First Impressions of Leica Q2
Right before Thanksgiving, I saw the Leica Q2 was finally in stock. After thinking for another 24 hours, I made the purchase. To be honest, I don't know if I would buy a Leica if it weren't for all the weird things that happened in 2020.
The Packaging
The camera arrived a few days after I ordered it. Out of all the cameras I purchased in the past, Leica Q2 has the best packaging. The design of the box is similar to the packaging of luxury goods. The box is well constructed with flaps and drawers. Apparently, it was made for you to keep and not just discard after open-box.
Camera Body
Taking the camera out of the box, I was surprised by the weight. It's a hefty camera! Originally, I put a wrist strap on, but after holding it for a period of time, setting it up, and testing the camera, I could feel the strain on my wrist. The camera does come with a simple neck strap, but the strap doesn't have those protective disks that protect the body from being scratched. I ended up ordering a simple leather neck strap from Amazon that goes well with the camera. I will likely order the Leica camera grip next. It goes well with the camera and provides a better handling experience.
The camera body is solid. The metal is smooth and nice to touch. You can tell it's going to age well, and nothing cheap about the materials. Since Q2 doesn't have any USB or cable ports, it doesn't have those flimsy flaps you found on most cameras. I know many had argued the functionality of connection, charging, and video features due to that limitation. Personally, I am ok with that. I don't shoot video often. When I do, I have my iPhone, DJI Osmo Pocket, or my Panasonic G9. I didn't buy a Leica Q2 to shoot videos. I have never felt comfortable charging a battery while inside the camera. I always transfer pictures by taking out the SD card and plug it into my computer in terms of USB connections and stuff. I have never used the included cables that came with all my cameras. I found it easier that way, and I don't have to deal with cables lying around.
Lens Cap
While researching the camera, I have read many reviews that mentioned how the lens cap wouldn't stay on, and you could easily lose it. I don't know if Leica has made changes to the new batch of Q2s or not; the lens cap doesn't feel loose. It fit the lens hood tightly when I first took the camera out of the box. After using the camera for a week, the lens cap does loosen up a bit, but not to the point that I would worry about losing it. At the moment, I feel like it's working as it should, but we shall see what happens after a year or two.
Leica FOTOS App
Before I bought the camera, I have heard a lot of criticism regarding the Leica FOTOS app. Surprisingly, It's one of the easiest I have used! After opened the app, I chose the camera type I wanted to connect, and the camera was connected after a couple of clicks. I didn't even have to go into the setting to choose any particular WIFI or Bluetooth options to connect. It's relatively easy to transfer photos to my phone as well. I can choose to transfer RAW files or Jpegs. However, if you only shoot RAW, you can only transfer a preview size Jpeg or a full-size RAW. Right now, I am shooting RAW+Jpeg, so I can have a high-res Jpeg transferred to my phone if I want; when I am importing photos in Lightroom on my desktop, I simply skip all the Jpegs. The reason I chose not to have both because, unlike Fujifilm's cameras, the RAW and Jpeg look identical, and there's no reason for me to keep the Jpegs.
Geotagging
As someone who loves to travel, I love it when my cameras have the geotagging feature. With the camera connected to my iPhone, I can geotag the images on Leica Q2. Though the feature is not stable, the camera tends to lose connection from my iPhone periodically.
Menu
The menu system is significantly different from all other cameras I have used. I wouldn't say it's as complicated as what you would find on Olympus; it's just very different if you never had a Leica camera before. Once I looked at the manual and watching one or two YouTube videos, I have no issues finding the settings I need. After all, Leica is not about bells and whistles; most things are pretty straightforward.
Touchscreen
In recent years, there are more and more cameras equipped with touchscreen features. I have quite gotten used to choosing a focus point by touching the screen, so I am glad Leica Q2 has included that. The good news is, the touchscreen works most of the time. However, the responsiveness is not as good as other cameras like my Panasonic G9.
Shooting Experience
After setting it up and testing the camera around the house during Thanksgiving, I finally had the opportunity to take it out for a spin. I met up with my friend Mitch at the Seaholm Power Plant area and then walked around downtown after coffee. It was an enjoyable shooting experience. The focus was snappy and fast, and the auto white balance was mostly very accurate. 28mm is an unfamiliar focal length to me; I am more used to 35mm or 50mm. With a 47MP sensor, you do have the luxury to crop in if you want a tighter composition.
I love the color rendering of Leica Q2, It's superb, and it really doesn't need a lot of editing in post-processing. These shots came out better than my expectation, and I am looking forward to creating more with this amazing camera!
