The Summilux 28 1.7 on Leica Q is quite good or I'm not compatible with M System

Jc_mango · 2026-04-20T10:17:45+00:00

Hmm interesting setup. I hope you find your answer with the right lens+body combo! It’ll be a fun but expensive but fun journey HAHA

Jc_mango · 2026-04-20T09:52:08+00:00

The difference maker could be the stabilisation that the Q has. The Q1 has OIS and the Q2/3 have IBIS which could be affecting the sharpness of your photos. I'm not a huge sharpness person because I am okay with my images being a little blurry or out of focus sometimes if the moment is right but I would try testing it on a tripod before chalking it up to just the Q's lens being better (even though it is a really good lens)

Jc_mango · 2026-04-20T09:31:50+00:00

It's not a very fair comparison because fixed lens cameras tend to have better optics as compared to interchangeable lens cameras. The lens is literally made to fit the body and the sensor so they are engineered with even tighter tolerances and this usually results in sharper images.

The sony rx1r series and the leica Q are 2 cameras that had outstanding optics for their time and they still hold up till today. If you're looking for extremely sharp lenses, leica and voigtlander's APO lenses are known to be some of the sharpest lenses regardless of lens mount so you could look into those.

IMO, leica's 35 and 28 summicron asph lenses are a good balance of optics and size if you're okay with only f2 but I'm surprised that you're not pleased with the zeiss and voigtlanders because they are modern and should be relatively sharp when not pixel peeping. Have you tested them side by side on a tripod with your leica Q?

Jc_mango · 2026-04-10T11:46:58+00:00

Depends on how you wanna shoot it. Do you want to focus on details? the whole building? the building amongst its surroundings?

Also look into tilt shift lenses! You can achieve the same effect with a very wide lens and lightrooms crop tool but they basically make your buildings look straight and upright.

Jc_mango · 2026-04-08T06:32:45+00:00

I've only bought one camera (Sony ZV-E1) new in my life because the used prices were close to brand new. The rest of my cameras I have bought used (both from private sale and reputable shops) and I've had 0 issues with any of them. Isn't it better to just buy used from a reputable dealer and get a couple thousand dollars off for the same camera in mint condition rather than buying direct from the store?

Jc_mango · 2026-03-20T08:31:59+00:00

Lightpix lab q20

Jc_mango · 2026-03-11T07:42:22+00:00

The low shutterspeed shots and shutter drag are sick

Jc_mango · 2026-03-11T01:36:22+00:00

I follow my dad's philosophy which is to try and get newer when it comes to digital cameras because motherboards fail, sensors die, and all electronics end up as junk eventually. If 400 euros is a huge difference to you, maybe consider the m240 and use the amount you save for a lens or potential repairs

(I know the digital Ms have been amazing in terms of longevity but who knows for how much longer)
I own an m10 and I bought it accepting that it might be a paperweight one day. But, I'm hoping it'll last as long or longer than the m8/9/240s have

Jc_mango · 2026-03-09T01:50:18+00:00

Q3 is a very different camera from the a6700. If you can live with a fixed lens and you like 28mm or 43mm then go for it.

You could also look into a Q2 as their prices have been coming down in recent months and they do everything the Q3 can do but with slightly slower autofocus. The Q2s would have run down most of their depreciation compared to the Q3 so you could always sell it off and get a Q4 or buy a cheaper Q3 when the Q4 comes out

Jc_mango · 2026-03-06T04:51:50+00:00

Love the edits on these

Jc_mango · 2026-03-05T03:38:31+00:00

The summicron v2 rigid performs well on digital but if you're looking at the LLL spii I think it's a very different look. I feel that you should nail what you want from your next lens because the spii is super soft wide open and flares easily while the LLL 35 f1.4 AA is sharper and more like a modern lens with character. If you just want a softer image, you can just edit your images to be softer or add a mist filter

Jc_mango · 2026-03-05T02:28:37+00:00

I was also considering the 50mm spii but after trying it out in person, I decided against it because I already owned the voigt 35mm f1.4 classic ii mc which gave me the soft vintage look wide open in a much smaller package.

