Leica Q3 Initial Review: The BEST Street Photography Camera EVER? 

Man Chris and Jordan are on fire releasing videos after joining Petapixel. Us Petapeeps could not have wished for more.

Keep em coming Chris & Jordan - will never have the money for a Leica, but more than happy to watch you guys discuss one.

Great to have you guys here! Excellent videos, thank you!

Awesome, as usual. Shows like this are what makes RU-vid worth watching.

You two guys are the only one I'll watch about this and any other camera. And Chris's Fishing channel. Wonderful Job!

That's awesome. Great to se you guys back in action right away!

First the camera store, then the dp review and now the peta pixel. Man this guy takes us to places 😊

Love the 28 mm focal length and with the 60 MP it just got better for more flexibility cropping in.

I am so glad you guys are still around

Great to see you and Jordan thriving!

Having taken early retirement, I got back into photography one year ago (after a long, long...long break). Chris's review of the Lumix FZ2500 was one of the first, and best, things I watched. Chris and Jordan as a pair are even better! Keep up the great work. 👍👍👍

Getting mine this Saturday. Extremely excited!

Thanks germs. Appreciate the first actual look, even if pre-production!!!

SO glad you guys are still cranking on PetaPixel! I'd like to know about how effective the IBIS is with the 60MP sensor. Also, is there any benefit with the lower resolution settings because I understand it still uses the entire sensor. Does the camera pixel bin to have any improvement in dynamic range or noise in that case (if it does)? (edit: it seems Leica might have confirmed a while back that on the M11 there's no benefit to dynamic range or noise when selecting a lower resolution…wonder if that's still the case with the Q3?) (edit 2: Kai W reports that medium and small file sizes gets a 1 stop increase in dynamic range over large)

The burst information is fantastic, thank you.

Excited the Q3 is out. I hope to pick one up in Octoberish.

I might buy one of these so I look forward to seeing a more in-depth review. Thanks guys.

I just keep an eye on these Leica cameras as they may offer clues to what future Panasonic cameras may offer.

oh here you guys are! glad you're still around 😊 phew!

I knew, I knew...I have to start "selling" this camera to my wife who, of course, wouldn't understand why I need yet another camera. I used to have the Q1 and loved it. Then I moved to the Sonys (which are more practical than any Leica) but the Q3 is a gem. Not only a great camera.

Always love your perspective! I’m only 1yr into the Q2…so I have to be responsible and wait on a Q3, as delicious as it sounds.

I'm still shooting with the original Q and it's fine. Thank you very much...

For a Leica film photographer, this was the easiest explanation of the Q3, to understand. Thanks, Rick….. 🌴

As someone who's amazingly not spent much time with this series, I'm genuinely interested in the price justification. Obviously many of the specs are familiar from more affordable cameras, so is the money here mostly going on the lens? The build? The design? The brand? The processing? The exclusivity? I'm not putting it down, nor any luxury product, but again I genuinely wondered about the value / performance aspect. I also realise there are some products that just make their owners feel good, and that can be priceless and hard to quantify, and equally I know as you get higher-end in any category, you're paying a lot for often small improvements. I have that with hifi and coffee for example! I suspect this sensor and AF system will end up in a future high-end Lumix body, possibly the S1R successor, and I bet the EVF res won't miraculously stay high while autofocusing on final firmware as it's a common issue across multiple cameras and brands. Anyway, I'm delighted to see any new fixed lens compact - we need more of them, and I wish Panasonic would re-enter the fray with a new LX. Wonder what's next for the X100 series too...

Thanks for sharing another wonderful video like always, keep up with the awesome content

cranking out the content boys! nice first look 👍

Would love to hear more about the video functionality - we've recorded separately for years! It has a scratch track - so bingo!

Jesus you two are fast with this, very nice! 😊

Jordan, you made Chris look so good in this video. Very nice Color Grading.

Great video as always. Keep up the good work.

What a beautiful, very classic looking camera. I would definitely love to take it out for a test drive. 😊

Man, you Canadians are rough on your basketball nets! ;-). And, appreciate the way you've jazzed up the video production.

OMG the lens rendering looks fantastic.

I'm really looking forward to the camera, even though I'll probably never be able to afford it.

Thank you for the review. I stick with the "normal" Q since this is enough for my purpose.

So excited about this.

Glad you guys feature Leica when they drop something New.

Will never be able to justify the cost of the Q's(a Leica M will always be the goal), but will always admire from afar

It's time for Ricoh to send a K3 Monocrome to Calgary. I want to see Chris giddy with monochrome excitement.

2:18 That fantastic 28mm lens is the best 26mm lens Leica ever built: I did a comparison between my Q and a friend's Batis 25, and it turns out the outputs were almost identical.

Wonderful video. Thank you!

Fair play to Leica... they have survived the digital crisis and now they are well and truly a Veblen brand. They only have to do minimal upgrades and you will want it.

Nice, I have my RX1R for this use and still have no plan to s pm urge anything even remotely close to a Leica price but man... We need more of this type of camera

love the new intro :)

nice.. no matter what but you guys always have honest opinion.. great review!

Here for the intro ❤

I love this new intro

buying this first thing tomorrow for sure

I would have thought that wireless charging might have warranted a mention. Yes you need the optional grip (which is an even better hand hold IMHO) but that's still very cool.

