Leica Q3 43 Review | 108 Data compared

The Leica Q3 43, earning an 89% score and Gold Award from DPReview, features a specialized 43mm f/2 lens that offers exceptional image quality and a natural field of view. Key strengths include superb corner-to-corner sharpness, IP52 weather sealing, and a robust 60MP sensor, positioning it as a premium "normal" lens alternative to wider compact cameras. Conversely, the review notes that the camera’s video capabilities and autofocus, while adequate, do not match the elite performance of its photographic features. With a high price point near £5,900, the Leica Q3 43 is considered a specialized, luxury tool rather than a versatile, cost-effective option for all photographers.

The Leica Q3 43 features a magnificent fixed 43mm APO-Summicron f/2.0 ASPH lens that elevates the camera series to a new level of organic, natural image quality. A standout pro is its exceptional optical sharpness across the entire frame, which performs flawlessly even when using heavy digital crops up to 150mm. The camera also introduces convenient physical features like a tilting touch screen, USB-C on-the-go charging, and highly reliable Intelligent Auto Focus (iAF) for portraits. Furthermore, the 43mm focal length effectively matches the natural size proportions of human sight, making it highly intuitive for street and documentary photography. On the downside, the camera suffers from a few notable design limitations and software flaws. A major physical con is the tight square lens shade, which leaves zero space to attach standard filters. Mechanically, the electronic viewfinder (EVF) suffers from a disjointed focal plane that requires an intricate, multi-step adjustment process just to make the image preview look sharp. Additionally, the straight out-of-camera monochrome JPEGs are quite disappointing, yielding thin skin tones and washed-out reds that require photographers to process raw DNG...

The Leica Q3 43 features a 60MP full-frame sensor and a standout 43mm APO-Summicron f/2 ASPH lens, delivering exceptional image quality, detail, and a tactile shooting experience with robust construction. Additional pros include a high-quality electronic viewfinder and useful "Leica Looks" for creative JPEGs. Conversely, the review notes the camera carries an extremely high price tag and features a rear screen that only tilts, lacking full articulation. While raw files are superb, the camera's default JPEG output is considered subpar without using specialized profiles.

The Leica Q3 43 is reviewed as an outstanding fixed-lens, full-frame travel and everyday camera, primarily distinguished by its premium APO-Summicron 43mm f/2.0 lens. This high-end optics system is highly praised for offering a focal length that closely matches the natural human field of view, making it near-perfect for portraiture and general street photography. Key advantages outlined in the review include superb image quality, near-perfect ergonomics when paired with the optional wireless charging hand grip, and a lightweight, compact design. The premium lens alone is noted as a strong justification for the camera's high retail price of USD 7,380. However, the review details several notable downsides, particularly concerning its usability as a video tool. Even though the camera supports up to 8K resolution video, it completely lacks a microphone input, forcing creators to rely on the built-in stereo mic or an external recorder. Additionally, the bottom plate layout restricts usability, as attaching any tripod plate or the official Leica hand grip completely blocks physical access to the battery compartment and the single SD card slot. Finally, the camera's autofocus and...

The ⁠Leica Q3 43 is an exceptionally high-quality, fixed-lens, full-frame digital camera featuring a 60MP sensor paired with a built-in 43mm f/2 APO lens. Designed as a premium, highly refined "point-and-shoot," it truly excels in straight-out-of-camera image production. Outstanding pros include its remarkably sharp APO-corrected lens that keeps colour fringing to a minimum, stellar native JPEG colour profiles (specifically the "Contemporary" and "Greg Williams" modes), an addictive digital crop mode, a highly functional seamless macro mode, and a highly versatile 43mm focal length that sits in a unique middle ground to encourage intimate storytelling. However, despite the stunning overall image files, several day-to-day handling constraints ultimately led the reviewer to sell the device. Key cons highlighted are the loss of dedicated pinpoint AF following a firmware update, a loose macro focus ring that can easily be turned by accident, sluggish startup and shutdown times, autofocus hunting or failing altogether in low-light conditions, mediocre battery life, and fussy 49mm filter compatibility with the hood. Furthermore, massive 60MP file sizes quickly drain computer storage, and the body lacks the robust, mechanical tactile...

Leica Q3 43 Review Summary The Leica Q3 43 is a highly capable, premium compact camera featuring a new 43mm APO-Summicron lens that offers a narrower field of view than the traditional 28mm Q-series models. This focal length is highly praised by street photographers who prefer maintaining a comfortable distance from subjects while achieving excellent image separation and beautiful background bokeh. Key strengths (pros) include its exceptional sharpness, rapid autofocus featuring reliable Eye/Face/Body detection, and strong auto-exposure capabilities. The camera also features a highly useful extendable rear LCD display that allows for discreet framing, a dedicated Macro lens mode, and an effective electronic shutter that handles high speeds when shooting wide open at f/2 or f/2.8. On the downside (cons), the reviewer notes that the Leica Q3 43 is a very pricey investment. A specific hardware limitation was identified regarding the macro lens mode, which cannot be selected when a filter is attached to the lens due to physical interference with the included lens hood. Additionally, the reviewer points out that using shooting techniques like "shooting from the hip" requires...

