Forum

Best everyday lens ...
 
Notifications
Clear all

Best everyday lens for Leica Q3?

8 Posts
9 Users
0 Reactions
65 Views
0
[#4241]
Topic starter

I just picked up a Leica Q3 and I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle everyday carry and shooting. I mostly shoot street photography and casual travel portraits.

I know it has the built-in 28mm Summilux, but I keep reading mixed opinions online about whether the crop modes are enough or if I should look into getting an add-on lens or even a secondary body for different focal lengths. Some forums say the 28mm is all you'll ever need, while others complain it's too wide for portraits.

Here are my constraints:

  • Prefer keeping the setup as compact as possible
  • Budget isn't a huge issue
  • Intermediate experience level

How do you guys actually use your Q3 day-to-day?


8 Answers
12

ngl been thinking about your setup all afternoon since I read this earlier... wait are u mostly shooting daytime street stuff or do u find urself out late a lot? cuz honestly that kinda changes everything regarding how much u can rely on the crops. like idk if this applies to ur exact style yet, but when u punch into the 50mm or 75mm modes ur basically throwing away megapixels and diffraction starts eating ur fine details if you arent careful. tbh the sensor is massive so u can totally get away with it, but u gotta know what ur trading off. i was super skeptical about fixed lenses at first too, but after watching a ton of street guys work, u just gotta commit to zooming with ur feet lol. if u want a little more grip without buying a whole new body, lowkey u should check out a Leica Handgrip Q3 or a nice rope strap so u dont drop the thing when ur running around. what kind of bag are u using for it right now anyway? if ur current sling is too bulky u might just be feeling the weight of the bag rather than the camera itself...


11

Just catching up on this thread. Look, everyone keeps arguing about crops and extra glass, and frankly it's driving me nuts. Listen to someone whos been turning wrenches for 25 years in a busy shop—you dont fix a tight tolerance by hammering on it with a bigger mallet. You use the right tool for the job, plain and simple. If you want tighter portraits and youre stressing over loosing megapixels at 75mm or 90mm on that Leica Q3 Full-Frame Compact Camera, stop trying to force a wide-angle prime to do everything. That 28mm is great for the shop floor or broad street scenes, but physics is physics. Heres what u actually do. Keep the Q3 for when u want to travel light, but if u want real portraits without messing around with digital crops, pick up a second body with some reach. Grab a Leica M11 Rangefinder Camera body for around $8,995 and slap a Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH Lens on it. It wont weigh u down much more than a lunchbox, and u wont be compromising your image quality or cropping away your resolution just to get a decent headshot. Stop overthinking the compact carry hype and get gear that actually matches the work u wanna do.


5

Congrats on the new camera, but tbh adding random conversion lenses or messing with extra gear defeats the whole point of having a compact setup like the Leica Q3. You really gotta trust the built-in glass first before buying more stuff. Street and casual travel portraits work amazing at 28mm if you just watch your framing and take basic safety precautions with your gear:

  • Use the internal crop modes for 35mm and 50mm framelines so you can preview tighter shots without losing file flexibility later.
  • Double-check that your wrist strap is securely fastened at all times before heading out into crowded areas, especially when leaning in close for portraits.
  • Protect the front element properly, and I'd recommend getting a good quality UV filter professionally installed if you arent 100% confident threading it on yourself. Just make sure you dont force extra gear into your bag right away... give yourself a month with just the body and see how the native focal length treats you first...


5

Look, drop the extra gear ideas. Set the internal crop to 35mm and 50mm framelines. Slap a Leica Q3 thumb support on it and call it done.


3

So funny you ask this — last summer I tried packing an extra bag for my Q3 trip and honestly it was a total pain. Like someone mentioned, you really gotta lean into keeping it simple. To sum it up so far:

  • Stick to the built-in 28mm and crop modes
  • Ditch extra lenses entirely
  • Just grab any comfy strap from [Brand] and go Trust me, travel light...


2

+1


2

> Some forums say the 28mm is all you'll ever need Look. Are you shooting tight details or just broad street scenes? Tell me your exact subject matter first.


1

> when u punch into the 50mm or 75mm modes ur basically throwing away megapixels I'm no expert but I just looked into this last week before deciding on my own setup. IIRC, the 50mm crop still leaves about 18 megapixels, which is plenty for prints and web. I think the 75mm and 90mm crops push it a bit too far for serious portrait work, but it really depends on your final output size.


Share:
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site and allows us to continue making comprehensive reviews.