2nd gen 35mmFF & SUMMILUX on LEICA Q2

A review and Photo example of the LEICA Q2

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Review
Specification and more
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Gallery

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1．Overview

The LEICA Q2 is a compact digital camera with a 35mm full-frame sensor, a SUMMILUX 28mm F1.7 lens, and a 3.68 million dot EVF released by Leica in 2019.

Detailed specifications are listed in the table, but the main specifications are as follows.

47.3 megapixels, 35mm full-frame sensor
SUMMILUX 28mm F1.7 lens
3.68 million dot OLED viewfinder
Rear display 3.0 inches (fixed) 1.04 million dots
Minimum shooting distance 0.17m in macro mode
Battery BP-SCL4
Filter diameter 49mm

A normal evolution of the Leica Q, there are no major changes other than the increased pixel count, and there is a monochrome sensor Q2 Monochrome as a camera variation. There is no Q2-P model for the Q2.

2．Usability

The LEICA Q2’s rendering is that of the LEICA Q with more pixels, and when I reduce the size of an image taken with the Q2, it’s hard to tell the difference from the Q.

The lens is almost the same as the Leica Q, and this Summilux 28mm F1.7 is of a quality that can stand up to 47 megapixels.

The DNG data created by the 47 megapixel sensor is about 85MB, so you will need to prepare a reasonable amount of disk space to store the captured data.

The body part has the same basic functions as the M10-R, except that it does not have a rangefinder, and the selling price including the Summilux lens that can get as close as 0.3m is quite a bargain if your shooting needs are suitable.

My impression from using it is that the autofocus loss of focus phenomenon that was seen with the Leica Q has been experienced to a certain extent even with the LEICA Q2, so you should not completely trust the autofocus and should shoot while checking the focus position with the EVF.

The EVF has the same pixel count and the display panel has changed to OLED, but I did not feel that it has evolved significantly compared to the Leica Q’s viewfinder.
The EVF diopter adjustment dial has been improved, and now you push the dial on the button to change it, and push it back after the change. This is a good improvement as it prevents accidental diopter changes, but if they’re going to improve it anyway, I think it would be smart to adjust it internally in the menu like the Hasselblad X2D.
As long as the same photographer continues to use it, the diopter adjustment of the EVF is not something that needs to be changed repeatedly.

The Q2’s image crop function has been expanded to three types, 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm, with the increase in pixel count to 47 megapixels, but the results of cropping to a specified size are still limited to JPEG images, and the method of recording Raw images at full size 28mm remains unchanged from the Leica Q.

The lens has an image stabilization mechanism, so camera shake was rarely an issue even with the high pixel count.
The battery has been changed to BP-SCL4, which is a good point as it is compatible with the Leica SL series, and the battery capacity is larger than the BP-DC12 of the Leica Q, so the number of shots has increased, which is a good point. However, the BP-SCL4 battery has the disadvantage that it is difficult to obtain a compatible battery, so if you buy the genuine product, it is expensive, but the price does not seem to be an issue for users who buy this camera.

The simple appearance makes it easy to dress up, and you can use it with your favorite appearance such as leather case, grip, thumb rest, and optional hood. It is unfortunate that the battery model number has changed from Q to Q2 to Q3, but the external dimensions have been maintained, and it is good that the exterior-related options can be reused.

For the lens hood, I used the square lens hood “LIM’S LEICA Q2/Q Aluminum LENS HOOD” released by LIM’S Design. This is a hood that screws in after removing the cosmetic ring that comes with the camera, and it is worth the price as it is of the same quality as the genuine product, and I used it until I gave up my LEICA Q2.

3．Summary

In conclusion, to sum up the LEICA Q2, it is a successor camera with improved performance from the LEICA Q typ116.

When using this camera for everyday use, 47 megapixel data feels excessive, and the 24 megapixels of the Q typ116 felt sufficient, so the benefit of the increased pixel count was hardly felt. If I had to say something, it would be that when cropping, there are more pixels remaining, so there is more room to cut out the image.