The Leica Q3 43 proves to be an exceptional travel companion, as demonstrated during Jonathan Slack’s walking holiday in Crete, where its standout feature is the incredibly sharp, APO-designed 43mm lens. This focal length offers superior subject isolation and a lovely, smooth bokeh that excels at portrait and detail photography compared to the wider 28mm lens of the standard Q3. Paired with a powerful 60-megapixel sensor, the camera delivers remarkable "croppability," making even the 90mm digital crop perfectly usable for everyday photography without compromising too much resolution. Additionally, the reviewer praises the significantly improved WiFi and cable connectivity with the Leica Fotos app, which allows for seamless mobile image management, culling, and reliable geotagging directly on an iPad. However, the camera and its ecosystem come with a few notable drawbacks. While the autofocus system features effective face and animal tracking, its overall speed still does not quite match the top-tier performance of competitors like Sony or Nikon. The camera's macro magnification capabilities also remain limited, restricting the maximum aperture to f/2.8 when shooting in macro mode, identical to the standard...

The Leica Q3 43 is a premier, full-frame fixed-lens compact camera featuring an exceptional 60-megapixel sensor paired with a newly designed 43mm f/2 APO-Summicron lens, offering a natural perspective close to the human eye. It is highly praised for delivering outstanding image sharpness across the frame even when shooting wide open, robust weatherproofing (IP52 rating), a clean and unbloated user interface, and an excellent 5.76-million-dot electronic viewfinder. Furthermore, its leaf shutter operates discretely and allows for incredibly fast flash sync speeds up to 1/2000 of a second, while the built-in optical image stabilisation effectively counters the high-resolution sensor's sensitivity to camera shake. However, the camera comes with a substantial luxury price tag of approximately $6,900 / £5,900 and lacks the versatile autofocus capabilities, larger ergonomic grip, and lens-swapping flexibility of cheaper rival setups like the Sony A7R V or A7C R. Key functional limitations include a single SD card slot, slow sensor readout speeds that introduce heavy rolling shutter distortion in 4K/8k video and electronic shutter panning, and a hesitant continuous autofocus tracking system. Additionally, it lacks an internal ND...

The Leica Q3 43 is a premium fixed-lens compact camera featuring a 60.3MP full-frame CMOS sensor paired with a new Leica APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH lens, a focal length that closely mimics the natural perspective of the human eye. Key advantages of this camera include its sublime, detail-rich image quality and excellent build quality, which incorporates a dust and water-resistant metal body with a dark grey textured front. Additionally, its massive 60MP resolution allows for highly functional digital crop modes ranging from 60mm up to 150mm; since the camera saves non-permanent crops in its raw DNG files, users retain full framing flexibility during post-processing. On the downside, the camera is incredibly expensive with a retail price of $6,895, making it the most costly fixed-lens compact on the market. Ergonomics are another notable flaw, as the lack of a molded built-in grip makes the heavy metal body uncomfortable to hold for long periods without buying an optional accessory. Furthermore, its autofocus capabilities lag behind mainstream competitors like Sony or Canon, particularly with wider subject tracking and twitchy performance during 4K and...

In this long-term review, Jonathan Slack highlights the Leica Q3 43 as a highly successful evolution of Leica’s fixed-lens compact lineup, transitioning from the traditional 28mm wide-angle focal length to a more natural 43mm APO-Summicron f/2 ASPH lens. The core focus of his evaluation praises the 43mm focal length, which matches the diagonal of a full-frame sensor and mirrors the human eye perspective, making it immensely versatile for portraits and street photography. The standout pros center around the camera's phenomenal 60-megapixel sensor combined with an incredibly sharp lens that produces creamy bokeh reminiscent of high-end M APO lenses. This massive resolution gives photographers greater cropping potential—retaining a robust 20MP file even when cropped to a 75mm equivalent—while delivering more precise control over depth of field compared to the standard Q3 model. Additionally, Slack commends the blistering speed of file transfers via the Leica FOTOS app and the inclusion of a convenient macro mode. However, the camera comes with minor functional cons and trade-offs that buyers should consider before upgrading. Most notably, choosing the 43mm focal length means completely losing the...

The Leica Q3 43 is a luxury, fixed-focal-length camera priced at $6,895 that stands out primarily for its new 43mm f/2 APO-Summicron lens, shifting the series away from wide-angle territory into a more natural "normal" perspective ideal for street photography and portraits. Built around the exact same 60-megapixel full-frame body as the original Q3, the camera offers excellent center sharpness even wide open at f/2, great flare resistance, pleasing bokeh, and a grey leatherette finish. Its mechanical leaf shutter allows for exceptionally fast flash sync speeds up to 1/2000 of a second, which makes shooting environmental portraits on bright, sunny days effortless without the need for neutral density filters. Furthermore, the high-resolution sensor gives users the flexibility to utilize digital cropping modes down to a 150mm equivalent field of view while retaining a functional level of detail. However, because the body remains identical to its predecessor, it inherits all of the previous model's performance flaws. The camera suffers from poor continuous autofocus tracking that exhibits significant screen pulsing and a loss of display sharpness while focusing. Video performance is equally...

