Thanks for that. The Q2 has a deceptively simple user interface but most of everything one needs from a 28mm lens camera is there to be found and used when required. Thanks also for your firmware 5.0 upgrade demonstration video.
You have great instructive intelligence, sir. Meaning you have excellent empathy of what practical knowledge your audience/student seeks and actually provides the answer(s) just before he asks the question. In addition, you answer in a very concise and easy-to-understand language. All brilliant teachers have these qualities but still it’s rather rare to find them in the far majority of teachers/coaches. I have a Leica Q and greatly appreciate your lovely tutorials. Thanks!
This was very interesting and very helpful! It’s a great camera and I appreciate all of your Leica equipment tutorials!!! I visited the Leica Store in Zurich while visiting Switzerland and I mentioned watching your videos to the very nice and helpful staff there! 🙋🏻♂️
Great explanation, thanks very much! There is a little more there, I think. The "problem" with the AE/AF Lock override on this back button is that it only works once (or so it seems). After you take one photo, the shutter button reverts to focusing/AE again. So if you want to take multiple photos in quick succession, without every time locking AE/AF with the back button, and without re-focusing again, it seems that you cannot. The camera re-focuses between the shots. The trick is to keep the shutter button half-pressed between the quick repeated shots. In this way the camera keeps the AE/AF lock you had with the back-button and the shutter just takes the pictures without reverting to focusing again. Once you fully let go of the shutter button, the AE/AF lock with the back button is lost. This takes some getting used to and honestly it is not very convenient at all, especially with the back button being flush with the camera body. I often find myself "hunting" for it ("where is the button?"). But it works. It would be great if you could make a short video about that, perhaps there is even more that I missed - especially how this combination works in different focusing modes, fro quick multiple shots shooting. Many thanks again!
Thanks for explaining the mechanics of these features. Would you consider a follow-on video explaining the practical applications? Why, how often, and in what circumstances would one need to separate exposure metering from focusing?
Hi, the most natural situation where you want to separate focus from light metering occurs if you are in spot metering and the part of the scene where you want to focus on is too far away from the average light in the scene. You then can point the spot metering field to somewhere else in the scene where the camera finds a better light metering reference point, then lock the light metering with the back-button, recompose back to where you wanted to focus, half-press the shutter button for focusing and then taking the shot.
Thanks Gord, the options for customising the back-button are rather limited indeed: its (1) digital zoom, (2) AE-L and AF-L (3), AE-L, and (4) AF-L. Other functions cannot be assigned to this back-button at this point in time. And you can also not choose other functions for this button by long-pressing it - as you can on other functions buttons like the FN-button.
Pleased to see that Leica have made an improvement here by removing the one photo limit to the AF lock. If you assign focus to the zoom button will it continue to focus while pressed in AF-C mode or is it simply a focus lock at the first press point please?
When spot meetering the light source, I have to compensate exposition to place this source as a highlight by +2 + IL, this is easily done by programming also the thumbwheel for exposure compensation.
Thank you for your very useful videos! I have a brand new Q3, and tried to implement af-lock on f1 button and ae-lock on f2 button, but... it doesn't work! You can use only one of this functions a time, you can't simply focus on subject, expose on a middle-gray spot and ricompose... Am I right or there is something I'm doing the wrong way? Bonus: a pity we can't have a true AF-ON button...
I noticed that during the illustration of back button focus with the zoom/lock button the Q2 was in AFs mode. Can this setting be used when the camera is in manual mode?
Dear Mathphotographer I like your videos very much, but where can I found some infos on you personally? I’d like to know who you are and if possible to see your portfolio. I couldn’t find anything on you except that you live in Zurich. But maybe I missed something. Best.
This is still not true back button focus like most other cameras. It is only locked for a single frame. On the second frame the shutter button actively refocuses unless you refocus with the back button again. On most cams, the back button focus point remains locked until the back button is used again, and the shutter button is completely inactive from focusing. I LOVE my Q2 cameras, but this is THE one very annoying function that falls short for me. I prefer what other cams do. Lock once with the back button and focus remains fixed on this point for as many frames as you like until you deliberately back button focus again. In any event, great explanation on the way it works.
