Leica Q Review | 108 Data compared

The Leica Q (Typ 116) is a premium, well-built compact camera featuring a fixed 28mm F1.7 lens that delivers exceptional sharpness, rapid AF performance, and a superb 3.68M-dot EVF. While its 24MP sensor offers great image quality, it faces limitations in dynamic range when pushing shadows and lacks the advanced, reliable continuous autofocus found in competitors.

The Leica Q (Typ 116) is a 24-megapixel full-frame mirrorless compact camera that features a fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens and an M-shaped body design. In his evaluation, Steve Huff praises the camera for reviving traditional German-made Leica image quality. It delivers rich color rendering, sharp detail, and distinct visual "pop" that matches or exceeds the output of more expensive Leica M systems. The camera introduces modern, high-utility features to the brand, including the fastest autofocus in its class, an integrated 3.68-megapixel electronic viewfinder (EVF), intuitive touch-screen controls, and stable Wi-Fi connectivity. Its physical design is highly commended for simplicity and excellent tactile handling, notably through its elegant mechanical manual-to-auto focus switch and an automatic changing depth-of-field scale when transitioning to macro mode. Key Pros & Cons Despite the overall praise, the review highlights distinct limitations inherent to its fixed design and premium pricing: Pros Stunning Image Quality: Delivers exceptional sharpness, rich micro-contrast, and vibrant color pop. High-End EVF: Built-in 3.68 MP electronic viewfinder eliminates the need for bulky external accessories. Excellent Handling: Superior mechanical manual focus ring and an...

The Leica Q (Type 116) is a high-end, full-frame compact camera featuring a fixed 28mm f/1.7 lens that delivers exceptional sharpness, beautiful bokeh, and excellent low-light detail retention up to ISO 50000. It represents a major shift for Leica by integrating modern technologies like rapid autofocus, optical image stabilization, a highly responsive touchscreen, and built-in Wi-Fi. Performance is snappy, with the camera powering on and shooting in under a second, alongside a quick 4.7 frames per second continuous shooting speed for JPEGs. Physically, it boasts a solid all-magnesium-and-aluminum body, a bright electronic viewfinder, and fluidly operating mechanical lens rings. However, the camera has notable drawbacks, primarily a significant susceptibility to moiré artifacts that require heavy post-processing to correct. The JPEG images receive minimal processing, meaning they look quite grainy starting at ISO 6400, and the highest ISO settings can introduce distracting horizontal sensor lines. From a design perspective, the body lacks a built-in grip—making a separate accessory purchase necessary for secure single-handed shooting—and it lacks dust or weather sealing. Furthermore, continuous autofocus during video recording is easily distracted, the panorama...

Despite its strengths, the camera has notable drawbacks, particularly its short battery life, which often yields fewer than the claimed 300 shots per charge and can drain even when the camera is powered off. A major handling omission is the lack of a dedicated physical Live View or view button to easily disable the rear LCD screen, forcing users to navigate the menus inside the viewfinder instead. The concentric on/off switch is overly sensitive and prone to accidentally slipping from single to continuous shooting mode. Furthermore, file management is burdensome because the camera forces a compulsory sidecar system—saving uncompressed 43.1MB DNG files alongside JPEG files rather than DNG alone—and hides its monochrome mode deep within the JPEG saturation menu. Finally, the lens mechanism exhibits an alarming but harmless internal rattle when the camera is turned off, and the physical diopter control dial moves out of alignment too easily.

In this PetaPixel review, photographer Alex Cornell shares his experience testing the Leica Q during a trip to Barcelona and Mallorca, praising it as a highly capable companion camera. The camera's main pros lie in its streamlined design, incredible tonal output, and physical hardware controls, such as the tactile aperture ring and shutter speed knob, which make manual shooting highly engaging. Cornell highlights the outstanding image quality, noting beautiful bokeh at f/1.7 and a unique, "painterly" rendering of colors, skin tones, and water. Additionally, the fixed 28mm lens forces more thoughtful compositions, the clean menu interface is exceptionally user-friendly, the long-lasting battery easily covers a full day of active shooting, and the robust DNG files offer great editing flexibility in Lightroom. However, the reviewer details notable cons regarding the camera's limitations, particularly its lackluster video mode, which suffers from rapid autofocus wobbling, aggressive in-camera sharpening, and a lack of 24fps frame rate options. The fixed 28mm focal length also introduces compositional constraints, restricting variety when shooting vast landscapes and making it impossible to capture compressed, tight frames that would otherwise...

