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Leica Q: Really not a 24MP Camera and not a 28mm Lens (in effect)

Get Leica Q at B&H Photo.

Leica Q

In Guide to Leica, I’ve extended my analysis of the extreme optical distortion of the Leica Q, and the corresponding distortion correction required to correct it.

  • The Leica Q is a 22.4 megapixel camera (approx) in terms of recorded usable pixels.
  • The degradation of peripheral sharpness by distortion correction piles on further losses: I deem the Leica Q a ~20 megapixel camera in terms of peak available sharpness (better if one does not care about the periphery).*
  • The equivalent horizontal field of view is 29.7mm, assuming the 28mm f/1.7 is a 28.0mm lens. Which it might not be; it might be a 27mm or similar (or might not be). An infinity focus scene has to be shot to determine its relative field of view compared to say, a Leica 28/2 Summicron.

Leica Q: Extreme Distortion Degrades Periphery, Reduces True Resolution, Decreases Field of View

As a counterpoint that speaks to the wonderful visual impact and dynamic range:

Examples: Climbing Mt Dana

I like the Leica Q very much as per the above examples. With a few firmware fixes for really thoughtless design decisions, I’d love to have one were the price more palatable (no ROI for me for starters and I use tons of gear constantly, can’t just buy stuff to have on hand).

I also discuss Leica Q Recording Format (DNG and JPEG).

What I regret seeing in the Q (as much as I like its imagery overall) are the self-timer behavior and timing limits, the AF cross coupling bug (presumably to be fixed), the lack of a grip, huge files (no lossless compression), a useless video button (non programmable) and certain other limitations and restrictions that have no rational justification (all fixable in firmware if Leica had the will to do so). All these things come to bear in using the Q at various times and only one’s own use can weigh the balance as relevant or not. For an oddball but real-world example, risk of injury traversing icy rocks back and forth because the damn self timer resets every shot (and takes only 1 shot). Or the much more mundane usage of shooting on a tripod with more than one shot.

* One might argue that the idea of realizable megapixel detail applies to lens performance in general, but I deem that a non-issue with the Zeiss Batis lenses to be used on the 42MP Sony A7R II. Or at least that is my expectation, and 42MP is going to record a ton more detail in any case, with less aliasing as well.

Massive optical distortion with Leica Q, uncorrected
f8 @ 1.0 sec, ISO 100; 2015-07-03 11:07:14
LEICA Q (Typ 116) + 28.0 mm f/1.7 @ 28mm

[low-res image for bot]

 


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