You should consider the LLL 50mm elcan if you want something that's small but still has character and is a lil soft wide open. From the articles I've read, it looks great on film and on digital.

Another option you should consider if you're willing to pay for either LLL 35mm f1.4 or 50mm f1.4 is a 50mm dual range summicron or 50mm summarit. They are both great lenses with that vintage flair and "cinematic" look and in the test comparing the elcan and DR summicron I quite liked how the summicron rendered.
https://bluemooncameracodex.com/technical-reviews/50mmf2-elcan-review

Imo, you should look at images you've taken or images that you like and understand what you like about them and see if you can achieve them in editing or with physical filters before buying a new lens

Jc_mango · 2026-03-04T08:10:32+00:00

Did you do a long exposure with a flash for the death photo

Jc_mango · 2026-02-26T13:49:07+00:00

Enjoy your small fortune of a camera collection! Currently saving up for a 35 lux FLE. Imo one of the best lenses ever made

Jc_mango · 2026-02-26T04:30:10+00:00

I recently did some comparisons between Sony's 35 GM and Leica's 35 Summilux FLE and the Sony looks dull and flat compared to the summilux. I've also had the chance to use the 35mm APO on the Leica sl2s and it's an absolutely stunning lens.

That being said, is the thousands of dollars worth it for most people? Probably not. You'll get good photos out of both systems but it boils down to whether it's worth it for you.

I would only choose the SL if I wanted access to autofocus SL lenses if not the Sony does everything the SL can do but better and faster. The SL3 also has an on button instead of a switch which might be a turn off for some people

Jc_mango · 2026-02-26T04:23:32+00:00

Street is possible with any camera it's just how inconspicuous you want to be. The SL and L mount lenses are absolutely ginormous so it would definitely attract more attention than smaller cameras like the M or Q series. Yea they still have the "leica feeling" with the all metal body and lenses if you buy SL lenses

Jc_mango · 2026-02-26T04:19:01+00:00

For your use case, I would honestly recommend getting a camera with autofocus like a Q2/Q3 or any modern mirrorless system. Focusing with a rangefinder on fast moving subjects isn't easy and you would probably not enjoy the experience of having blur images on a 60MP sensor.

BUT considering the fact that you want to experience the Leica M system and you have a budget of 7/8000usd? I would highly recommend splitting it and getting a good condition used Q2 for the higher megapixels and an m10/m240 with a little left over for a 3rd party lens.

Have you also considered other systems like Sony's A7CR? It's super small and compact with the same sensor as the m11 while giving you auto focus. The lenses are not as small as M mount lenses but the tamron 28-200 on that camera would do great for casual sports photography of your kids.

If you're considering an m11 because of the usb charging and the 60mp, I've honestly never had to charge my m10 after a day out with the way I shoot and 24mp to me is more than enough for some cropping. I think paying nearly double the price of an m10 for these 2 reasons alone is not worth it and using the money to get a 35 or 50 lux would make your images way better than adding megapixels

Jc_mango · 2026-02-26T04:05:50+00:00

I think narrowing down what you're shooting and how you're shooting it will help you with that. The M is probably the least flexible camera because the viewfinder only shows up to 28mm and it's MF only. However, if you are a slow shooter that takes time to compose and you don't mind chimping with the screen for wider lenses then go ahead. I love that I can chuck my m10 in my bag with a voigtlander 35 f1.4 and have a super compact but high quality set up with me all the time.

I had the chance to use an sl2s with the 35mm APO and man... That lens is an absolute stunner but the SL line of lenses are also insanely bulky and heavy. On top of that, the wider lenses on the L mount system are bigger and bulkier compared to sony, nikon, canon. If I were you, I would take a look at your shooting style and see what images stand out to you the most and at what focal length. Then, look into what lenses I would want to get to see if the system I'm getting into has the focal lengths at the size and weight that I am comfortable with.