The Leica Q (Typ 116) is a highly capable full-frame travel camera featuring a fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens and a 24.2-megapixel sensor. Tested extensively over six months across Asia, the camera delivers exceptional, film-like image quality with remarkable color rendition and usable high ISO performance up to 10,000. Its standout features include a blazing-fast autofocus system, a silent electronic shutter allowing for wide-open shooting in broad daylight, and an incredibly satisfying manual focus ring engaged via an ingenious locking tab. The minimalist interface largely lives on the lens itself, allowing the photographer to focus on shooting without menu diving, while the surprisingly stable companion mobile app facilitates quick wireless image transfers. Despite its high praise, the reviewer notes several distinct shortcomings that compromise its otherwise rugged, block-of-metal feel. The most significant drawback is the lack of weather sealing, creating constant anxiety when shooting in rain or humidity. Additionally, the camera cannot be charged via USB, forcing travelers to pack a bulky external wall charger. Other design flaws include a laggy, imprecise touch screen, flimsy plastic compartment doors, an unmappable...

The Trusted Reviews evaluation of the Leica Q (Typ 116) highlights the full-frame compact as a high-tier camera with an exceptional fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens, superb optical image stabilization, and an intuitive, tactile manual experience. Performance is characterized by beautiful image quality and robust construction, distinguishing it from earlier rebranded models. Conversely, the review notes significant limitations, specifically mentioning poor video capabilities lacking 4K or 24fps, the lack of an external mic jack, and the restriction of a fixed focal length. Furthermore, the high £2,900 retail price, while considered fair by Leica standards, serves as a barrier to entry.

The Leica Q is a highly capable, fixed 28mm f/1.7 lens companion camera that delivers professional-quality images with an incredibly simple, low-profile shooting experience. During a week-long trip to Spain, the reviewer found using the camera to be an absolute joy, praising its sleek, user-friendly menu design and intuitive physical hardware controls, such as the tactile aperture and shutter speed rings. Key strengths include its distinct "painterly" tonal output, excellent low-light bokeh performance, a long-lasting battery, and highly flexible DNG raw files that allow for heavy editing in Lightroom. Additionally, its automatic exposure bracketing pairs seamlessly with post-processing software to easily generate high-quality HDR images. However, the camera has notable limitations, particularly its video mode, which produces subpar results due to severe in-camera sharpening, limited frame rates, and a rapid, erratic autofocus wobble. The fixed 28mm focal length forces the photographer to move around significantly to compose shots, which restricts visual variety and makes capturing vast landscapes or tight, compressed frames impossible without a zoom lens. Despite these compromises and a steep price tag, the reviewer notes that the Leica...

The Leica Q (Typ 116) is a fixed-lens, full-frame compact digital camera featuring a 24-megapixel sensor paired with a permanently attached 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens. In terms of performance, the camera delivers outstanding image quality with crazy sharp results even when shot wide open at f/1.7, producing excellent bokeh, high contrast, and great background separation. It marks Leica's first digital full-frame camera to incorporate autofocus, which is highly reliable, fast, and accurate even in dimly lit conditions like concert environments. The overall build quality is exceptionally robust, minimalist, and outclasses rivals like Fujifilm and Olympus, featuring a smooth manual focus ring, a tactile aperture ring, a gorgeous high-resolution electronic viewfinder, and a dead-silent shutter. Additionally, the incorporation of a leaf shutter enables lightning-fast flash sync speeds up to 1/2000s, while its built-in macro mode allows users to focus down to a close 17cm.

