Django

I'd pick the R over RP just for battery life alone.. I just hate stressing over batteries on a job and with the R power grip I can go all day. In other news, the drop-in ND adapter is finally out and reviewed:

Yeah seems like a classic case of form over function !

Yes I adhere to that philosophy too until.. less is less.. the Q2 actually went a step back and removed ISO (and delete) button from the original Q: The top also sees the movie record button & drive mode removed: I get what Leica is going for with this streamlining, and it is refreshing especially on something as 'pure' as the M line. For the Q, seeing it is more of a hybrid and indeed has some advanced AF modes, an extra back button, joystick & ISO dial wouldn't hurt. Basically, I'm not sure the ergonomics have been improved here but I could be wrong (only spent a short time with the camera). Yes it is interesting.. except i haven't got a clue what he means by mechanical vs electronic shutter.. for video???

Well I had a go with a unit yesterday.. and the output kinda blew my socks off! The 80mb DNG / 300mb TIFF files are simply glorious. The 47MP sensor paired with that 28mm Summilux lens is a match made in heaven. Build quality is very nice.. but not M series nice. Lens felt a little plasticky. I was also kind of disappointed to find out it is focus by wire albeit with a pretty mechanical feel. Ergonomics are kind of hit & miss. On the hand I miss a lot of the buttons/dials I'm accustomed to, on the other hand 'less is more' is kind of the Leica philosophy. Video wise.. the DCI 4K looks really nice. Clean sharp image at 28mm & 35mm crop. At 50mm crop you start to see some aliasing and at 75mm IQ suffers a lot. Couldn't figure out how to change the shutter speed which was stuck at 1/100th. Also ISO seems locked on auto. Not sure if that was user error or if video just doesn't offer much manual control. Overall this camera is a compact beauty and delivers some of the nicest stills I've ever experienced. The Leica color science & lens rendering is probably my all-time favorite in a digital camera. The 28mm with the crop modes is incredibly versatile. I think I could use this fixed-lens camera for 90% of my needs. Now yes a Z7 + 28mm Zeiss OTUS would probably give similar/better results but that's $8.5K vs. $5K.. and a different type of experience. I think this camera will be a hit for Leica, the 30 copies at my local store sold out on the first day!

Yeah well either way all I'm saying is there is a certain peace of mind when buying a Leica product (real Leica not Panny rebranded). Here in the Paris store, there is a Leica white coat lab technician in plain view working at his station around the clock. Go to Canon/Nikon you get a ticket cue and your gear gets shipped out god knows where for how long. Sony won't even bother to fix your camera. If you're out of warranty it's straight to the bin! ?

They have parts that come from various locations such as obviously the camera sensors which are not in-house. Final assembly & quality control is what is the most important. There is no actual 'manufacturing line' as final testing & assembly is done on individual workstations. The thoroughness performed by Leica at this stage is second to none and explains part of the price. Not unlike what certain swiss-made watch manufacturers have going on. Here is a recent and thorough article about what goes on exactly in those German labs: MAKING CAMERAS AND LENSES THE LEICA WAY Btw, that takes nothing away from what I'm sure is a top-notch facility in Portugal and what surely makes repair parts easy to source. I'm still traumatised by the 3-month delay it took Nikon to source & ship my faulty shutter from China on a brand new D750..

It's my understanding subassembly and some machining is done there but most parts as well as final testing & assembly is done by hand at the Wetzlar facility: Leica Q assembly line lol right cuz blown highlights & micro jitters are camera flaws not operator related.. i've said multiple times already that video is not the main attraction here, and merely a bonus. this camera also isn't competing with a 1DX2, XT3 or A73. it's a high-end street/travel compact camera. that said the SOOC DCI 4K / 120fps FDH IQ, leica color science, low RS & sharpness of that summilux lens make it a lot worthier than most cameras in its category (i.e X100/RX/GR series) imo. The 35mm/50mm/75mm crop modes apparently also carry over to video, which i find pretty unique & interesting for quick on the go prime focal value changes.

