Leica Q3 43 APO Review

By: Thorsten Overgaard. September 26, 2024. Most recent update, November 2, 2024.

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Leica Q3 43: Always Ready

A magnificent 43mm APO lens that takes the Leica Q model series to 'next level image quality'.

Always Wear A Camera, the Leica Q3 43 has it all. The built-in Electronic Viewfinder, the screen that tilts, low and high ISO, and no need for filters or special protection. It's simply the camera you grab that is always ready, and you can charge it on the go with any USB-C cable.

Leica Q3 43. 100 ISO f/2.0, Spot autofocus AFs. © Thorsten Overgaard.

This is the continuous review and user report on the Leica Q3 43. To stay in the know and get updates, sign up for the free newsletter here (comes with a free eBook as well).

You can also indulge in my Leica Q3 articles: '1. Leica Q3 eview,' '2. The Prefect Q3 Menu Setup,' and '3. Extras and Downloads for Leica Q3.'

I am also the author of the books on the Leica Q models. The "Leica Q3 43 Know-All eBook" and "Leica Q3 43 Video Masterclass" is vailable for preorder now. The "Leica Q3 Know-All eBook" is ready for download today.

All you need to know: Leica Q3 43

Here are the main takeaways that you need to know about the Leica Q3 43:

The Leica Q3 43 APO is equipped with an unique APO lens, and it is 43mm. Somewhat the correct answer to the request for many years for a 35mm or 50mm version.

Comparison of 28mm, 43mm and 50mm

Here is the difference illustrated with the help of the Leica D-Lux 8 (2024), which has a 24-75mm zoom.

The 43mm is a very comfortable focal length, close enough to the 50mm, with a comfortable extra zone of capture. Like the traditional 50mm standard lens, a 43mm creates a 'tunnel vision' where you exclude from the frame what is not part of the storytelling.

A 28mm wide-angle lens, as you know, captures more - about as wide as an iPhone camera - which can be handy for many things, but also makes it a challenge to exclude elements from the frame you might not want as part of your story.

Traditional 50mm standard lens frame.

Leica Q3 43 APO 43mm frame

Leica Q3 28mm frame.

Which lens are you?

Most people pick either 35mm or 50mm as their standard lens. Historically, the 35mm is the most sold Leica lens, and 50mm is right after. In that sense, a 43mm is a good answer to the question for most. Though there is more to this particular focal length, and more on that later.

I wrote this article, 'Which lens are you?' where I compare some of the well-known painters who, maybe surprisingly, had their preferred focal length.

Well-known painters had, maybe surprisingly, had their preferred focal length. Read about it in my article, "Which lens are you?".

Here is a comparison of Leica APO standard lenses:

"The roof is on fire" - Leica Q3 43mm MTF

	Leica 43mm APO-Summicron f/2.0 ASPH on Leica Q3 43

I'd rather drink coffee and take photos than look at MTF graphs of lenses (Modulation Transfer Function). It is a measurement of a lens, which few can read, but optical designers use a lot in predicting how a lens will potentially perform.

Sort of like a graph, if it were a car, would tell top speed, how fast it gets from 0-100, and how many miles it will go on the gasoline.

The graph of the Leica Q3 43 is out of this world. It beats all of the above lenses.

Basically, what it shows is that the lens is extremely sharp in the center, and that sharpness continues all the way to the corners. With sharpness comes detail level, or clarity.

It doesn't get much better, and that is comforting to know. The Leica Q3 43 lens is apochromatically corrected with 4 aspherical elements.

Leica Q3 43: Is it a real APO lens?

The lens on the Leica Q3 43 is "an APO design" by two Japanese designers (Takehiro Nishioka and Yoshiaki Kurioka), with additional knowledge, technology nd craftsmanship added by Leica in the final Leica Q3 43 edition. Like the 28mm Summilux on the Leica Q3, Leica takes advantage of it being a fixed lens, meaning that the lens designers can use digital lens distortion correction and more, because the lens only has to perform on this specific camera.

How to read the MTF's: The higher up the lines are, the better sharpness (and details/clarity). Left side of the graph is center of the picture frame, right side is at the edge of the picture frame. In short, the Q3 43 APO is on par with the 50mm APO made for the SL system, and superior to the 50mm APO for the M system.

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Leica Q3 43 at f/2.0. © Thorsten Overgaard.

The departure from 28mm on a Leica Q

When the original Leica Q was released in July 2015, the Leica product manager, Peter Kruschewski, who had been in charge of the very secret development of the Leica Q model, revealed that the 28/1.7 lens was chosen because it resulted in the most compact design:

'We looked at various options, including a 35mm and a 50mm, naturally. In the end, it was the 28mm f/1.7 that gave us the most compact lens, and therefore the smallest camera body. We understand why this might surprise some people, but if our customers clamor for a 35mm or 50mm version, we're willing to make one. But not until we've successfully made the lenses more compact.'

Which then happened. The Leica Q3 43 is not only a compact enough lens, it might turn out to be quite a revolution in the lens lineup for Leica.

Leica Q3 43 with the Ventilated Shade RED designed by Thorsten Overgaard.

The idea of cropping the Leica Q3 43 image

Part of the original idea of Leica lens designer Peter Karbe and the Leica Q team was that the Leica Q with a 28mm Summilux f/1.7 would produce such detailed photographs that one could use 'digital crop' to crop a 28mm photo into a 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, or even a 90mm image frame. This fits with the compact concept of not having a zoom lens, yet still having the ability to zoom. In the Leica Q3 43, the crop goes all the way to a 150mm crop.

Here are the Leica Q3 43 crop sizes in pixels and megapixels:

43mm = 60.3 MP (9520 x 6336 pixels)
50mm = 44.6 MP (8187 x 5449 pixels)
60mm = 30.8 MP (6816 x 4544 pixels)
75mm = 19.9 MP (5456 x 3632 pixels)
90mm =13.8 MP (4544 x 3024 pixels)
120mm = 7.69 MP (3408 x 2272 pixels)
150mm = 4.92 MP (2796 x 1824 pixels)

Leica chief lens designer Peter Karbe did humorously mention to me once, when we talked about resolution and lens design, that one could 'just have one lens and then crop.' There is no doubt that, in his universe, it's already a done deal. Lens design can be done— and is in fact being done—with a resolution to do just that. All we have been waiting for are sensors with the capability to resolve the resolution those lenses can perform.

150mm digital crop of a 60MP Leica Q3 43 image. 250 ISO at f/2.0 . © Thorsten Overgaard.

The full 43mm image from the Leica Q3 43, with the digital crops marked: 60mm, 75mm, 90mm, 120mm and 150mm. I think they should have included a 50mm crop, and probably they will in one of the firmware updates. Download this image in full resolution here. © Thorsten Overgaard.

A fairly convinding 100% crop of the file: It sure does get even what is written with small letters. Leica Q3 43 at f/2.0, 250 ISO.

They knew back then, as we all fundamentally knew, that future sensors would grow from 24MP to 60MP to 100MP to 150MP and beyond. The Leica Q is designed for that future. That is why the lens on the Leica Q (2015) was unchanged in the next two models, the Leica Q2 and Leica Q3.

