Three months ago, I bought into the Red Dot family by purchasing my first-ever Leica camera, and a week ago, I bought my second one, a used Leica Q, a camera I’ve wanted for so long. After eight days with this camera, I don’t have anything good to say. Now, let’s make this clear right from the start: there’s nothing, and I do mean nothing, wrong with the camera. The Leica Q is amazing, very comfortable in the hand, and the photos from the camera are, as you would expect, perfect. So why have I been struggling with it? I know it’s not the focal length, as I love shooting 28mm. I believe this is going to come down to something so simple. I just don’t feel comfortable or confident using it. This is one of those cases that I’ve written about before. A camera is a very personal thing; you have to bond with it, and I just haven’t bonded with the Q.
So, where do I go from here? Do I just keep it and see what happens, or do I return it to Leica? This isn’t easy to answer. The camera is fantastic to use on the streets; it’s great in low light. I think for me, I thought I’d be able to use it one-handed, and I don’t think that’s the case. Most days, I use a walking stick, and the best way to use the Leica Q is to manually focus it, something I’m just unable to do. I bought the camera so that my wife would also use it when we travel, and again, I’m just not sure it’s right for her.
The camera isn’t as light and discrete as I hoped it would be; people still notice it on the streets. I’ve just spent three days in Sitges, Spain, and I came back with nothing after shooting 80% of my trip with the Leica Q. I missed focus so many times, I couldn’t seem to get the composition right; I really struggled with the damn thing. Maybe just maybe I don’t need it and I should just stick with my SL3-S. This coming Wednesday, I’m heading back to Spain, and I’ll be meeting up with my good friend James, so I’ll see what happens and I’ll make my decision over the next few days.
Below are some of the photos I captured with the Leica Q
