Leica Q2 Review: Is it the best travel/documentary photography camera?

I’ve taken my Leica Q2 to the City of Boston, the beaches of Australia, jungles of Vietnam and in search of temples in Cambodia - how did it hold up? Did I enjoy using it? Is it worth selling your kidney for this camera (only joking)? Let’s find out?

Oh yeah! This is not a technical/science review of the Leica Q2 but what it feels like to use from a photographer and someone that likes to travel, explore and has a family. This also not a video review as I’ve never used the camera to shoot any videos.

I’ll be breaking my review down into the following sections:

Why did I buy it?
Image quality
Build quality
User ability
Was it worth the price? Who would I recommend this to?

Why did I buy it?

After a decade of using cameras, they are all getting boring, look the same and in my opinion, lack a soul.

I’ve worked in photography, film and commercials for over 10 years and during those 10 years I’ve been a Canon DSLR user and I just upgraded to the Canon R5 (review incoming). I have high praise for the Canon R5, especially as a photography camera, but outside of work, it becomes tiresome to use. Incoming first world problems; It’s heavy to bring any where, intimidates people, takes up a lot of space and the biggest one…my brain didn’t disconnect work from play. Using my work equipment to take pictures of my son’s birthday to family holidays felt like I was on a job. Having to think about what lens to bring and what backpack to use - do I need a tripod or not? 9 times out of 10 I left my Canon behind and just used my iPhone to take images due to all the reasons above. You could say why not keep using your iPhone…but the reality is, I don’t want to live on my phone. Having to use my phone for everything can also become exhausting and you also take a 1000 images and never look back at any of them. It doesn’t feel deliberate. As I get older, I want my life to feel deliberate and intentional. I want to be able to separate work from play, camera from phone…heck, ask a head chef from a top restaurant if they cook gourmet meals when they come home from a shift.

Over 10 years my love for photography was definitely on the rocks. Question to myself: How do I find it again?

Based on the above, my criteria for a camera:

Size and build - needs to be small enough to carry but strong enough to withstand jungles, desert and a 2 year old.
Quality - Extremely important to me that image quality is not handicapped.
Ease of use: The camera needs to make me want to use it and eliminate the feeling of work (it can’t be a phone).
What photography does for me as a person: Hence my name, momothexplorer, the camera needs to reinforce my hunger for travel and reignite that love of exploring and photography and stir the soul.

It came down to 2 cameras. The Leica Q2 vs Fuji X100V. As I poured hours and hours of research into this my heart was leaning towards the Leica but my wallet was saying Fuji. One thing about me, I want the tool that I’m using to be deliberate and made for the task at hand. You can argue that an iPhone can tell the time but who wouldn’t like a Swiss watch that was made for perfection. A piece of art ticking time away or this time, a piece of art taking images.

The legacy Leica has also had a profound affect on me. It is what Rolex is to the watch world. A pinnacle of perfection but who am I to own a camera like this? I convinced myself this was not for me but for someone that was already established or an award winning world renowned photographer. A quote always reminded with me, ‘if you want to get paid for a job, show that you can do it’. Essentially, why would anyone invest in you, if you don’t invest in yourself.

I went to a Leica store in London to give it a test and I was sold. The seed was planted and it took me 2 years to finally pull the trigger. I got one second hand for £3700 and I’ve been using it for the last 3 months.

Image quality

I want my images to last the test of time.

It has a newly developed, 47.3 megapixel full frame sensor, extremely fast Summilux 28 mm f/1.7 ASPH. prime lens, and fast autofocus - is what Leica’s website would say about its camera. What I would say about the camera… it takes crispy clean images with a touch of magic.

That Summilux 28mm f/1.7 is worth the price tag alone. The images you get out of this camera are something else. In my opinion, as a film-maker, travel photographer and getting into tight spaces or situations where people don’t want to feel intimated of you taking images, this is the only lens you need. But if that’s not enough, you can also crop in from 28 to 35, 50 and 75mm using its 47.3 megapixel sensor whilst getting great quality images. Have a look below:

I don’t have the words for the colour science but there’s something about Leicas. You look at the image and you are just blown away every time and you can argue you can re-create this in post but why? Why get a real Rolex when you get a knock-off? This can be a thesis on it’s own but you do what the soul wants.