Particularly on the Leica Q2 Monochrom (2020), you get an insight into what the lens combined with the lens correction software can accomplish: With a monochrome sensor, every single pixel is dedicated to collecting light, which fundamentally means that you can capture 4x the detail of a color sensor. Two green, one red, and one blue pixel are used on a color sensor to capture the details and the colors. In a monochrome sensor, all pixels are just recording how much light there is. This results in a mind-blowingly detailed image once you zoom in. Small faces in an image can be enlarged, and you see details you wouldn't see in the final print, but you realize they are there.

This gives an idea of how powerful the Leica Q with the 28mm is, and why cropping the image wouldn't hurt. There would still be enough resolution to produce a good photo.

The Carlyle Hotel, New York. Leica Q3 43. © Thorsten Overgaard.

An iPhone screen is 3MP

Surprisingly, there are not that many ways to view all of your 60,000,000 piexls. Here are some sizes of display resolution:

iPhone 16 Pro screen shows 2,556 x 1,179 pixels = 3 MP
iPad Pro 12.9" screen shows 2732 x 2048 pixels = 5.6 MP
MacBook Pro 16" shows 3456 x 2234 pixels = 7.8 MP
Eizo 4K screen shows 3840 x 2160 pixels = 8.3 MP
A 8.5 x 11 inch print (300 dpi) is 2550 x 3300 pixels = 8.4 MP
A 36 x 24 inch print (300 dpi) is 7200 x 10,800 pixels = 78 MP
Leica Q3 43 full 60MP image is 9520 x 6336 pixels = 60 MP (or a 32 x 21 inch print)

Generally, you can print 'high resolution' as 150 dpi photo prints, by which standard you could print a 64 x 42 inch print straight from the Leica Q3 43. I personally always make 300 dpi TIFF files in Adobe RGB (16-bit) for my prints.

Did you know you can enlarge a photo?

In Photoshop, you can change the image size of a photo to very large sizes. Fundamentally, you choose Image > Image Size and then set the DPI to 300 pixels/inch and set the desired size, for example, 200 cm tall (79 inches), and you get a new larger file ready to print.

In Adobe Photoshop you can upscale (enlarge) an image to fit printing size so there is no pixelation. © Thorsten Overgaard.

The point is to avoid 'pixelation,' which occurs when there is not enough data for the printer (or screen) to display the image properly.

If a printer requires 150 dpi (dots per inch) and there are only 30 dots, it's going to fill in the rest with noise.

By enlarging a file, you multiply the data available, and the printer (or screen) has data for all dots.

'What about sharpness in large prints?' you may ask. The thing is that the viewing distance to a print is usually proportional to its size. You never get really close to a billboard, and even for a 17x22" print on a gallery wall, you seldom view it up close. My rule is that what looks sharp on the back screen of the camera or an iPhone will look sharp on the computer (with a longer viewing distance) and will look equally sharp as a large print on a gallery wall (with a longer viewing distance).

My photograph "White Horse" (2013) on a 48 x 72 inch aluboard print.

If you add artificial sharpness to an image in a small size, the unnatural hard details of that edge sharpness will carry over to an enlargement. That is why you don't add sharpness to an edited file. You may add sharpness for final use to fit the specific purpose—on screen, art print, magazine print, etc.—but never in the original file. You can read more about this in my Lightroom Survival Kit extension course.

Also, a detail you will appreciate about the 'Leica look,' which is 'soft but detailed,' is that it never gets that 'digital look' that some overly sharp lenses or picture processes produce. It maintains the natural look of reality."

I did a story witht he Leica Q3 43 about Clearwater and Tampa before and after the two hurricanes that hit September/October 2024. Read the story, "Riders on the Storm".

Not easy to convince people 5MP is enough for an image

How do you sell someone who bought a 60MP camera the idea that 5MP is great? It's not an easy sell. People want all the megapixels they paid for. People who bought a 60MP camera just want 60MP images at whichever focal length. So even if I could explain to you that 10MP or even 5MP will do, you'll still want the full megapixel inventory applied to each image.

People have been asking for 35mm and 50mm versions of the Leica Q since the first was released in 2015. After all, the 35mm focal length is the most sold Leica lens, and 50mm is the second most sold focal length. The world population, as far as photography goes, is divided into 35mm and 50mm people.

And now, almost ten years later, it is here: a 'perfect' focal length that enables you to get 'full 60MP resolution' with a standard lens.

Photo: Ralph Gibson for Leica, 2005.

The perfection of the image: APO and 43mm

Here are two things that could possibly improve the image quality of the 28mm Summilux on a 60MP sensor, and then there is a third and fourth. Let me elaborate:

1. 43mm

43mm is a good compromise as most people have asked for a Leica Q with 35mm or 50mm ever since the original Leica Q was released in 2015. The 43mm, however, is more than a compromise. It's the focal length that likely comes closest to how the eye sees, as far as proportions go:

	Relative proportions

When you look at a person close to you and there is a truck in the background, the distance is judged by relative size. The person is taller than the truck, so the truck must be quite a bit further away. As the truck comes closer, its relative size to the person standing there increases, and when it is next to him, the truck is much larger than the person.

This is how we measure distances with the eye (and predict speed of movement), and the 43mm format produces images that are similar to this way of judging sizes and distances.

If you take a photo with a wide-angle lens, the truck is very small, potentially very far away from the person. If you put on a telephoto lens, the background is pulled toward you, and the truck appears closer than it is.

The curious thing is that the eye sees as wide as a 9mm-24mm, but the size proportion is like a 43mm (the reason being that you scan areas of the viewing field and stitch them together as a single concept of vision).

Other than that, you will see ideas that the 43mm focal length matches the diagonal of a full-frame sensor (24x36), which is 43mm, and this should make it all match. It may or may not have any influence. This may also result in the 43mm focal length delivering the light rays at a perfect angle into the sensor pixels. I am purely performing some wishful speculating here, but...

Also, as a detail, the original Ur-Leica made as early prototype in 1914, had a 42mm lens on it. The diagonal of a medium format sensor, 60 x 60 mm, is 84mm. Aha!

Photo: Ralph Gibson for Leica, 2005.

2. APO

With their many new APO lens designs in recent years, Leica has reached a 'next level image quality,' as chief lens designer Peter Karbe expresses it. They learned a lot from making excellent lenses for APS-C cameras like the Leica TL2, but also wanted to make larger lenses for the Leica SL system, as well as the Leitz Cine, to utilize the quality possible to perfection.

'We had to implement many small steps, but everywhere, which add up to a lot in the end,' as Peter Karbe expresses it. This includes coatings, glass types, in-house grinding of glass, adjustment of lens centering, and precision in assembling. All this adds up to the next level of image quality that one sees in newer Leica lens designs. The 28mm Summilux f/1.7 on the Leica Q (2015) is a product of this, and now they have taken it further.

In lens design, one talks about aberrations, which means anything that leads away from a straight route. What lens designers deal with is minimizing or removing aberrations. All the work in precision, coatings, and everything Leica has been working on has had the aim of making the image clearer and more true to reality.

