I bought a Leica Q3-43. Really?? Really.

It was not a well considered decision. I did not even know about the camera and that Leica was about to develop a Q with a “normal” 43 mm lens. I did not search for information about it. It just happened.

YouTube’s algorithm in its wisdom sent me a link to Hugh Brownstone’s “3 Blind Men and an Elephant” review of a new Leica Q camera with a lens that realizes exactly the angle of view of the human eye. So what?

Hugh praised the camera. He applauded Leica. He ordered the camera. He triggered his audience. And he triggered me. I took a look at the first few online reviews of the camera (it turned out it had been delivered to retailers just 3 days before I read for the first time about it). They were stellar. The only downside was the usual one that the price is….. astronomical.

I own a Leica Q2 that I bought during Covid 4 years ago. And I love it. And I wrote about it. And I used it a lot. And I also don’t like 50mm lenses. Somehow they don’t seem to fulfill my eyes’ and brains need for a “normal lens”. I cannot even exactly say why, but I never felt entirely comfortable using a 50mm lens. For portraits until now I clearly preferred my Nikon 85mm f/1.8 lens.

And now a camera with a 43 mm lens, a compact size and a moderate weight. Improved autofocus. And a f/2 lens who’s pictures look more like a f/1.4 lens. Said the reports.

24 hours later I had ordered one from the Leica Store in Sydney. 2 days later it arrived at the post office around the corner. I will not describe in any detail how Australian Mail’s parcel Service “Starship” fucked up the one workday delivery of this camera. They have 99% bad reviews for their service. I completely understand why. But that only as a side line.

Now, 2 weeks and 1000 pictures later, I am a fan of the Leica Q3. It is amazing. The pictures are stunning. They have a sharpness not for shapness’s sake but to deliver a nearly 3 D like picture that is just amazing. The pictures have a microcontrast that is absolutely fabulous. I am using this term “microcontrast” because I have no better way of describing it. The pictures pop, they look gorgeous, have a beautiful colour rendering and are just fantastic. And 43mm seem to be for me a more acceptable lens width that I feel more comfortable with.

I am not a Leica fanboy. I use cameras in order to achieve a good result. I want files that I can edit without fearing that they fall digitally apart. I want a camera that I can use everyday and that enables me to shoot portraits, street work, landscapes, sunset, sunrises, macros and motion blur pictures alike. This is a camera that provides all that in one piece.

And I know that a good camera does not turn me into a better photographer. But it gives me the freedom of having a device that is not in my way when it comes to shooting and editing pictures. A device that does what I want it to do. And where technical limitations are not the reason for pictures that don’t look good (it is my own photographic ability that is the limiting factor; that is a good reason to try to grow).

Do we “need” a Leica Q3 camera for an exorbitant retail price? Definitely not! Do we have alternative cameras for a much more moderate price? Absolutely yes. Nikon’s Z8 is a great example. Is it a joy to use the Leica Q3-43 and to regard the results of those attempts? Yes and yes again.

I bought it. I use it. I love it.

I will write again about it after some more months.