A different Leica Q3 43 review: 43 Photos with the best every day camera - part 1

The math really should be that simple sometimes. I like something in between 35mm and 50mm. I want a small-ish camera with a clean and intuitive interface. I want image quality and build quality.

Yes, I bought the Leica Q3 43.

I have waited long enough to state that I will hold on to this camera for a while. Readers of this blog might be familiar with my fickle nature when it comes to camera equipment. While I am still not completely sure of some of my other gear choices (here is looking at you D-Lux 8), the Q3 43 is my anchor camera. All my other gear choices remain in flux, as they tend to do. But the Q3 43 stays with me.

I wanted this review to be slightly different. I am going to let the photos speak for themselves. You will find 43 photos I took with the Q3 43. I will use the photos to briefly touch on some of the features and shooting experience with the Q3 43.

I am going to cheat right away and start with a few photos that I took with the Q3. One of the main attractions of the Q3 43 (and the Q series in general) is its size. It is not a small camera. Not if you compare it to a M43 or even a Panasonic S9. But it is small for what it is, a full frame monster with an amazing lens. My camera bag of choice for the Q3 43 is perhaps an odd one, but the small size makes it possible. I opted for a Fjallraven Kånken Hip Pack Plus. The Q3 43 fits perfectly. I just sling this around my shoulder and can carry the Q3 43 all day without even noticing it. The fact that it doesn't scream 'camera bag' is a bonus.

Fits snugly.

You can add some padding but I use it without.

Before I show you the photos I took with the Q3 43 we need to give some homage to its true predecessor in my opinion. Being a fan of the 40mm-ish focal length, I own a Leica CM film camera. A more detailed look into this camera is in the works but for now I want to show the direct connection between the Q3 43 and the CM. The latter was the last high-end 35mm film compact camera that Leica made. Well into the digital age, this camera had a short production run and was the successor of the Minilux models. You can see the philosophy similarities in the Q3 43; small, 40mm-ish high quality lens, clean interface yet full control over its features.

Standing on the shoulders of... Oh no wait, I should have placed them the other way around.

Even the Q3 43 is no match for the size compact film cameras...

With that out of the way, let's dig into the photos I took with the Q3 43.

#1

Below is one of the first photos I took with the Q3 43. This was taken during a classical performance in my home town of Utrecht, the Netherlands. On my 60 million mega-pixel high-res version on my laptop you can read the Nutcracker music sheet with plenty clarity.

#2

Another day, another classical music performance. This time it was the chamber music festival in the same concert hall. It was rather dimly lit in the hall and I wanted to see how much I could brighten it up. Fair to say the Q3 43 give you a lot of room to play with.

#3

December is a month where fog is always around the corner in the Netherlands and the next photo was taken on a foggy evening as we walked past the iconic cathedral tower. The Q3 43 handles the noise very well in this challenging lighting situation. I shot this at ISO 1600 with 1/15th shutter and F2 aperture. The stabilization made it easy to get a nice clean shot even though it was very dark and foggy.

#4

During another dark winter evening walk, I stumbled on this food truck that had two massive stuffed Miffy dolls on the front bench. The creator of Miffy comes from Utrecht and there is even a Miffy museum. I thought the dark tones gave the normally sweet Miffy a rather sinister look. I like it.

#5

I am a fan of reflections in windows. They create a twisted version of reality. The double glazing provide layers to an otherwise single pane perspective. For these kind of photos, I like to switch to manual focusing as the camera is easily confused here. The manual focus experience on the Q3 43 is second to none. So well done.

#6

Just some nice light in a café in Amsterdam. The good thing about the relative portability of the Q3 43 is that you actually take it with you.

#7

One of my favorite photos so far with the Q3 43. We had a nice frost overnight and that resulted in beautiful patterns on my parker car. The macro mode of the Q3 43 helped to create this abstract perspective. It almost looks like a fossil feather, captured in frost. The level of detail here is very pleasing.

#8

I like foreground blur. This is not the strongest point of the Q3 43 lens but it is good enough for random shots like this one.

#9

Another reflection photo.

#10

The inside of a tapas bar, as seen through a mirror.

#11

Yours truly as captured by Mrs. Hartenberg. Put the Q3 43 on intelligent AF with face/eye recognition and handing over the camera to other people makes it a lot easier for them to capture a good shot. The AF still is lacking in my honest opinion. A camera with this price point and meant to be used with AF really needs to do better. A little bird told me the AF update in the SL3-S might come to the SL3 / Q3. Let's see.

#12

Utrecht's central library. Strong effort to get people to come in and start reading more.

#13

Yes. Still winter. This time capturing the Utrecht Central Station bus terminal.

#14

Hey, whaddayaknow. A reflection photo. Could not help my self to capture the red fiat 500 in the mirror of this old bus.

#15

Black and white. It's hard.

#16

I think every camera should have a 65:24 preview in the EVF. You might have noticed I shoot my Q3 43 in 4:3 as I simply much prefer this to the stretched 3:2. If I really want to capture a wide perspective, I switch to 65:24. Unfortunately, I need to do this with my imagination while I take the photo because Leica does not offer this as a view. Seems like such an easy software adjustment to make.... One minor point on color. I found that woodland scenes in RAW tend to drift to magenta and I was not really happy with trying to adjust this in post. Oh well.

#17

Using the macro mode again on the same forest walk as the photo above. It is a cool feature to have.

#18

Another 65:24 guesstimated composition.

#19

This cat, his name is Ghost, was kind enough to sit still as the AF struggled to find its eyes....

#20

Our neighbor baked us some amazing sourdough bread. I do like how the Q3 43 picks up the details in the crust. My eyes have been forever spoiled with the detail coming from the Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad X2D but for 95% of the time, the Q3 43 is perfect.

#21

This is an old Volvo that is still used as a daily driver. Not by me. But kudos to the person that does.

#22

Catching the last of the snow in Austria. Come on Leica, bring that 65:24 perspective in a firmware update...

There you have it. A glimpse of my journey so far with the Leica Q3 43. I feel strong about this camera. I think I want to keep it. I really do. Stay tuned for part 2 of this post that will feature 21 more photos taken with the Q3 43.