One of the big leaps is APO, which is not a new concept, as it has been used in long telephoto lenses. APO stands for 'apochromatically corrected,' which might be too large a word to take in for us today. Let me instead explain what it does. In lens design, APO means that the lens is specially engineered to reduce or eliminate color fringing, which happens when different colors of light don't focus at the same point.

APO corrected basically means that the three colors that make up every color photo (and monochrome photo)—red, green, and blue—have been corrected to meet more precisely at the same spot. Clarity of colors and definition of details are the result.

As you can imagine, if we are pointing a telescope at the stars, the light rays can separate quite a bit, which then creates a blurred image. You can't see details. It is mainly the red light that separates, so even though light travels at the speed of light, red light travels at a different speed. Scientists say it is 'delayed,' which is a fun way to avoid admitting that the speed of light differs, but in any case, the red light needs correction to land in the same spot to make a clear image.

When Leica has made APO telephoto lenses, they have always prided themselves on applying APO to the entire frame, not just the center sharpness.

Then Leica chief lens designer Peter Karbe got the idea to apply APO to the Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4 standard lens, which was released in 2004. But he found that putting APO on the lens name was a bit over the top, because APO is traditionally only used for telephoto lenses.

Since then, it has taken on its own life, most recently with a 35mm APO wide-angle lens for the Leica M system and a 21mm APO lens for the Leica SL system.

New York. The Leica Q3 43 is handy for street portraits. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Thanks to APO and other improvements in precision lens design, Peter Karbe and his team have also managed to make an f/2.0 lens appear as if it is an f/1.4 lens in terms of narrow depth of focus. An f/2.0 lens will offer a look similar to f/1.4 in terms of narrow depth of focus but with greater sharpness at the point of focus.

The lack of aberrations results in much more contrast at the point of focus than in an ordinary lens, and this contrast falls off very quickly in front of and behind the point of focus. This is how an f/2 lens can appear to have the same depth of focus as an f/1.4 lens—creating a more blurred out-of-focus background.

Peter Karbe follows in an impressive line of legendary optical designers at Leica, from Max Berek to Dr. Mandler. He has been the chief optical designer at Leica Camera AG in Wetzlar, Germany, since 2002. He retired in 2023 but then decided to stay as 'Senior Managing Expert Optics and Platform,' which basically translates into 'Only living rock star of Leica.' © Thorsten Overgaard.

3. Leica Q3 43 Color Science and Monochrome quality

When a lens can resolve details precisely, it results in more accurate colors (and monochrome tones as well).

While many are blown away by the sharpness and 'how small details you can see when you enlarge an APO photo,' it's the unseen details of the capture that make up the clarity and natural colors of the photo. It is very similar to high fidelity in music. We can all hear the music no matter what it is played on, but there is a level where every minute vibration of every instrument and voice is recorded and played on speakers so they appear. Same music, but now with so much more.

Same with an APO photo. Same photo, but now there are so many more details that make up the whole.

What is a good lens? Peter Karbe says a good lens is 'when you go closer, you see more,' which is understandable in the way a lens designer would measure it.

For me, a good lens is one that makes colors, textures, skin, hair, shapes, and everything else look so natural I can sense how it would feel to touch it. Fundamentally, remove the optics, sensor, and all of it, and when there is only the image, exactly what you saw, it is pure truth.

Leica lens design is serious business: Blowing a test image up on a wall, and then taking a loupe to examine the details of the performance. Leica 28mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4. © Thorsten Overgaard.

And yes, at other times I seek the timeless and elegant, which oftentimes may involve using an older lens that sees things softer and with some level of 'natural hallucination.' You could call it classic (like the 50mm Rigid from the 1950s), and some of them are 'rock'n'roll' lenses—like the 50mm Noctilux.

Beneath their possible perfection, Leica lenses, however, have in common that they all possess the ability to capture the true details of the matter and texture; their differences lie in how they paint with light on top of it.

The legacy of Leica lens designers has been, throughout the last 100 years, that they pushed the technical capabilities of glass, design, grinding, coatings, and assembling, but at the same time, they knew how to add soul to it. This is when you work beyond what a machine or a scientific calculation can tell you to do; when you make decisions that affect the soul and feel of the image, rather than just trying to get the best performance numbers.

We remember Muhammad Ali not for his points scored, but for his overall performance as a person and a boxer. Similarly, few care to read a lens' numbers to see if it is great. You look at the images.

The Leica lenses, from the early beginnings to the present time and the Leica Q3 43mm APO, have that touch of magic in that they actually capture the details that make up texture, skin, and forms, and then they add the magic of painting with light. What the APO generation of lenses contributes to the mix is less undesirable light noise or hit-and-miss reflections, so that what is of essence stands out cleaner and clearer.

50mm standard lens as it used to be, on a Leica M: The 1956 model of the Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0 'Rigid'and the limited edition black paint 50mm APO-Summicron-M f/2.0. © Thorsten Overgaard.

4. Narrow dept of Field, and Bokeh

With the 43mm f/2.0 also comes a narrower depth of focus than the 28mm f/1.7. It's just how it is: the longer the focal length, the narrower the depth of focus, and the easier it is to produce blurred backgrounds and foregrounds.

For me, the key selling point of the Leica Q3 43 is that it is closer to my usual preferred 50mm lens, and that it has APO.

That said, APO also, at least when Peter Karbe's optical team makes them, makes an f/2.0 lens appear as an f/1.4 lens in terms of narrow depth of field, simply by controlling the area in focus that has higher contrast, while the out-of-focus backgrounds reduce quickly in contrast and thus appear further away.

Depth of Field as seen by the extreme f/0.95 50mm Leica Noctilux lens: Focus is on the flowers and the photograph on the desk, and the foreground and background are blurred as the depth of focus is narrow. You can produce something similar with a 28mm f/1.7 if you go closer, because the closer you focus, the narrower the depth of focus will be. Similarly, the further away the background, the less in focus it will be (long backgrounds or 'long shot').

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Street portrait with Leica Q3 43 Some poeple say no thank you to having their portrait taken by a stranger on the street. This gentleman first declined, but then saw it was a Leica ... © Thorsten Overgaard.

Leica Q3 43: Is it dark enough for you?

The Leica Q3 43 is wrapped in a dark grey cover, which in some photos (particularly when taken with a flash) looks much brighter than in real life.

I find that when I have the Leica Q3 43 lying around, it looks very close to the Leica Q3. The dark grey cover is actually really dark.

The Leica Q3 43 dark grey covering looks almost black in real life. Here is the Leica Q3 43 with the original ventilated shade I designed in 2015 for the Leica Q models. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Leica Q3 43: A classic design was born

The Leica Q (2015) was designed by Vincent Laine who had made his own ideas of future Leica designs back home in Sweden. This led to him becoming first an intern with Leica in Wetzlar, Germany, and then an employee. One of his projects was to design the Leica Q.

Leica Q designer Vincent Laine with the first Leica Q. © Thorsten Overgaard.

It is safe to say that modern simplicity met the classic simplicity of Leica, which was founded back in 1925 when Oskar Barnack wanted a small, portable camera with high-quality optics and mechanical engineering. To the right is the 1918-prototype he made.