The Leica Q Typ 116 is an exceptionally fast, well-built mirrorless camera featuring a 24.2MP full-frame sensor and a fixed 28mm Summilux F1.7 ASPH lens. The camera earns high praise for its magnesium housing and solid aluminum top plate, alongside a near-silent mechanical leaf shutter that minimizes vibration and operates up to 1/2000 of a second. Performance is blazingly quick, delivering lightning-fast autofocus that remains highly accurate in dim lighting, a 10 fps burst mode, and a highly responsive menu system. Optically, the lens produces incredibly sharp images even at F1.7, rendered with smooth bokeh, natural colors, and outstanding three-dimensional depth. Additional highlights include a class-leading, lag-free 3.68 MP electronic viewfinder (EVF), a smooth and physical manual focus system with a dedicated focus tab and distance markings, and an innovative macro mode ring that mechanically flips to reveal macro-specific distance scales. On the downside, the reviewer acknowledges that the premium $4,250 price tag is high, though it remains somewhat competitive when factoring in that its main rival, the Sony RX1r, requires a pricey external EVF. The camera's fixed 28mm focal...

Leica Q Review Summary However, the camera has notable limitations, starting with a premium price tag of £3500–£3700 and a fixed focal length that may feel too wide for some users. Performance drawbacks include an insufficient buffer that clogs up after only 12 images during 10fps burst shooting, a single card slot, and very average battery life coupled with an inaccurate three-bar power indicator. From an operational standpoint, the camera lacks a flip-up screen, offers poor touch-to-focus integration when paired with other focusing methods, and provides highly restricted button customisation options. Furthermore, the lens exhibits a fair amount of distortion, and shooting at high ISOs (3200 and above) can introduce visible noise and banding if the shadows are lifted significantly in post-processing.

The original Leica Q (Typ 116) is highly praised as a premier full-frame, all-in-one digital camera that masterfully combines a 24.2MP CMOS sensor with a permanently attached Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH lens. A standout feature is its fast and accurate contrast-detect autofocus system, which includes face detection and tracking alongside an impressive continuous shooting speed of 10 frames per second. Photographers benefit from its versatile physical handling, which features a mechanical leaf shutter capable of silent shooting up to 1/2000s, an electronic shutter extending up to 1/16,000s, a dedicated macro ring that adjusts distance markings, and optical image stabilization (OIS). Furthermore, it features an intuitive physical control layout, an exceptional electronic viewfinder (EVF), a touch screen, and a useful 35mm and 50mm in-camera crop mode that preserves uncropped RAW files. Despite its premium build and high "wow factor," the camera does present a few compromises. Its 28mm fixed focal length requires street photographers to physically move closer to their subjects, which can be a drawback for those who prefer standard 50mm lenses. On the hardware side, it lacks any formal...

The Leica Q is a highly praised full-frame compact camera that expertly bridges the gap between modern mirrorless systems and Leica's classic M-rangefinder heritage. Designed in Wetzlar, its standout pros include a superb fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens with intuitive manual and macro rings, lightning-fast contrast-based autofocus, and a brilliant 3.68 million-dot built-in electronic viewfinder. Photographers will also appreciate its clean, minimalist control layout, high ISO performance that remains impressively clean at 3200 and 6400, and a clever digital zoom feature that utilizes 35mm and 50mm frame lines to aid composition. Furthermore, the camera's mechanical shutter is whisper-quiet, and its electronic shutter extends speeds up to 1/16000s, making it an exceptional tool for street photography. However, the reviewer highlights several notable cons, most significantly the absolute lack of a dedicated physical Live View or view toggle button, forcing users to dive into menus to switch between the screen and viewfinder. Battery life is another weakness, often falling short of the claimed 300 shots and draining even when the camera is powered down. Additionally, the camera forces a compulsory JPEG file...

Here is a summary of the Leica Typ 116 Q and Q-P review: Review Summary The Leica Q (and its stealthier, matte-finish counterpart, the Q-P) is a full-frame, fixed-lens compact camera featuring a 24-megapixel sensor and an integrated 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens. The reviewer praises the camera for its exceptional optical quality, noting a beautiful balance between sharpness, bokeh, and color rendition that stands out even against higher-resolution modern cameras. Key design pros include a highly intuitive physical handling system with an aperture ring and finger tab on the lens for seamless macro or manual focus transitions, a gorgeous electronic viewfinder (EVF), and highly flexible RAW (DNG) files that yield excellent post-processing results. The 49-point autofocus system, while older, is reliable enough to confidently capture everyday moments and erratic subjects like children playing. However, the camera shows its age regarding technical performance and processing speed. A major con is the outdated buffer system, which lacks support for fast UHS-II or XQD memory cards, causing noticeable delays and file-writing lag when utilising the camera’s 10 frames-per-second continuous shooting mode. Additionally, the...