The Leica Q3 43 is a full-frame fixed-lens compact camera featuring a unique 43mm f/2 APO-Summicron lens, a focal length that mirrors the diagonal of a full-frame sensor to deliver highly natural, human-eye-like perspectives. It utilizes the same premium 60-megapixel BSI CMOS triple-resolution sensor and Maestro IV processor as its 28mm sibling, allowing photographers to shoot high-quality raw or JPEG files at 60, 36, or 18 megapixels. The camera maintains the highly praised handling of the Q series, including a 3-inch tilting touchscreen LCD, a 5.76 million-dot OLED EVF, an IP52 weather-resistance rating, and seamless compatibility with existing Q3 accessories. Additionally, it supports up to 8K video recording, features advanced subject recognition autofocus, and offers versatile digital cropping options that emulate focal lengths from 43mm up to 150mm without degrading image quality. The primary pro of the Q3 43 is its outstanding apochromatic (APO) lens design, which virtually eliminates chromatic aberrations to produce exceptionally sharp images with excellent dynamic range, even when recovering deep shadow details. It also features a highly useful macro mode that reduces the minimum focusing distance...

The MPB review highlights the Leica Q3 43 as a premium compact featuring a 60-megapixel full-frame sensor and an APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH lens, offering exceptional low-light performance and impressive dynamic range. Key advantages include its quiet, fast autofocus for standard use and excellent image quality, though the camera struggles with subject tracking in fast-paced scenarios due to unpredictable focus shifting. Significant limitations identified include the lack of user-configurable autofocus point pre-selection for tracking, which complicates candid photography. Additionally, the high-resolution 60-megapixel RAW files result in large file sizes that require substantial storage and processing power, making workflow management a consideration.

The Leica Q3 43 is an exceptional compact camera that swaps out the traditional 28mm wide-angle lens of the classic Q3 for a unique APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 lens, matching the diagonal of the full-frame sensor to replicate natural human visual perspective. The review highlights its sensational optical performance, noting that the lens provides incredible sharpness, micro-contrast, and a beautiful, harmonious bokeh without feeling clinically sterile. Additional prominent advantages include the seamlessly implemented manual focus ring mechanism and an effective Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) system that safely permits sharp handheld shots down to 1/8 or 1/15 of a second. However, the reviewer points out several technical and ergonomic drawbacks. A major flaw is the "Filtergate" issue, where the camera's macro mode physically cannot be engaged if a protective filter is attached under the original, shortened lens hood. Mechanically, the aperture ring lacks smooth damping and clicks with a "tinny" feel, while the leaf shutter operates noticeably louder than the original 28mm version. Most notably, the Continuous Autofocus (AF-C) and subject tracking remain effectively unusable due to distracting electronic viewfinder (EVF) jitter...

The Leica Q3 43 is a highly capable alternative to the standard 28mm Q3 model, primarily distinguished by its apochromatic 43mm APO-Summicron f/2 lens. The reviewer notes that this unique focal length provides an incredibly versatile "sweet spot" for everyday shooting, city travel, and portraits without the distortion typical of wider alternatives. Performance-wise, the lens delivers stunning sharpness right into the corners even when shot wide open, effectively eliminating chromatic aberrations. The camera maintains the rapid autofocus, high-resolution sensor, excellent high-ISO capability, and overall exceptional body handling that users expect from the Q3 line. Furthermore, compared to purchasing standalone Leica M-mount APO lenses, the author emphasizes that the Q3 43 offers incredible economic value. However, the review highlights notable design flaws, specifically regarding the standard lens hood. The compact hood configuration completely blocks the camera's macro functionality if a protective lens filter is attached, forcing users to either forgo front-element protection or purchase an expensive €230 accessory circular vented hood. Another criticism is directed at Leica's omission of a dedicated battery charger from the box. While direct USB-C charging works...

This blog post reviews the Leica Q3 43 full-frame compact camera during a live Radiohead concert at London's O2 Arena. The photographer selected this specific camera because venue security rules strictly limit entry to fixed-lens compact models, helping him avoid being turned away or feeling like he was "at work". He praises the camera's high utility for live music, noting that its 43mm focal length provides a tighter crop than standard 28mm or 35mm compact alternatives, effectively bringing the user closer to the stage action. Captured entirely using the built-in "Leica High Contrast B&W Look" jpeg profile, the images showcase the system's excellent low-light performance. This is driven by a bright f/2 APO lens and a highly capable 60MP full-frame sensor that allows for substantial digital cropping without massive quality loss on small screens. While the reviewer deeply loves the camera and calls it a permanent "keeper" for lightweight travel and gig photography, he explicitly notes that the system definitely has its faults. On the downside, because it uses a fixed lens, any tight close-up images are actually digital crops,...