It's a hard act to follow, but the first Leica Q (2015) was so perfect - thanks to Vincent Laine, the product manager and the lens designers - that the only thing to improve in the next generation, the Leica Q2 (2019), was small adjustments to the optical viewfinder and moving the diopter adjustment so it wasn't in the way. The rest remained unchanged, and is very close in thought and look to the opriginal Leica design from 100 yeras before.

Vincent Laine went onto Hasselblad where he designed the Hasselblad 907X and then he moved onto designing award-winning luggage, tables and other things.

With the Leica Q3 (2023), a flip-up screen was introduced to the design. Not as elegant as the fliush screen on the back of the previous Leica Q2 and Leica Q. But practical, and something people have grown used to from Sony, Fuji and other brands.

With the Leica Q3 43 (2024), the only change is the 43mm APO-Summicron lens, which brings the Leica Q models into an even higher level optical design.

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Leica Q3 43. © Thorsten Overgaard.

The square Q3 43 shade doesn't leave space for filters

The square shade for the Leica Q3 43 that comes with the camera is designed to let in a minimum amount of stray light from the sides.

It is made so tight that you cannot mount a normal filter on the lens. In particular if you turn on Macro becuase the front of the lens extrudes when you turn to Macro mode, and then there's even less space for any filter.

Not that you have to use a filter, actually. I personally never use UV filters on my lenses, only ND (neutral density) and occasionally a color filer for black & white photography.

The filter doesn't fit on the Leica Q3 43 when the square shade is on. Not enough space for filters.

The ventilated shade leave space for filters ... and it looks cool

If you want to use a filter, you will have to forgo the square shade that comes with the Leica Q3 43, or use the ventilated shade I designed for the Leica Q back in 2015, which sits on the outside thread of the lens and leaves space for filters on the E49 (49mm) filter thread on the lens. It also leaves space to mount and unmount the filter without removing the shade. If you want to use a Variable ND filter or a Polarizing filter, you can rotate it with your fingers, even with the ventilated shade on the camera.

The metal lens cap that comes with the Leica Q3 43 doesn't fit on the square hood, but my ventilated shade comes with a lens cap (or you can use an original Leica E49 lens cap)

"What's the point of a ventilated shade?" you may ask. It is to protect the camera and lens and to shade against unwanted stray light from the side that would wash out the image. The reason it is 'ventilated' is for the classic look. It simply looks better than the square hood. The original Leica M models have a viewfinder, and the lens hood shades part of the view, so that’s why there are 'vents' in them, allowing them to cover less of the view.

The original Ventilated Shade for Leica Q designed by Thorsten Overgaard for "Always Wear A Camera" sits on the outside screw mount of the lens and leave space for E49 filters and lens caps on the lens' inside 49mm screw. Available in black paint, matte black paint, RED, Safari Green and Silver. This shade fits Leica Q3 43 and all Leica Q models and comes with a E49 plastic lens cap.

There's a ring you may want to use

In the original box the Leica Q3 43 came in, there is a mysterious ring. If you wonder, it is a spare part that fits the outside thread of the lens, if you take off the shade and want to use the camera without a shade.

Leica used to deliver lenses and cameras with the 'mysterious' ring attached, and the shade in the box, but many people had a hard time figuring out how to mount the shade (as you had to remove the ring first). So now they do it the opposite way: The camera comes with the shade on, and the ring is an accessory in the box.

The mysterious ring you find in the box fits the front of the lens when you remove the hood.

"The Ashtray"

The metal lens cap that is really fancy comes with the Leica Q3 43 and will fit onto the square shade. It also fits the Leica Q3 43 when there is no hood on it, and you put on the ring mentioned above. Retail price is $119.00.

Original Leica alu lens cap.

Original E49 Leica lens cap

The E49 Leica lens cap is an accessory for the Leica Q3 43. It fits on the lens when there is no shade on it or if you use a ventilated shade. If you're used to using them on your Leica lenses, you may want this one to complete the look. This type of lens cap is what most Leica lenses comes with. Retail price for this little beauty is $49.00.

Original Leica plastic lens cap E49.

The Hotel Chelsea in New York. Leica Q3 43. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Leica Q3 43: The blurred electronic viewfinder

The Leica Q3 43 has the same 6MP EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) as the Leica Q3, and the same resolution as the Leica SL3 viewfinder.

Despite that, the 43mm focal length somehow makes me want a better EVF, because even when the AF nails it, the image still looks blurred. All I can do is trust that the AF worked and the image will be in focus.

I compared it with the Leica Q3, and they’re the same, but somehow I got used to the 28mm being in focus, and it looked all right.

But then I discovered this:

Leica Q3 43: The solution to get sharp previews in the EVF

The Leica Q3 43 comes with the diopter adjustment turned all the way to one side (everything is blurry, I’ve never received a camera delivered where it wasn’t set to 20/20 normal eyesight).

All right, not a big problem. There is a diopter adjustment button to the right of the viewfinder window on the back of the camera.

Adjust the Diopter Adjustment on the Leica Q3 43 so the image is sharp (not the info text).

If you adjust the diopter so the text in the EVF looks sharp, you're doing it wrong. Becuase the image will eb blurred. The image and the text is not on the same focal plane. Instead, adjust the diopter to get the ideal image. Like this:

Here’s how to get the image sharp in detail:

1. Press the Diopter Adjustment Wheel so it pops out.
2. Take a photo with the camera.
3. Press PLAY to see the preview in the EVF.
4. Adjust the diopter wheel until the image is sharp.
5. Press the diopter adjustment dial back into the body so it stays in place.

Now, when you use AF, you can see that the details are in focus. The info text below and above the image will be slightly blurred because the image screen and the info text are not on the same focal plane. This is the same for all EVFs, by the way.

Adjust for the preview image, not the text, because otherwise the image will not be detailed enough.

Leica Q3 43 adjusted for sharp text but blurry image:		Leica Q3 43 adjusted for sharp image:

iAF makes sense on the Leica Q3 43

The iAF "Intelligent Auto Focus" on the Leica Q3 43 can make a lot of sense with this 43mm focal length if you do portraits. For street photography and reportage iAF may be too noisy or too 'hit and miss'.

In the Leica Q3 with its 28mm focal length, I use AFs, which is a single point that focuses when you press the shutter release halfway down - and stays locked at that focus distance as long as you hold the shutter release halfway down (point the focusing spot to where you want the focus to be, press the release half down, reframe to have in the photo what you want, exclude what you don't want. Press the shutter release full down to take the photo).

In the Leica Q3 43, I also find that I am generaly best served with AFs. But for portraits, due to the narrow depth of focus with a 43mm at f/2.0, you may want to try iAF, which is where the camera shifts between AFs and AFs, the latter being where the autofocus keeps tracking the subject's distance. It's a super-annoying motion as you can feel the camera's AF-motor working to continious follow focus on the subject. But for a portrait, if the person moves slightly, or you do, the focus switches to AFc "continuous," thus keeping the focus despite movement.

The focus keeps re-focusing where the Spot is (the + in the center of the viewfinder), so if you change the frame so the Spot is pointed at something else, the AF will make sure that is in focus. Which is why it is seldom usable for street photography (because the moment your subject walks out of the Spot AF, the camera focuses on somethign else instead and you loose the shot).