Specifications, considerations, etc.

The LEICA Q series will be released with the LEICA Q3, which has evolved steadily since the Q2 introduced four years ago. The Q3 retains the lens specifications from the previous camera, but the basic performance has been improved by increasing the pixel count to 60 million, increasing the pixel count of the EVF, and adopting a movable LCD.

The LEICA Q3-43, which is equipped with an APO-Summicron with a focal length of 43 mm, was also released in 2024.

However, as a fan of wide-angle lenses, I would have liked to see a 21mm or 24mm focal length added to the lens lineup if it were to be expanded. The telephoto side can be easily handled with the crop function, but physical measures such as attaching a wide converter are required to expand the wide-angle side. In that case, I think that a camera equipped with a wide-angle lens from the start would be more versatile.

The Q3 series has a 60MP sensor, but the triple resolution technology introduced in the LEICA M11 allows for pixel synthesis from the 60MP to record at 36MP or 18MP, and a function has been added to change the recording resolution depending on the shooting purpose.

The Q series cameras are the same size, but the batteries are different for each model. The BP-DC12 of the original Q is square and not compatible with the batteries of subsequent cameras, but the BP-SL4 used in the LEICA Q2 and the BP-SL6 used in the LEICA Q3 have the same shape but different battery capacities. Also, it is said that a warning is displayed when the BP-SL4 is attached to a camera compatible with the BP-SL6, which suggests that a chip that determines the battery type is built in.

Items	LEICA Q	LEICA Q2	LEICA Q3	LEICA Q3-43
Lens name	SUMMILUX	SUMMILUX	SUMMILUX	APO SUMMICRON
Lens construction	9 groups, 11 elements, 3 aspherical lenses	9 groups, 11 elements, 3 aspherical lenses	9 groups, 11 elements, 3 aspherical lenses	11 elements in 8 groups, 7 aspherical lenses
Focal length	28	28	28	43
Max aperture	1.7	1.7	1.7	2
Min aperture	16	16	16	16
Min distance	0.3cm～∞ 0.17cm～∞(macro)	0.3cm～∞ 0.17cm～∞(macro)	0.3cm～∞ 0.17cm～∞(macro)	0.6~∞ 0.265~0.6
	35/50	35/50/75	35/50/75/90	60/75/90/120/150
Effective pixels(Megapixels)	24.2	47.3	60.3	60.3
Sensor size	35mm full frame	35mm full frame	35mm full frame	35mm full frame
View finder	3.68 million dots LCD	3.68 million dots OLED	5.76 million dots OLED	5.76 million dots OLED
Rear LCD	3.0 inch (fixed) 1.04 million dots	3.0 inch (fixed) 1.04 million dots	3.0 inch (tilt) 1.62 million dots	3.0 inch (tilt) 1.62 million dots
Mechanical Shutter speed	30～1/2000 sec	60～1/2000 sec	120～1/2000 sec	120～1/2000 sec
Electric Shutter speed	1/2500～1/16000 sec	1～1/40000 sec	1秒～1/16000 sec	1秒～1/16000 sec
Filter Size	49	49	49	49
Battery	BP-DC12	BP-SCL4	BP-SCL6	BP-SCL6
Wireless charge	–	–	○ 10W charging pad required	○ 10W charging pad required
Recorded Media	SDXC	SDXC	SDXC	SDXC
Size(mm) W x H x D	130 × 80 × 93	130 × 80 × 91.9	130 × 80.3 × 92.6	130 × 80.3 × 92.6
Weight (g) (with battery)	640	718	743	793
Release date	2015.6.20	2019.4.16	2023.5.26	2024.9.27
Body color	Black, silver,titanium, safari,etc	Black	Black	Black

Options

Thumb rest: 19543
Protector: 19566(B), 19567(BR), 19568(R), 19569(P)
Hand grip: 19540
Holster case: 19577

Reference links

Update history

2025.7.21
2025.3.22
2024.04.24
2023.0802

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