Thank you Mark. I actually just took my Q2 with the newest firmware and your statement "... On the second frame the shutter button actively refocuses ..." is not correct, I just tried it out. Maybe I also misunderstand your comment, but here is what happens: if you back-button focused and do not release focus by pushing the back-button again, the focus stays locked for how many frames you want if you shoot them with the shutter release button. As said, I just tried it out. Once you locked the focus via back-button it stays locked until I release focus by pushing the back-button again. In-between I can shoot as many frames as I want with the shutter release button. The shutter release button does not unlock focus if focus was locked via back-button. Works like a charm and is in line with other cameras in the usual way.
@@mathphotographer This is fantastic news! I am so thrilled about this! I just now installed 5.0 and confirmed this, and I also found this in the release notes: "The focus/exposure setting will remain stored for the focus/exposure lock via the Zoom/Lock button (AF-L, AF-L + AE-L, AE-L) until the button is pressed again". Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comments, and thank you also for the excellent videos. I have been a subscriber for a couple of years or more. Your approach and content are excellent.
Great video, well explained, nothing to complain about, .... only some things to add: I chose to set the Back Button for "Focussing only" cause setting Exposure is IMO a tricky business especially when you have light source(s) just out of the frame so when moving the camera (reframe) the Exposure could be serious off if one o r more of those light sources are in the frame. Also, when you set it to Back Button on Focus and you focus on a subject with your aperture wide open, when you move the camera in an angle the distance from the sensor to the subject changes what coul result in blurry subjects. Now with apertures smaller than about 4 (higher numbers) this will be no issue. But in case of wide open (or near0 the focus pad will give you a better result. This of course requires some "fingerspitzengefühl" to do this without moving your eye from the EVF. Since I have this under control I have to admit that I hardly use the Back Button anymore. Thanks for sharing and a great weekend !
You didn't mention that when set to AF-L, back button focus will only work if the camera is set to autofocus mode. If you are in manual mode nothing happens when your press the back button. It would be grat if it also worked while in manual mode.
Hi George, your statement is spot-on and correct. The reason why it does not work in manual focus mode has to do with the mechanics of the prime lens fixed mounted on the Q2. There is this little button on the lens which you push, then turn the focus ring and then you are in manual focus mode. With this mechanics - which differs from other lenses - the autofocus gets mechanically disabled and that's why your back-button focus will also not work if you are in manual focus mode. Thanks for pointing out.
Yes John, and the reason is that there is no need for an indicator symbol since focus indication comes from the color of the focus field. If you back-button focused, the focus field changes from grey to green color so you know that your focus is locked, not need for an additional symbol on live screen like you get it for AE-L.
Great but sadly, even with BBF the touch screen is always on. As a left eye shooter, my nose refocus. I love my Q2 and I'll keep it but I will not invest in a Q3 if it will be the same problem. Leica : beautiful gear but not as practical.
Yes. If you back-button focused and do not release focus by pushing the back-button again, the focus stays locked for how many frames you want if you shoot them with the shutter release button. Once you locked the focus via back-button it stays locked until I release focus by pushing the back-button again. In-between I can shoot as many frames as I want with the shutter release button. The shutter release button does not unlock focus if focus was locked via back-button.
@@mathphotographer This not true BBF, just a standard AF lock. Nikon has true BBF as do the other major brands and is activated by the AF On button which is separate from the AF/AE lock buttons. The beauty of properly implemented BBF is that it does not require the shutter button to be pressed until the shot is taken. Great you have a twitchy finger while trying to hold the the shutter release half way down! As you correctly explain, the custom setting is for separating exposure from focus. Thus for example the Q2 cannot, when in AF C mode, lock focus on a subject moving towards or away from the camera using "BBF" as you describe. The only option would be to use one of the tracking modes - while holding the release half way. Just one niggle with the Q2 which is otherwise superb.