I use Focus Spot, which is the small cross + in the center that I can move to another place in the frame (but seldom do). You may want to experiment with other types of focusing, depending on your subject type.

But with a 43mm focal length and using the lens at f/2.0 for a narrow depth of focus, iAF can be a help to nail the focus, despite small movements, while utilizing the narow depth of focus.

AFs "single" focus lock for things that doesn't move		AFc "continious" when the subject might move.
Brasserie Fouquet's New York		Mr. Clarence Chan with his new Leica Q3 43

Leica Q3 43: I think the Auto Focus is good

Not a big fan of autofocus to begin with, I tend to not like using AF. So when people start complaining about slow AF or rave about super-fast AF, I’m just not getting it. To me, the Leica Q3 43 focuses well, and as fast as I need it. No complaints.

I use the AF on the Leica Q3 43 about half, or maybe most of the time. But a great deal of the time, I go to manual focus, as about 30% of Leica Q users do statistically. Because it’s so damn easy, it gives you more control, and it’s faster (once you get used to it).

If you want excellent autofocus, Sony is the master of fast autofocus. But for me... ha ha, would I sacrifice the Leica simplicity and optical quality to get something I dislike in the first place ... autofocus? Nah, never.

Manual focus is actually ... easier and faster:

Leica Q3 43 selfie. The Hotel Chelsea, New York. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Autofocus is the idea that the camera does the focusing itself (the word 'auto' comes from the Greek for 'self'). Ironically and factually, it does not work that easily, which is why many types of autofocus have been added.

Autofocus was supposed to make it easy for the user to get sharp photos but tends to become like a child you have to keep an eye on so it doesn't run out into the street.

Think of it what you want. The Leica Q3 43 has a great and easy-to-use Manual Focusing which might turn you into one of those who prefer manual focusing at times:

Manual focus in the Leica Q3 43

This is a big thing for the leica Q3 43 as it actually works really well, and about 30% of Leica Q users use manual focusing rather than Auto Focusing.

When you go to manual focusing (simply turn the focusing ring so it un-clicks from its locked position), the EVF will automatically zoom in once you start turning the focusing ring on the lens, and this way you can make your focusing very precise.

You can change he degree of zoom detail by pressing the SET button (the round button between the arrows on the back) and it will shift from 6x to 3x enlargement of the focus area.

A view over Central Park. Leica Q3 43. © Thorsten Overgaad.

Leica Q3 43: Deliberate photography

Manual focusing is how it used to be, and I am all for how things used to be.

You "see a photo," and in that instance, you also intuitively know what to have in the frame and what to exclude. If you work with a narrow depth of focus (as in using the 43mm lens at f/2.0), you also intuitively know what the focus should be at.

Don’t ask me how you know all this in an instant, how you "see a photo", but you do. It’s one of the things that distinguish you from being a machine or AI. You possess intuition, the ability to reason, and you can know without knowing why.

Now, the glory of manual focus is that you point the camera at the point that you know should be in focus, and then you set the focus by turning the focusing ring until you see that the detail is sharp. (Now you have measured the distance, which is what focusing is).

Then you reframe to include a pleasant composition of things. Another thing you just know how to do, unless you keep telling yourself it needs to be learned.

You take the photo, and by golly, focus is right where you set it!

Garcia in Havana, Cuba with the Q. © Thorsten Overgaard.

A decisive moment?

Now, maybe you also want to involve the right "timing": You want a person to look a certain way, or a child to come kiss their mother. Manual focus is made for this, because all you have to do is "hold the frame" and wait for the right moment. Manual focus doesn’t move, it stays where you set it just before.

Now, explaining autofocus where you want it to focus, and making it stay there and not re-focus on the background or something else just at the moment the boy kisses his mother, is what makes autofocus so advanced that it requires really modern cameras and users who know how to read a big manual.

In any case, one of the glorious things about the Leica Q models and the Leica Q3 43 is that changing between autofocus and manual focus is so easy, and both work so well, depending on what the task at hand is.

Leica Q3 43. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Doing videos for my Magic of Light Television.

A 43mm lens makes a lot of sense for video, as well as 8K video, which is now supported by YouTube.

The Leica Q (model 116) of June 2015 was born with 4K video, Leica Camera AG decided not to put it into use due to battery and heat considerations. In the Leica Q2 (2019) we got full 4K video, in the Leica Q3 (2023) and Leica Q3 43 (2024) we got 8K video.

The Leica Q3 43 have ports for external screen and microphones (USB-C and Mini HDMI) and with more updates supposed to come November 2024 the Leica Q3 43 will support more microphone USB-C choices so you can use Røde wireless microphones like the Røde Wireless GO stereo set or the Røde Video Go II shotgun microphone and record directly into the video track (instead of having to match sound with video after).

The Røde Video Go II shotgun microphone will be compatible with the Leica Q3 in an expected firmware update November 2024.

How to make sense of doing video with the Leica Q3 43

Doing video on a camera with autofocus is never as easy or as 'auto' as it sounds, and then there is the sound that comes from the two built-in stereo microphones on top of the camera. And the color temperature and exposure, naturally.

Just turning the Leica Q3 43 to video and starting recording easily results in video recordings where the autofocus changes when it's not supposed to, the sound is either very 'thin' or the user's breathing and handling of the camera is very prominent in the recording.

You need some more gear to make it work, but once you do, it can be rather easy and very high quality.

A video grab from a 2nd camera we sometimes use for my videos. Here a Leica Q3 Video Masterclass Video.

Leica Q3 43: Making the auto focus work for video

Putting the Leica Q3 43 on a tripod and using a wireless or external microphone, and controlling it all from the Leica Fotos App on a smartphone or iPad ... this will work!

You set the camera to AFs and Spot, and in the Leica Fotos App, you tap on the face of the person to 'set focus,' and it will remain in focus throughout the video.

You may also choose AFc and Eye/Face/Body Detection, and the camera will continuously look for a face and eyes to snap focus onto, and adjust continuously if the face moves. This will work in theory, and you will find out after you've finished the video if the AF, for moments, snapped onto something else.

It all comes together with 8K resolution, 43mm lens and ability to use wireless microphones. Here it is Nick Rains from Leica Store Melbourne who is recording a video using AFc and Eye/Face/Body Detection.

Leica Q3 43 battery for video

In video, you want to avoid potential issues like losing focus, the camera running out of battery, the camera timing out, the microphone disconnecting, etc.

One very cool thing to limit things that can go wrong (if you work with a tripod) is to get the Leica DC-SCL6 USB-C DC-Coupler, which allows you to power the camera continuously via a USB-C charger, for example, a MacBook charger. Particularly, the Leica SL3 and the Leica Q3 43 have very specific power requirements, so if the battery runs low, they may stop recording in the middle of it all (they may look like they are running, but the back screen will show a message that the battery is too low to perform 4K or 8K recording, etc.). In any case, that USB-C DC-Coupler is genius to use: one less thing that can go wrong!

