The Leica Q3 43 goes to Spain and takes a little friend (the OM-3)

A new side of Spain

I've been to Spain many times but there are many parts unknown to me. The goal for this trip was to see the Basque coast with its sharp cliffs and pintxos culture, the green folds of Asturias where the mountains tumble into the sea, the wines of Rioja after a long day of hiking. We also wanted to include Navarra and Aragón, rugged and a little raw, and finally Castillia y León, where there is so much visible history. A trip with many elements, landscapes, cultures, and people. I wanted to bring what has become my main camera, my Leica Q3 43. But where for shorter trips and every day use, the single focal length is helping me in its limitations, I did want more focal versality for this trip.

The sun setting as the local boat crosses towards the Guggenheim [Leica Q3 43]

But I did not want weight to bother me. And I needed some focal range extension on both the wide and tele side. I opted for an OM System OM-3, paired with the Panasonic Leica 12–60mm F2.8-4.0. This was the “possibility.” On paper, it looked like the perfect companion: light, flexible, computationally clever, able to cover everything the Q3’s fixed 43mm couldn’t. Wider streets, longer views, the in-between situations that always sneak up on you when traveling. But all of that was theoretical. I’d never actually used this combination before. The question was simple, and also not simple at all: would this pairing really work? Spain, as it turned out, would provide the answer. But still leave me with questions. More on that in a later post.

Almost similar in size

The whole idea was that both could live in a Patagonia hip pack without breaking my back. This sounded like the kind of solution you dream about when planning trips: no compromises on range, no shoulder-killing weight, no temptation to overpack. Earlier this summer, I went to Wales, where pairing the Q3 28 with the Nikon Z7 Mark ii and the Nikon 70–180mm F2.8 somehow felt too heavy. Or did it? Let's go back to Spain.

Basque Beginnings: Bilbao and San Sebastián

The Basque Country was our starting point, and it greeted us with extremes. Bilbao arrived in full summer mode. It was hot and sunny, and left us searching for shade. It is an interesting city with the Guggenheim and riverside standing out. The Q3 43 worked wonders, as always. And the OM-3 surprised me, in a good way. I forgot how I enjoyed working with the computational features, freezing time in broad daylight without a hassle.

The APO lens and 60mp sensor of the Q3 43 enjoying the architectural detail [ Leica Q3 43]

Especially in urban settings, it is really fun to bring some dynamism to a photo by capturing motion blur. The Leica is about presence: it freezes moments with clarity, capturing gestures, light, and expressions exactly as they are. The OM-3, though, invited me to bend time.

Frozen time [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

With its built-in ND simulation and stabilization, I could stand at the famous spider in front of the Guggenheim and watch the scene transform. Motion blur became frictionless, part of the everyday kit. No need to mess with filters, just a touch of a button.

Bilbao's waterfront [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

When the scene called for a more tele-perspective, the OM-3 came in handy as I had hoped for. The shot above was taken in the evening sun and when the light starts to fade, the limitations of the sensor start to show. But that is all part of the trade-offs with the insane stabilization and small package balancing out the equation.

Looking for players [Leica Q3 43]

I always enjoy venturing into the touristy less obvious parts of a city which is where I took this photo of a basketball court. What caught my eye was the blue color sandwich of the basketball court and the sky with the tones of the apartment building in between. I could have taken this with the OM-3 as well but when small details matter, the Q3 43 is the much better tool for the job. The road to San Sebastián took us past a place that is recognizable to many who have seen the Game of Thrones series, where it served as the pre-CGI foundation for Dragonstone. In reality it houses a 10th century chapel. The view is what makes it interesting though with its walkway to the mainland. Here is where the focal range extension from the OM-3 came into play. Below is the photo I took with the Q3 43 and then the wider perspective using the 24mm equivalent on the OM-3. Adding the second island made it a much richer shot. There is nothing wrong with the Q3 43 photo but compositionally, I like the wider view here so I am happy I had that option.

Gaztelugatxe as seen on 43mm [Leica Q3 43]

A wider view [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

San Sebastián, just an hour away from Bilbao, could not have been more different. Where Bilbao had been bright and sweaty, San Sebastián was damp and grey, its beaches veiled in rain. The only photo worth sharing was one where I tested the OM-3's built in digital ND filters again. This time, I turned the zoom ring during the long exposure which captured the density of San Sebastián's crowded old town streets well.

Crowded old town [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

Along the way to Asturias we stopped and looked at the dramatic coastline. It reminded me a lot of Northern California's coast, with similar colors and vegetation. WYKYK.

Basque Country or California? [Leica Q3 43]

There are many beautiful towns along the northern Spanish coast but one that stands out is Ribadesella. The is something about how the river bends as it discharges water into the sea, flanked by cliffs and beaches. Definitely worth a stop. Here, I used the 65x24 perspective with the Q3 43 and the Leica M43 lens at 60mm to compress the scene. I liked how these two turned out to capture the essence of the place.