Running so fast the fence was bending… Jordon is an impressive athlete for sure

It's always nice to see one of those affordable cameras :)

💯 for the 8bit intro 😎

I find that with 60mgp the crop modes make more sense. I have the Q and a m4 and I tried to convince myself that I wouldn't fall into the trap of the Q3... well I think that the few upgrades seem to be a good enough reason to get one. But I kinda feel bad for my Q cause it's still so great... in a way there's no justification for switching from Q to Q3... still....

Waiting for the Q3 after loving the Q2M. HDMI out, well with no mic jack kind of funny. But it's a stills camera for me anyways. Time to sell some cameras :D

Best intro ever. When You consider a upper end Mirrorless from Canon, Sony or Nikon with a fast prime and You are at about the same money. Maybe it's time for a Leica for Me.

Hi Jordan and Chris, can you please consider doing another video similar to 'The Great Jpeg Shootout' again?! I found it was a great intro for a beginner like me and let me compare photos side by side from the numerous brands. You guys are doing a great job as always, hope you're settling in! x

Now there is something to dream for ☺

Nice review and that Golden Axe nod :) For me the one thing that kinda doesn't really fit the street photography target group is that large lens. It's not really a pocketable/unobtrusive camera? When shooting street my go to is M + 40mm voigtlander. Amazing little setup.

Thumbs up. Looks like a promising camera.

And the next banger video I guess. Let's gooo

I love watching these; for the tech, the photos, and the fact that I will never be able to afford a Leica.

Please, please, please test the heck out of that AF. I'd love to know how it compares to the Q2 as well as Sony, Canon, etc.

wooohooo. was hoping for this vid

You guys are on fire

Beautiful

love the leica's color science thing.

Still using the original Q. Dont feel the need to get the Q2 or Q3, despite the possibility to have better rsolution on crop mode is cool. But other than that, I think Ill still keep the Q for now. Waiting for the Q2 used market does its things as it did with the Q :)

I want the SL3 with this sensor out ASAP!

Great review! Dream worthy camera, for sure. Just want to say that the video work this vid is incredible, Jordan! Which lens(es) are you using?

Omg golden axe!!!🎉🎉🎉

THAAAAT INTROOOOO ❤❤❤

These guys make great videos

I'd very much like integrated storage + a lens that isn't effectively a digitally-corrected fisheye (impacts edges). Overall though, wow.

can't wait to see the Panasonic body version of this sensor, hopefully the next gen S1R.

Would love to see pictures taken in near darkness, like at a concert or streetphoto at night, with super high ISO.

Please make initial review for: EOS R100 and X-S20. Thank you.

At that price, pretty sure there are some streets I wouldn't think of taking it down!!

Interesting first look. The tilt screen would be the only feature that really tickles me. Nothing else would make me 'upgrade'.

Really hope they backtrack on no onboard memory by release. At this price and with the precedent set by the M11, it should be there.

Nice review. How does the Q3 B&W rendering and performance compare to that of the Q2 Monochrom? Thanks

Waiting for your feedback on the x-s20

Good review. But was waiting for your review (or preview) of the Fujifilm X-S20, and...nothing. Fujifilm launch strategy for the X-S20 is weird, to say the least.

Stunning camera, stunning images. But no MIC jack is a bummer ( BTW can you tell us what camera was used shooting this Review and maybewhat MIC was used?)

No coverage of the X-S20 guys? Would be interesting to see it from you

YES! I was hoping you are doing a video about the Q3!

Hope Leica make a 28x35-50mm f2.4 lens version of the Q

Well the Q(1) had a better performance in low lighting, I have the Q2 and I've seen it doesnt do as well as the Q1 in low light, and now with the Q3 now having 60MP I'm sure it won't be better in low lighting, I thought they were going back to less MP to be honest. The only Thing I would have loved is Type C charging for when traveling, the hdmi out is definitely overkill specially considering the screen tilts now.

Nice & Thanks :)

Surprisingly a lot of upgrades without exaggerated jump in price. But then, the price is already in a different category altogether 😅.

Leica, If you want to really tempt those of us who haven’t bought into a Leica please please please offer a version with a 35-40mm lens. Zooming in with the step crops, as this model allows, is not the same.

Soooo no addressing the elephant in the room - that huge hump of a tilt screen? I thought after X100V nothing is impossible...

Loved everything about the Q2 except the jpegs and autofocus. Sometimes you want to shoot jpegs with a quick download to your phone to share with people instantly. And the Q2 autofocus had too many times it missed focus or just hunted too long even during good light.

I still haven't my challenged Q yet. This will wait

When switching focal lengths, does it add compression or only crop in?

Love to see how the wireless charging pins work.

Fuji X-S20 next please!

Doesn't the Q3 60MP sensor actually allow you to crop in-camera to 90mm?

Jordan are you using every prime lens in the Lumix kit? This video looks great

Interesting and high quality content. Thanks Guys. PS - I am sorry to state this again: Pepapixel is no sub for me. 😥

Is there going to come a review of the full production Q3? I‘m struggling with the price and think about getting a used Q2 instead, therefore the full review would be helpful