The Leica DC-SCL6 USB-C DC-Coupler ensures a continuous power supply for your never-ending video

More control of your video

It can be a good idea to use a separate iPad or phone to control the camera as phone calls (even when on silent) during video can interrupt or pause the video recording. Turning on Airplane mode obviously won't work as you need WiFi and Bluetooth to connect with and control the camera.

Shutter speed for video should always be set to 1/60

Fundamentally, video is 1/50th of a second, so you set the shutter speed dial of the Leica Q3 43 to 1/60th second and adjust aperture and ISO accordingly to get the exposure correct. You can also use a variable ND filter to adjust exposure.

Upgrading to more video equipment

The most ideal Leica for video is without doubt the Leica SL2-S which has a great 24MP sensor that just works excellent with Leica SL and Leica S lenses (and Leitz Cine lenses).

Close focus with the Leica Q3 43. © Thorsten Overgaard.

The Color Science of the Leica Q3 43

The Leica Q3 43 has a slightly different color profile than the Leica Q3. The DNG raw photos must be edited, and for that, the choices are Capture One Pro or Adobe Lightroom. I use both for different things, and part of 'shooting in' or 'dialing in the colors' of a new camera is deciding which workflow performs the best colors or monochrome tones.

Capture One Pro prides itself on having released a new version of Capture One Pro on the same day the Leica Q3 43 was released, September 26, 2024.

Adobe Lightroom will follow a bit later with a Camera RAW profile for the Leica Q3 43.

I don’t have an answer for you, but here is what I look at, and this is what I see:

Lightroom Classic has cooler (or cleaner) skin tones with its default Adobe Color profile, and they apply a somewhat "good amount of sharpness," which results in impressive (and frankly, maybe more contrasty micro-details than you want). It can be adjusted, but this is their default.

Capture One has warmer skin tones and a more moderate (natural?) application of sharpening. A slight green tint causes some concern on my part.

"Dialing in" a new camera and sensor is work. It takes some time and some photos. It has to be done.

I have written this article, "The Camera Color Compendium of Measured Kelvin Values for Leica and Hasselblad Cameras," which tries to understand what is "wrong with that picture" when colors are off. It’s a very nerdy piece of work and was made to understand the background of colors from different cameras. I will be publishing more articles on color science as it evolves.

Monochrome JPGs from the Leica Q3 43 ...

	Monochrome JPG straight out of the Leica Q3 43 Leica Q3 43: Edited DNG into black & white.

Part of testing a new camera is to see how it handles black-and-white tones in-camera. Most cameras you can set to do DNG+JPG so that you make a DNG raw (which is always color) and JPG of the same photo, as you cake it. The JPG can then be set to black & white (or a Leica Look or Fuji look, depending on camera brand and what presets they offer).

Since the Leica M9 (2009) presented fantastic, amazing, film-like black & white JPGs straight out of the camera, it’s always been a question, "How will this new model do them?" and none of them does it like the Leica M9.

In fact, with every new model, the JPG's straight out of camera have become less impressive and less usable. Since the Leica M10, I have made it a habit to edit DNG raw photos into color edits, then make a 'virtual copy' and create the black & white version based on the edited color version.

In my opinion, the Leica Q3 43’s black-and-white JPGs straight out of the camera are not as good as the result you can get by converting a DNG to black & white.

You should experiment with it, but if you find it like me, you can skip the JPG and only make DNG and save some memory card space.

What I see is that reds are washed out, as you can see on the red lips in the photo above. But mainly it makes skin tones look thin and digital - which is strangely the opposite of the Leica M11 (very bad JPG's), where the reds are too heavy and make skin tones look heavy and the faces older.

For photos where faces and skin tones are not prominent, monochrome JPG straight out of the camera can work.

To save ourselves a long discussion and time: Edit the DNG raw color files into black and white, using either the "Desaturate" tool or any preset you like for black-and-white style photos.

Leica Q3 43. JPG Monochrom straight out of the camera. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Leica Q3 43 image quality?

My impression of the Leica Q3 43 is that the colors are not over-saturated, except for the blue, which is strong. Any blue street sign or blue garbage bin somewhere in the photo stands out. But else I feel confident with these colors.

The DNG out of the camera seems a bit high in contrast, or "heavy on the black," which reminds me of the Leica SL2 sensor (a different generation, the 47MP sensor generation). The bright areas in a photo seem to go higher , and dark areas seem to go deeper, which isn't what you would associate with a wide dynamic range.

Now, just because the sensor generation of 60MP is fundamentally the same hardware doesn’t mean that the same model 60MP sensor in the Leica SL3, Leica M11, Leica Q3, and even the Leica Q3 43 will produce the same image. Each camera model has its own profiling, jsut because it has, but also because Leica SL cameras are made primary for SL lenses, the Leica M for Leica M mount lenses, and the Leica Q models obviously for fixed lenses that are tightly integrated withe the overall concept, including the use of software-optimization of the image even before it's written to the memory card.

Lightroom Classic edit of the Leica Q3 43 with the built-in profile in Adobe Camera RAW. 1600 ISO f/2.0.

Capture One Pro edit of the Leica Q3 43 with the built-in profile in Capture One. 1600 ISO f/2.0.

The curious thing is that I find Lightroom does a better job; it has cleaner and better-balanced colors, in my opinion. Adobe Camera RAW, which is the profile in Lightroom and Photoshop that defines how the raw data from the Leica Q3 43 is translated into colors, has been in the system since version 16.4 (June 2024).

I have been editing the same photos side-by-side in Lightroom and Capture One for a while now, and in most cases, Capture One just doesn't do what I want it to. It's very surprising because for several years Capture One has been the cleaner and more color-accurate of the two editing software.

On sharpening, Lightroom does more than is necessary for such a high-definition file made with such a detailed lens. Capture One leaves things more natural, and I think that is preferable and more in line with the Leica philosophy of a "soft, but detailed" look.

		.
100% crop of the Lightroom file. Leica Q3 43, 1600 ISO f/2.0.		100% crop of the capture One file. Leica Q3 43, 1600 ISO f/2.0.

One can actually also edit Leica Q3 43 photos in Phocus, which is free software from Hasselblad. While I have lots of praise for their color science, it's a heavy tool to use. There is also Phocus Mobile 2 for iPad, which is quite simple to use, but limited in keywords and organizing. For those who want to indulge in this, I invite you to try it and let me know your findings. One could have specific photos that are worth some extra color work.

Leica Q3 43 Color fidelity

As mentioned, I haven't gotten quite used to the rather "hard" look of the Leica Q3 43 files yet; where the bright tones seem to easily burn out while the darker tones seem to sink into further darkness. Other than that, I like the non-saturated look of the files.

To be unfair, below is a comparison of the Leica Q3 43 ($6,895) and the Hasselblad 907X ($13,000 with lens), and while I am impressed with the lens of the Leica Q3 43, I see there is more work to do with the digitally recorded files.

These are small images on a screen, and there is more to see in the original files (You can download the high resolution JPG files of these three photos here). But let's be frank, very few people would raise an eyebrow at any of these. They look at the image, and they think it is pretty.

The essence really is that we get a tool and we 'dial it in' to a point where we trust that it works. We have confidence that we can make what we see into the images we imagine. It's not more difficult than that.