Ribadesella [Leica Q3 43]

Ribadesella in short-tele [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

A Change of plans: from Asturias to Castilla y Leon

The weather had not been in our favor so far, except for one nice day in Bilbao. When we looked at the forecast for out next stop in the Asturian mountains, both our moods soured and we quickly decided to change our plan and head south where better weather was to be found. This meant skipping getting to know Asturias and what we've seen from it warrants a return visit.

The Asturian Mountains are stunning [Leica Q3 43]

Our quest for warmth and sunshine led us past various towns north of the Sistema Central, Spains central mountain range with Madrid placed at the middle part of its southern side. If there is one thing we learned on this trip, it is that Spain is a very mountainous country. I always knew Spain had more mountains than just the Pyrenees, the Picos de Europa, and the Sierra Nevada but I did not realize just how much more mountains there are. It makes for great landscapes. Together with the rich history of the towns in Castilla y Leon, you are set up for a great road trip.

Salamanca [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

More Salamanca [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

The history is rich in the towns of Salamanca, Avila, Segovia, and others. I don't know it was because of the time of year but all these towns were not overcrowded. This made spending time there very pleasant.

The walls of Avíla [Leica Q3 43]

The cathedral of Segovia as seen through the Roman Aquaduct [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

The Castillian landscape [Leica Q3 43]

The OM-3 seems to work

So far, the combination of the Q3 43 and OM-3 worked well. Of course, every time I pixel peeped on the images, I could not help to be slightly underwhelmed by how quickly the OM-3 files fall apart. This however, is the thing with compromises. Something has to give. I am glad it is not my back. Our trip also led us through the Bardenas Reales national park which has a geology that reminded me of what we saw in New Mexico some years back. I will let you judge for yourself if you agree on the similarity. The light was very different though, and this was not a case of white balance settings....

Bardenas Reales erosion [Leica Q3 43]

The width of the Bardenas Reales area [Leica Q3 43]

Petrified Forest National Park New Mexico [Pentax K-1, Pentax 31mm ]

The OM-3 also did some macro work in the park capturing this dragonfly. It was very windy and I am normally terrible at macro so I was happy to get this. Manually focused, nonetheless!

Not bad [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

One of the last towns we visited had more than a few surprises up its sleeves. Having so many stops makes you sometimes lose track of what you booked, where you booked it and why. So as we headed to Alquezar in the Aragon province, we did not really know what to expect. When we turned the corner and the town showed itself to us, we were delighted.

Alquezar in all its glory [Leica Q3 43]

We did quite a few hikes and I must say that the Q3 43 is a pretty excellent landscape machine. The APO lens has a way to make the scene come alive with detail without feeling over-rendered as I have with some Sony lenses. I find that metering is often overlooked in landscape work and I have only started to appreciate how important that is not too long ago. When metered well, the 43mm lens really shines. When you get it wrong or rely too much on what Leica calls 'multi-field', you can easily get overcast images.

Metering matters [Leica Q3 43]

Alquezar from the gorge [Leica Q3 43]

And the OM-3 was no slouch either. It misses the crispness and detail of the Q3 43 for sure. But having a small zoom really does come in handy.

A church in a gorge [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

Difficult light in a cave [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

So what have I learned on this trip? Is the OM-3 indeed the best companion camera to flank the Q3 43 with its small sized lenses and enough focal range in a zoom like the Leica 12-60mm (24-120mm FF eq.)?

But what about the digital zoom on the Q3 43? Well, in theory that could completely take care of the short tele end of the M43 12-60mm lens. Besides that you would miss out on the wide end, even the digital crop of 120mm on the Leica is not exactly a replacement for the OM-3 with the 12-60mm. The first photo below is the Leica Q3 43 in 120mm crop. The second is the OM-3 at 60mm, so 120mm in FF equivalent. The OM-3 file is 5396x4122 vs the Leica at 3380x2610. You lose quite a bit of information when cropping that deep. And then there is the lens perspective which does not show so much on these examples but will create a slightly different feel although the difference is not that big with 43mm vs 60mm. Next to that, it is simply nicer to compose when you see the scene as you want it through the lens at that focal length on the OM-3 vs a crop on the Q3 43.

Leica Q3 43 crop at 120mm

OM-3 with Leica 12-60mm at 60mm (120mm FF equivalent)

The OM-3 turned out to be a very capable companion to the Q3 43. The size worked: small body, small lenses, easy to carry alongside the Leica without adding weight or bulk. The computational features did exactly what they promised: built-in ND, excellent stabilization, tricks that let me experiment without filters or tripods. And the Panasonic Leica 12–60mm delivered solid image quality across a wide focal range, making it a true one-lens solution.

Not quite close enough for birding [OM System OM-3 Leica 12-60mm F2.8/4]

But there’s still the question that hangs over the whole setup: does the Micro Four Thirds sensor hold up enough against the Q3’s full-frame files, or is the gap too much of a compromise? I don't know yet. I will explore this option further and come back to this in a future post.