundled) $4,995.00
Well, there’s your price comparison.