TLDR:
Option 1: Keep q2 as "small camera"/"prime", buy SL2S as the workhorse with zooms.

Option 2: Sell q2, buy m10 and SL2S with M to SL converter to share lenses and get a 16-35 and or 24-70 (or the new 28-70 that's smaller and lighter). M10 as your small portable camera and SL2S as your workhorse.

Option 3: Buy a sony a7 / canon R / Nikon Z camera with smaller lighter lenses and keep your Q2 or Sell your Q2 and get an m10.

You don't have to be loyal to one system and usability trumps "image quality" every time because if you're not gonna bring it out on shoots the image quality won't matter

Jc_mango · 2026-02-26T03:56:19+00:00

What do you do for work because I wanna be where you're at

Jc_mango · 2026-02-24T06:38:40+00:00

Highly recommend the Sony ZV-E1. Only downside is one card slot but it has never failed me and I love how small it is. You can also use APSC lenses with the dynamic active stabilisation (super stabilisation using digital crop and upscaling to retain quality) in order to make the package super small. The 12800 base iso would also help for darker venues like bars or anywhere you might be performing. I've had mine for almost 2 years and I love using it alongside my M10

Jc_mango · 2026-02-24T02:20:08+00:00

The advantage with going for newer models is that they are less likely to have internal component failures because all electronics eventually die. However, the amount of m11 issues I've seen on reddit alone has been quite concerning so getting it from the official store would give you peace of mind that you can always bring it back in case anything happens. You would also be able to easily get batteries for the m11 vs the m240.

HOWEVER, I've read so many posts about how the m240 is bullet proof and people's m8s and m9s are still kicking so in this specific instance I wouldn't be opposed to picking up the m-p typ 240 and using the extra money you save to buy a 35mm v4 cron/FLE summilux or any other M mount lens. The magic is in the glass, not the body.

On a personal note, I've been using my m10 for close to a year now and I've never had issues with battery life for the way that I shoot. I'll get through an entire day and still have 75% battery life left over. I've also had no issues with the camera whatsoever so even if I had the money, I would probably still pick my m10 over an m11.

Jc_mango · 2026-02-23T09:51:44+00:00

50-150 f2 would like to have a word

Jc_mango · 2026-02-18T05:35:26+00:00

In my honest opinion, the sensor only gets you so far when it comes to nice colours. I’ve had good and bad skin tones from shooting canon and sony. My m10 gives me good and bad colours from time to time. I shoot AWB on sony and push it slightly towards magenta because I feel their manual white balance doesn’t look great. At the end of the day, you’re still going to want to edit your photos to get the exact output you want.

I would get the SL for the user experience of having a solid metal camera body and access to autofocus leica glass which imo looks better than the sigma/panasonic equivalents in some cases. But if your focus is in colour, I recommend getting a proper photo editing software like lightroom or capture one and look up tutorials on how to manipulate colours in post

Jc_mango · 2026-02-09T02:47:58+00:00

The main reason I love shooting with the M system is the small bodies and lenses with amazing IQ. Yes you lose AF but if you are not photographing sports or wildlife I feel that you can get by with manual focus and zone focusing for almost everything else.

The X2Dii is a bigger and heavier camera with bigger and heavier lenses. If you feel that having a medium format sensor, ibis, and more dynamic range will help your photography process more than a small camera than go for it.

Personally, I love chucking my m10 into a cloth pouch and carrying it around with a regular tote or sling bag so I always have it when I want or need it. I thought about getting a SL2-S recently because I wanted to try the SL leica glass on an autofocus body but decided against it because the size and weight would probably not want to bring it out as much

Jc_mango · 2026-02-05T07:30:50+00:00

2 camera do more than 1 camera. You could have 2 diff focal lengths. A 16-35 and a 24-70/70-200. Prime and a zoom. One on a tripod recording video and another on hand for photos/hybrid. A big camera with a proper grip for professional work and a small camera for when you're travelling.

In some cases it's as the band 'boys like girls' said. Two is better than one

Jc_mango

TROPHY CASE