Hasselblad 907X with Hasselblad 80mm f/1.9 at f/9.5, 6400 ISO. Straight out of camera via Lightroom. Same sensor in the Hasselblad X2D. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Leica Q3 43, 1600 ISO f.5/6 edited in Adobe Lightroom. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Leica Q3 43, 1600 ISO f.5/6 edited in Capture One. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Which Leica Q to get? 

Here is an overview of the different Q models, as well as the most recent Leica M models.

Model	Leica Q3 43	Leica Q3	Leica Q3M	Leica Q2M	Leica Q2	Leica Q-P	Leica Q (116)	Leica M11	Leica M10
Lens	43mm APO Summicron ASPH f/2.0	28mm Summilux ASPH f/1.7		28mm Summilux ASPH f/1.7	28mm Summilux ASPH f/1.7	28mm Summilux ASPH f/1.7	28mm Summilux ASPH f/1.7
EVF	5.7M MP	5.7M MP		3.68 MP	3.68 MP	3.68 MP	3.68 MP	Extra: 3.7 MP	Extra: 2.4 MP
Screen	Flip-up Touch Screen	Flip-up Touch Screen		Touch Screen	Touch Screen	Touch Screen	Touch Screen	Touch Screen	Touch Screen
Start	2024	2023	Not yet	2020	2019	2018	2015	2022	2017
End	-	-		2025	2023	2019	2019	-	2022
MP	60	60		47	47	24	24	60	24
Sensor	BSI CMOS	BSI CMOS		CMOS	CMOS	CMOS	CMOS	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor	Color	Color	B&W	B&W	Color	Color	Color	Color	Color
Format	24x36	24x36		24x36	24x36	24x36	24x36	24x36	24x36
Digital crop	60mm 75mm 120mm 150mm	35mm 50mm 75mm 90mm		35mm 50mm 75mm	35mm 50mm 75mm	35mm 50mm 75mm	35mm 50mm 75mm		No
AA filter	No	No		No	No	No	No	No	No
Focusing	AF Phase Contrast Depth AI + Manual	AF Phase Contrast Depth AI + Manual		AF Contrast + Manual	AF Contrast + Manual	AF + Manual	AF + Manual	Manual	Manual
Video	8K	8K		4K	4K	HD	HD	No	No
Adapters								Leica R  Nikkor LeicaCine Leica  screw mount	Leica R  Nikkor LeicaCine Leica  screw mount
Mirrorless	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
USB-C port	Yes	Yes				Micro	Micro	Yes	Extra
Microphone	Stereo built-in. External RØDE microphone via USB-C	Stereo built-in. External RØDE microphone via USB-C		Stereo built-in.	Stereo built-in.	Stereo built-in.	Stereo built-in.	No	No
Weight	794g	743g		718g	718g	640g	640g	530g +lens	647g + lens
Price new	$6,895	$6,295		$6,195	$5,995	$4,250	$4,250	$9,300	$6,595

Paris Workshop:

My video Review of the Leica Q3

I recently went over the history and heritage of the Leica Q concept and how we arrived at the Leica Q3 series today.

The Leica Q3 Review, and mainly the history and heritage, by Thorsten Overgaard.

	Full Leica Q3 43 Pack Special 10 video classes with work book + 426 page eBook, + Styles for Capture One for Leica Q3 43 + Lightroom Presets. for Leica Q3 43 Normal price $869.00 Normal price $869.00 Save 45% Only $478.00 USE CODE: "ILOVE43" PREORDER. Buy now. Be the first to get it 100% satisfaction or money back. Item #2254-1024		Leica Q3 43 Know-All-eBook 426 pages illustrated for Computer, Kindle, iPad or smartphone. Only $348.00 PREORDER. Buy now. Be the first to get it 100% satisfaction or money back. More info. Item #2252-1024

Most likely, a Leica Q user will get a Leica M within weeks or months

It is almost a statistical fact that more than half of those who buy a Leica Q model end up with a Leica M model. A smaller percentage gravitate to the Leica SL3 system, which is - logically - more of an expansion of the Leica Q model technology.

It's so predictable that even when you research the Leica Q model, you already drool over the Leica M. You know where this is going, but you tell yourself you will just get a Leica Q model.

That the Leica M is the next step is easy to understand because it is an emotional choice, and the Leica Q models are a resurgence of why you originally wanted to photograph.

Nobody ever had an urge to photograph and then decided it should result in a large collection of lenses and a camera, preferably in a system so advanced it can't be figured out easily, and at the same time so heavy that the greatest pleasure is finding reasons to leave it at home.

You had an urge to photograph because you want to preserve and beautify life, and you want to walk the streets and travel the world as an adventurer, storyteller, and visual poet.

These qualities are exactly what the Leica Q models are designed to bring out. In fact, they don't have any of the stuff that can be discussed for days on photo forums.

The Leica Q3 and Leica Q3 43 APO have some qualities over the Leica Q (2015) and Leica Q2 (2019) that appeal to 'nerds' who used to use Sony, Fujifilm, or other cameras that come with 750 menu items and plenty of Fn (Function) buttons on the camera that you can program yourself.

Street Portrait in New York. "Why me?" he asked after I took the photo, and I told him " becuase you looked the part." Leica Q3 43. © Thorsten Overgaard.

A Couple of Curious Stories

A friend here locally used to have Sony and suitcases full of Sony lenses, as well as more suitcases with vintage lenses from all around the world, fitted for his Sony. But then he got a Leica Q3 and got rid of it all. As an advanced and 'technological user,' he liked all the fancy settings on the Sony, but he liked the quality of the images from the Leica Q3 better. As an advanced user, he uses some of the advanced features in the Leica Q3 that I wouldn't necessarily use, such as Eye/Face/Body Detection. For him, it just nails the most ridiculous, impossible photos.

The Eye/Face/Body Detection is where the Leica Q3 43 throws out three boxes that detects bodies or faces, and occasionally it detects eyes and marks the face and eyes. You can use the left and right arrow to select which box to use for focusing (or touch screen). This can almost be done 'in blind' when you get used to it: There is always three boxes, and with some certainty you can predict which three objects in front of the camera the focus will select, and if it's the person tot he right you want in tocus, you move the curser two clicks to the right and that is the box it focuses with.

When you look at the screen, it looks slow, or delayed, but the actual focusing is faster than the preview on the screen, and while some might trash it in annoyance, he used it enought to realize that the auto focus is "Faster than his own shadow").

The Leica Q3 focus modes look sticky and slow on the preview, but in fact, they nail it, even when you didn't think so. Like Lucky Luke, who's known for being "Faster than his own shadow." By Morris (Maurice De Bevere, 1923-2001).

I mention these as I see 'tech nerds' gravitate to the Leica Q3, which has included more nerdy features of the kind that weren't in the Leica Q2 (2019) and Leica Q (2015), but which those 'tech nerds' are well familiar with and believe no photo can be made without.

Also, I spoke with a gentleman from London who hit me up on LinkedIn a few days ago, and we spoke for half an hour. Same scenario: a ton of Sony lenses, but the Leica Q3 was what he felt would bring him back to photography. High quality, compact, loveable. He just needed to get confirmation that he hadn't lost his mind.

