Leica "LEICA Q2 Reporter" live-action review!Enjoy the satisfaction of taking a picture with a camera | GetNavi web GetNavi

At the end of last year, the digital single-lens camera "LEICA Q2 Reporter" that I bought unexpectedly finally arrived at my house. The original model is a classic style reminiscent of the "LEICA M11", but the "LEICA Q2 Reporter" is a deep olive green or YOMOGI color that looks quite bright when exposed to light. It is painted in this color except for the bottom of the body, and Kevlar is used for the upholstery leather, giving an impression of the near future. Few people will immediately notice that it's a Leica when they look at this camera.

A package that will lift your mood

Leica cameras are characterized by their minimalist design, but the idea is also applied to the packaging. The outer box of the product is silver and the inside is black, which is common to all models. The "LEICA Q2 Reporter" box consisted of three pieces and was divided into a camera, accessories, and documents. The accessories are individually housed in a bag with the Leica name on them, giving them a luxurious feel. In addition, the warranty card with the product number has the autograph of the person in charge of the product, which conveys the feeling of handmade rather than mass products. This makes me feel excited even before the camera is opened.

Summilux lens can be used for AF, macro, and image stabilization

"LEICA Q2" is highly practical and easy to operate among Leica digital cameras. First of all, it is a mirrorless camera with a built-in EVF instead of a rangefinder, and you can use "LEICA SUMMILUX f1.7 / 28 mm ASPH." With AF and image stabilization. The Summilux M lens is bright with an open aperture of F1.4, but the shortest shooting distance in MF is up to 70 cm. Since the rangefinder interlocking range of the M system's rangefinder is 70 cm, the shortest shooting distance of the Leica M lens was 70 cm by default, but recently, a lens that can approach up to 30 cm has been added because it is digitized and live view can be used.

Compared to that, the Summilux of "LEICA Q2" can approach up to 17 cm at the shortest by switching macros. To switch to macro, turn the dedicated ring, but this feeling is good. The gimmick that switches the distance index between m and feet by the rotation of the ring is also well made. During macro photography, the maximum aperture value is F2.8. I'm worried about whether to shoot with F1.7 at a distance or to approach F2.8 with a macro.

Although it is a single focus lens, you can choose from four types of focal lengths.

In addition, the Leica of the M system makes use of the rangefinder, so a zoom lens cannot be used. The "LEICA Q2" can be equipped with a zoom lens, but as a result of pursuing the performance of the lens, it seems that a single focus lens was adopted. Instead, you can use the crop function to crop the image at 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm equivalents. A white frame is displayed in the EVF and live view, and the inside of this frame is shot. Since this unit has 47.3 million pixels, it has a sufficient number of recording pixels, about 30 million pixels at 35 mm and about 15 million pixels at 50 mm. If you save it as RAW, it will be recorded as full pixels.

With this, the angle of view for four lenses can be obtained, so the usability is considerably improved even though it is a single focus lens. When I actually used it, I had many chances to choose between 35mm and 50mm because I could trim a subject that was too wide at 28mm. The result is the same even if you trim it on the monitor of the PC after shooting, but it feels better if you can decide the composition at the time of shooting.

The world captured by 47.3 million pixels with high resolution beyond the naked eye

Recently, Leica has launched a higher pixel count for sensors. The "LEICA Q" has 24 million pixels, while the "LEICA Q2" has 47.3 million pixels. The latest model of the M system "LEICA M11" also has 60 million pixels, and domestic manufacturers have also realized a surprisingly high pixel count. Originally, Leica lenses have high potential, so there is no need to worry if you increase the number of pixels, but is it necessary to increase the number of pixels to this extent?

For professional SLR cameras, high pixels may be required at the request of the client, but for a general full-frame mirrorless camera, 24 million pixels will be sufficient. If the number of pixels is large, trimming resistance will increase and large format printing will be possible, but with high sensitivity, noise will be more likely to occur, and blurring will be severe. The size of the stored data will also increase, and continuous shooting will be disadvantageous. Although there are advantages and disadvantages, the camera industry as a whole is moving toward higher pixel count.

The "LEICA Q2 Reporter" is equipped with a full-frame sensor suitable for high image quality, a high-performance AF lens, and an image stabilization function, making it a camera that easily accepts its merits. Once the focus is decided, even things that were not noticed at the time of shooting are recorded firmly. It's a camera that can take pictures that make it fun to magnify images on your PC.

[Example] (Click to enlarge)

Strong in cooperation with smartphones and enjoy aging

If you walk with the "LEICA Q2 Reporter" down from your shoulder, you will feel like you can meet a new subject even on the road you are accustomed to walking. It is a camera that makes shooting fun even when walking around. It's also attractive as a camera, so you can just place it on your desk and look at it. If this is further advanced, it must be the Leica of the M system that is particular about the shutter sound. Interchangeable lens swamp with combination of rangefinder and MF, but now I still want to taste this machine.

You can transfer the photos you take to your smartphone and immediately upload them to SNS. The dedicated app for that is "Leica FOTOS". In addition to Wi-Fi, it also supports constant connection via Bluetooth. You can resize and transfer the captured images, or shoot remotely from your smartphone. Not only is it traditional, but it is also wonderful that it works properly with smartphones.

Furthermore, while using the "LEICA Q2 Reporter", Kevlar changes to a shade close to the body color dark green due to ultraviolet rays. It can be said that this is a production close to the taste that the Leica paint of black paint is peeled off and the brass bullion is visible. It makes me want to use digital cameras with new products one after another for a long time.

Compete with Leica users around the world

I participated in the LFI Gallery with the purchase of "LEICA Q2 Reporter". LFI is an abbreviation for LEICA PHOTOGRAFIE INTERNATIONAL, and is a web gallery where photos taken with Leica are posted, reviewed by professional editors, and only those photos that have passed the screening are released to the world. Anyone can participate for free by registering their e-mail address, and they will be given their own album box. I immediately uploaded a snap shot of Tokyo taken with Leica, but unfortunately I haven't received the message yet.

Here, masterpieces taken in Leica around the world are uploaded every day, and explanations and shooting data are posted, which is helpful and motivated to take pictures. This is how I entered the world of Leica.

[Photo gallery (tap the image to see it)]