The disadvantage would be the fixed focal length and not being able to switch. Saying that, there’s something about not having to worry about all the lenses and just being free of gear and being in the moment. What I call this creative process…You get what you get aka it is what it is.

Average DNG file size being around 85mbs makes the files a no joke to store but they are incredible to grade and edit. I also want to highlight the B&W HC option in picture mode is my favourite way to shoot. The black and whites you get are so good, you don’t want to shoot any other way. Take a look:

As you can see, the black and whites are beautiful and there have been so many times that I just leave it in those settings and shoot away.

Needless to say, the image quality is on another level and possibly the best I’ve seen….except in low light. That’s where it can struggle but the images are still useable if you know what you are doing.

As I mentioned, I’ve used so many cameras over the years but the files and images you get out of the Leica are amazing and dare I say it, the best I’ve ever seen and you won’t be disappointed.

Build quality

It makes me want to take more photos.

I travel a lot and I need a tank. The Leica Q2 is the only camera in its class to feature IP protective sealing, rating of 52, against dust and spraywater - making it weather sealed. I’ve also put it through the test to let you know that it definitely passes.

I’ve put this through caves, rain, mud, jungles, sand, more rain, heat and humidity. It works every time. Never had an over heat sign or had to worry if I was going to miss a shot. This what engineering looks like. It works 100% of the time (so far).

The most important factor of this camera is that it feels great to use. You want to carry it everywhere. It’s not too heavy, feels perfectly balanced, and the feeling you get when you hold the camera just makes you go…damn! Nothing compares to it…so far. The more you want to use your camera, the better you get at using it making the build element so important. All I want to do is use this camera, hell, mid-way through our Son Doong Adventure, I retired my Canon R5 and just used the Leica Q2. During my Cambodia trip, I exclusively used the Leica Q2.

Side complaint - the lens cap is garbage and if you have big hands, you need to get a thumb grip which costs extra. I also got a leather case for my camera - another additional cost and two extra batteries (each one costing £130).

User ability

Simple is best.

Coming from a Canon, the Leica is super straight forward - and that’s what you want. My wife who isn’t a photographer can pick the camera up and start using it right away. But, if you want, you can also dive in to the settings and make it what you want.

No complaints so far about the interface and settings. Minimal buttons which forces you just to shoot.

The camera also eliminates a lot of hassle. They are no ports on this camera. You can only remove and replace your battery and memory card. That’s it. You can’t charge your camera, or add a microphone adapter - you get a machine that just allows your to focus on taking images.

Biggest complaint - the touch screen is slow and can be finicky.

Was it worth the price? And who is this for?

If I was going on a voyage to a far off distance place documenting my travels via photography and I only had one choice - this would be the camera…if there was a weight limit. If there was no weight limit, this is a perfect combo with the Canon R5.

The camera is very expensive. At that price range, you can get yourself a Canon R5 and a high end lens or just a small car. But why spend any money for that matter when you can just use your phone?

As a personal choice, this is the best bang for your buck when it comes to body and a lens. If you want a camera that focuses on photography, ease of use, colour science made by magicans, great quality files and images, durable and fun to use….the most fun to use. I can easily say it is worth it and it has reignited the passion to go and shoot.

When I look at the camera, I want to pick it up and take it with me and that’s something money can’t buy. I would also say, f**k the people that would look at you any different for purchasing this camera or anything that is seen to be pretentious - they are just d*cks and are probably just jealous. Get what you like and continues to feed your passion, if you can afford it.

Side note - If you want a do everything camera that does video and photography, then stay clear of this camera. This is not for you. I would recommend looking into mirrorless systems such as Sony or Canon depending on your budget.

I would recommend this camera to other photographers that are getting tired of the Sony, Canon, Lumix etc systems that all look the same and do the same thing. If you own a Sony A7SIII or a Canon R5 then this is a great addition to the family and I promise this won’t do you any wrong.

If you are traveller, explorer, family man or just want to take great images - buy this camera.