Morning on the street outside. Leica Q3 43.

Getting Back to the Soul of Photography

The point of photography is not to have, at home in a closet, all the equipment one would ever need to capture any possible photo. The idea of photography is to take pictures and feel good about it.

Sending it all back to the dealer and simply having just a Leica Q model is like selling your three houses and traveling from one exotic hotel to the next with just a suitcase. It's liberating, and if there is one common denominator among the Leica folks I meet, it's that they don't want to be bothered with all the cheap stuff in life. They just want to focus and be good at the few things they feel are important.

Upper East Side of New York 7 AM. Leica Q3 43 . © Thorsten Overgaard.

Your Next Camera Is ...

I am not reading you your future; this is rather my advice on what direction to look in:

The Leica M10-P is the Leica M camera to get, and here are the reasons. This is a camera that makes you feel like you took the photo, that you worked for it, made a decision, and nailed it. It also feels like a film camera, and due to the dampened shutter (which was introduced with the Leica M10-P), it may almost sound like a film camera.

The Leica M10-P is 100 years of evolution from the Leica that was invented in 1925, refined into a digital camera, and the M10 models have been going strong since 2017 with no odd colors, no freezing, or anything.

The Leica M10-P is a workhorse, and it's only available second-hand (saved you $5,000 right there), except for a few stacked in the back of some Hong Kong or Austrian camera stores. Also, this model exists in limited-edition versions like Safari Green, all White, and a few others if you want it to be a truly personal experience.

The lens for the camera should be either the Leica Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4 or the Leica 35mm Summilux-M ASPH f/1.4. Pick any used or new model—these lenses have been the gold standard for getting stuff done for the past 15-20 years.

The Leica M10-P is the refined modern version of the Leica M models. Tested since 2017, it's proven to work and keep working. It has the speed, the ISO dial, the silent shutter, and 24MP files that are comfortable to work with. Another love of my life, the Leica M9 is also shown in this picture, and it is still a lovely camera, but not as much a production machine as the Leica M10.

Leica Q3 43: No Turning Back Now

You'll love every minute of it as your savings account's balance decreases and you eye new, interesting pieces of Leica to own. You will get to a point where $13,500 for a Noctilux lens seems perfectly reasonable, and where the fact that a lens is limited and Black Paint is the only sensible thing to own, despite the premium.

One thing that gets you is the lens quality and the 'Leica Look,' and the Leica Q3 43 will open your eyes to a whole new world of Leica APO lenses, of which there are many. They are expensive, but they are ... oh, so beautiful.

In short, you will change your thinking from where it was about megapixels and features to where it is about doing what you love, with tools that you love.

You will know this so thoroughly that even when the clerk in the big camera store in New York shakes his head while trying to sell you volume for the buck, you know this is what is right for you.

"You are your own imprisoner and your own liberator".

Leica Q3 43. © Thorsten Overgaard.

Also, the Leica Q3 43 is the prequel to the Leica M

Yes, it is the gateway drug to the original Leica M models. In that sense, the Leica Q models and the Leica Q3 43 are the prequel to the Leica M, now presented 100 years after the original that changed all photography forever.

A beautiful camera designed to inspire.

One of the original Leica prototypes from before 1925 was sold at auction in 2022. I was there, but it wasn't me who bought it. Instead, I wrote this article about the auction.

Send an email to support@overgaard.com to get your package of test files.

Photographer Thorsten Overgaard tell the story of the ventilated shade and why he designed his own for Leica and other brands.

More to come

A lot more, actually. Sign up for the newsletter to stay in the know. As always, you are welcome to send me an email for any questions, ideas or advice.

/Thorsten Overgaard

Thorsten Overgaard with the Leica Q3 43. Photo with Leica SL3 and Leica 35mm Summilux-SL f/1.4.

	Full Leica Q3 Pack Special 12 video classes with work book + 484 page eBook, + Styles for Capture One for Leica Q3/Q2/Q + Lightroom Presets. for Leica Q3/Q2/Q Normal price $869.00 Normal price $869.00 Save 45% Only $478.00 USE CODE: "ILOVEQ3" Buy now. Book delivered instantly. Video class link follows within 48 hours. 100% satisfaction or money back. Released May 2024 Item #2192-0623		Leica Q3 Know-All-eBook 484 pages illustrated for Computer, Kindle, iPad or smartphone. Only $348.00 Buy now. Instant delivery. Start reding today. 100% satisfaction or money back. Released May 2024 Item #2190-0623

- Thorsten Overgaard
#2249-0924

		I like simple things I make things for myself the way I think they should be, and I use them for my travel to more than twentyfive countries a year. Once I am happy with the way stuff works, I make it available for you to buy. SHOP THE COLLECTION:
Ventilated Shades for most Leica lenses Classic look to the lenses, sturdy protection against bumps and scratches ... and yes, they shade for the light as well.		Camera Straps for Leica M and Leica Q "Simply a leather strap" – My handmade soft calfskin camera strap is the ultimate sophisication in simpliciy and luxury.
Camera Pouches for Leica M and Leica Q The soft calfskin pouch you don't need ... but you just can't resist! For camera with lens, or to keep track of loose parts.		"The Von" Camera Bag Carry-On Travel Made to travel in style. Handmade by the best artisans in Milano, Venice and Verona to bring the owner a liftetime of happiness.
24h Travel Bag with lots of Carry-On space I decided to make a bag with all the space I could ever need to bring onto an airplane.		The Von Mini Messenger The Ideal Walkabout Photographers Bag . Tested for three years all over the world by me.
Camera Backpack I've made a series of backpacks becuase they are practical for many things.		Document Carry-On for iPad or Computer Put a mess of everything in this and you look stylish and organized.
Desk Blotters and Larger-Than-Life Mousepad Nothing beats the feelling of soft calfskin leather on your desk ... but this one takes away reflections, damps the keyboards and makes you happy!		Computer shade for MacBook Pro 15" Better tonality, accurate colors and concentration for the eyes with my travel shade that snaps onto the MacBook with magnets and folds for travel.
Workshops & Masterclasses With Thorsten von Overgaard for Leica enthusiasts and digital photographers in more than 25 countries a year. Pick your favorite city and meet Thorsten Overgaard.		Photography Extension Courses Start an extension course with Thorsten Overgaard, work at your own pace and take the time you want. At your own pace, and home
One-on-one Training anywhere in the world Train with Thorsten Overgaard personally, tailored for you and private, any place in the world, or online.		Video Classes: Learn from Thorsten Overgaard Watch to learn about your camera, how to use light, how to do street photography, or simply to stay inspired.
eBooks on Photography The foremost Leica expert and multi award-winning photographer Thorsten Overgard write books that teach and inspire.		Signed Prints by Thosten von Overgaard Select photgoraphs from the archive of Thorsten von Overgaard, signed, sealed and delivered for your collection.
Adobe Lightroom Presets for Leica As a Leica and Lightroom user you will love the simplicity and original look of the Presets Thorsten made for his Leica files.		Used Leica Cameras Ken Hansen New York Inc updated stock list of second-hand Leica lenses.

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A Life With Leica from Northpass Media.