The Leica Q is a premium, full-frame compact camera featuring a fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux ASPH lens and a 24-megapixel CMOS sensor that delivers exceptional, Leica-characteristic image quality. Tested during a weekend trip to New York City, the camera stands out for its high-utility physical layout, tactile rubberized grip, and a built-in, ultra-high-resolution 3.68 million-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) that provides a virtually lag-free experience. Its exposure system utilizes a highly intuitive dual-A position ring configuration for quick swapping between manual, aperture priority, and shutter priority modes. While the premium $4,250 price tag is steep, it positions the camera as a compelling built-in EVF alternative to its primary competitor, the Sony RX1. However, the fixed focal length acts as a major limitation for photographers who prefer a tighter telephoto reach, rendering the built-in digital cropping feature (down to 35mm and 50mm) somewhat gimmicky due to the resulting drop in JPEG resolution. The reviewer notes several functional quirks, including a flush, non-articulated rear touch LCD screen that limits high- and low-angle shooting. Additionally, the initial firmware exhibits an aggressive auto-exposure program algorithm...

The DPReview opinion piece highlights the Leica Q (Typ 116) as a compelling blend of traditional design and modern functionality, featuring a crisp electronic viewfinder, a solid, silent build, and a high-quality fixed 28mm lens, all at a relatively accessible price point for the brand. While the camera out-specs many competitors, the review notes drawbacks, including an imperfect touchscreen, lack of control over touch-sensitive autofocus, and a manual focus ring that, despite being well-damped, lacks absolute mechanical perfection.

In this Medium review, the Leica Q (Typ 116) is praised for its exceptional dynamic range, deep shadow details, and rich color rendering. Key advantages include the sharp, fixed Summilux 28mm f/1.7 lens and a 24MP full-frame sensor that allows for flexible cropping, making it ideal for street photography. Medium ·Tei Hipster Conversely, the review notes limited physical controls and a design that may feel insecure for users with larger hands, often requiring an additional grip. Furthermore, the camera produces highly realistic skin tones, which may not appeal to those seeking vibrant, stylized, "Fuji-style" colors out of the box. Medium ·Tei Hipster

The Leica Q (Typ 116) is an Editors' Choice, high-end compact camera featuring a 24-megapixel full-frame sensor and a fixed Summilux 28mm f/1.7 stabilized lens. It is praised for its rapid 10fps shooting, fast autofocus, 3.68-million-dot electronic viewfinder, and robust build. Drawbacks highlighted by PCMag include a high $4,250 launch price and a relatively heavy 1.4-pound body. Additionally, the camera lacks a built-in flash, omits 24fps video recording, and features a sometimes awkward touch-screen interface, making it a specialized tool for wide-angle photographers.

The ePHOTOzine review highlights the Leica Q (Typ 116) as a premium, highly responsive compact featuring a solid, German-made build and a 24-megapixel sensor paired with an exceptionally sharp 28mm f/1.7 lens. Key strengths include rapid performance, an intuitive control layout, and a high-resolution 3.68-million-dot electronic viewfinder. However, the camera lacks weather-sealed protection and features a slippery grip, while its default image processing tends toward soft, under-exposed files with muted colors that often require post-processing. Although considered reasonable value due to the high cost of the lens alone, it remains an expensive, luxurious purchase, with its and color rendition sometimes requiring adjustment.

Leica Q Review Summary The Leica Q (codenamed "Hemingway") is an innovative, high-performance, full-frame compact camera equipped with a fixed 28mm f1.7 Summilux lens and an in-house design by Vincent Laine. It is highly praised for its rapid less-than-a-second startup time, exceptionally fast autofocus, and traditional manual controls that mimic the classic Leica M system, including an intuitive macro-mode ring that shifts the distance scale on the lens barrel. The 24-megapixel CMOS sensor delivers excellent corner-to-corner sharpness, high micro-contrast, and impressive low-light performance that notably outpaces competitors like the Sony A7 II at ISO 1600 and above. Additionally, it features an automatic electronic shutter expanding up to 1/8000 second and a clever "Digital Frame Selector" mode that allows users to frame shots with 35mm and 50mm framelines while retaining full-frame DNG raw files. Despite its standout performance, the review highlights a few notable drawbacks. The built-in high-resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF) is described as slightly too contrasty for the reviewer's personal taste. In terms of build and design, the camera is a bit larger and heavier than its main competitor, the...

The Leica Q is a highly acclaimed, full-frame fixed-lens compact camera featuring a tack-sharp 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens with built-in stabilization and an innovative macro ring that shifts the focus scale seamlessly. Designed by Vincent Laine, its matte black aesthetic and rounded ends heavily mimic the iconic ergonomics and layout of classic Leica M rangefinders while remaining 100g lighter. The camera boasts a remarkably clean physical layout with minimal clutter, a straightforward four-page menu system, and a exceptionally fast contrast-based autofocus system that excels even in low light. For manual shooting, it provides an outstanding electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 3.68 million dots and simulates a mechanical rangefinder experience through specialized frame lines for 35mm and 50mm digital cropping modes. Despite its overwhelming praise, the camera possesses several distinct drawbacks. Its most prominent hardware flaws include a short battery life that struggles to hit its optimistic 300-shot rating, and the glaring omission of a physical viewfinder toggle button, forcing users to navigate menus through the EVF to switch display modes. On the software side, the camera forces a mandatory combination of...

The Leica Q is an excellent, compact full-frame travel camera that stands out for its exceptional image quality and user-friendly features. Designed for photographers who prefer a fast, modern workflow, it features a 24-megapixel CMOS sensor, a highly efficient contrast-based autofocus system, and an integrated 3.68-megapixel electronic viewfinder that offers 50% higher resolution than the Leica M10’s optional Visoflex accessory. Its standout advantages include a fast continuous shooting speed of 10 frames per second, native HD video recording capabilities, and a dedicated macro photography mode that allows users to capture close-ups from as near as 30 centimetres without needing expensive adapters. Furthermore, it is a highly economical and lightweight alternative to Leica's rangefinder lineup; the camera body with its fixed lens is significantly smaller, 9mm slimmer, and less than a third of the combined price of an M10 paired with an equivalent 28mm lens. Despite these strengths, the Leica Q has notable downsides rooted in its fixed-lens design and aging technology lifecycle. Its primary limitation is the fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens, an unconventional focal length for fixed-lens compacts that...

The Leica Q stands out as a highly responsive, fixed-lens compact camera featuring a 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens that delivers breathtaking, cinematic image quality with remarkable sharpness, rich contrast, and vivid, natural colors directly from its raw DNG files. Its autofocus system is exceptionally fast, accurate, and reliable, easily outperforming competitor mirrorless systems. Users will also appreciate the incredibly quiet leaf shutter, which is ideal for discrete street photography, alongside surprisingly strong battery life and effective built-in optical image stabilization (OIS) for low-light shooting. However, the camera suffers from several distinct physical and electronic quirks. The traditional LCD panel used in the electronic viewfinder (EVF) makes it completely useless when wearing polarized sunglasses, particularly during vertical shooting, and it suffers from a distracting magenta tint and jerky refresh rates in low-light environments. Furthermore, the Leica Q lacks weather-sealing entirely, does not feature a much-needed tilty-flippy screen to assist with the 28mm focal length's inherent line distortion, lacks an auto-brightness feature for its screens, and relies on an outdated D-pad rather than a modern joystick for selecting focus points.

The Leica Q (Typ 116) is highly praised as a simple, portable, and exceptional reportage and street camera that strips away complex menu settings to let the photographer focus entirely on the subject. Thorsten Overgaard highlights its fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens as a standout feature, aligning with Leica’s stellar historical tradition of producing high-quality wide-angle glass. The camera's central leaf shutter renders it entirely silent, allowing handheld shooting at low shutter speeds down to 1/8 second without internal camera shake. Additional strong points include an incredibly fast autofocus system, excellent low-light capability maximizing up to a realistic 6,400 ISO, a brilliant integrated electronic viewfinder (EVF) that mirrors the final exposure, and an elegant macro mode that changes the lens scale to focus as close as 17 cm. The DNG raw files are highly praised for their elasticity and ease of direct, classic black-and-white conversion. However, the review details several notable design flaws and operational drawbacks. The diopter adjustment wheel on the right side of the viewfinder lacks a lock, meaning it is easily bumped and blurred by clothing when...