@Anaconda_ pretty sure that has more to do with the lighting and dudes oily skin from singapore's heat/humidity. this other review was filmed on a sony A6500, when the Q2 footage kicks in (2:00) the clarity, tonality & detail makes the sony IQ look like a cheap mushy yellow tint mess:

The upcoming Zeiss ZX1 will be its main competitor imo but yeah a 35mm summicron/summilux would have been a slam dunk for me too. That said the 28mm actually makes a lot of sense if you consider the resolution and crop modes. Essentially giving you a 28-75mm focal range. I also love how the crop modes gives you frame overlays (like on classic M series) and not actual crop like all other cameras do it. Perfect for 'see the subject before he enters the frame' type street photography. As for video, again it's a nice bonus. I actually like the DCI 4K IQ I'm seeing from the following review (3:20) and the 120fps FHD seems pretty sharp & clear of artefacts too: Manual focusing for video should be a treat as well considering it's no fly by wire focusing like let's say on Fujis / Nikon Z etc.. so extra credit there too!

An S1R + Sigma 28mm F1.4 will run you the same price. A Nikon Z7 + FTZ + 28mm F1.4 will cost you a grand extra.. and won’t be nearly as compact Apple & oranges I know when it comes to functionality but those 3 cameras all pretty much share the same sensor so in that regard the Q2 isn’t really that expensive. M series yeah you may have a point with the RR/Bentley reference

Yeah i've got no illusions about the Q not being in M series category (and part of me still really wants a real M rangefinder) but the body is made in germany. it's not a rebranded panasonic. The specs are pretty cool.. the Q2 now has the highest resolution in a Leica ever and the clever crop modes (35mm, 50mm & now 75mm) make even more sense. Closest thing to a medium format Leica imo. I've been playing with some DNG samples and I gotta say I'm quite surprised by the DR/recovery. Base ISO of 50 is also pretty damn sweet. DCI4K video is the cherry on top.. not the main attraction of course.. more of a bonus really. But it'll be interesting to see the IQ.. I just might pull the trigger on this one (not been this excited about a Leica in a while). I just need to stay away from the M series when visiting the store..

Here in Europe, S1R is 3700€ body only. The Q2 is selling for 4790€... with a Leica 28mm Summilux.. lens alone retails for 6000€. All made in Germany. If you look at it that way, the Q2 is practically a bargain! Btw, I've never owned a Leica but I've shot before on a couple M series (M7, M9..) and have never been able to shake the feeling out of my system. The craftsmanship, the rangefinder system, the lenses, the color science, the overall feel in your hand... I mean yeah even the shutter sound is orgasmic.

Just announced... The Q2 offers a 47.3MP full-frame sensor capable of DCI and UHD 4K video recording, and sticks with the stabilized 28mm F1.7 offered on the first Q. The Leica Q2 features a newly developed 47.3 megapixel full frame sensor that captures both richly-detailed still pictures and 4K video in brilliant quality at ISO sensitivities up to 50,000. 4K: 30fps / 24fps C4K: 24fps Full-HD: 24, 30, 60 & 120fps Not expecting fantastic video performance like the SL2 (no L-log, 10-bit, ALL-I and 4K seems to have a crop) but if the RS isn't too bad this could be a cool walkaround hybrid.. The price isn't even that expensive imo considering the lens you're getting and sensor resolution. ..This might just be my first Leica

That is some very nice footage @Flogbox what lens(es) you use?

@currensheldon do you have any links to some of that 8:1 / 12:1 BMRaw test footage?

very impressive RS numbers on the G2 thanks to about double readout speed : 4.6k - 7.59ms 4k crop - 6.32ms 2k crop - 3.16ms

right ok nevermind that suggestion!

sorry i don't know that much about speedboosters but i was thinking something that would allow for example: EOS R >> RF to RF Speedbooster >> EF to RF Vari-ND adapter >> EF lens & EOS R >> RF to RF Speedbooster >> RF lens

I guess an RF to RF speedbooster could potentially also be interesting to take advantage of the new RF glass but so you could pop on other adapters on top no?

Yeah I guess Kipon have got that CaNikon smart adapter for Z mount but no NiCanon for RF yet huh? As for speedbooster mount well yeah EF to RF definitely.. a lot of manual EF cine glass to choose from too. Nikon for me would also be nice (mostly got AIS & AF-D glass).

wouldn't they have to develop a DX Z-mount lens line-up first? That could take some time, their focus is already on getting the FF S line out.. also i keep hearing APS-C has peaked and is on it's way out. could be true now that CaNikon FF bodies have reached the $1K mark. personally, i wanna see Nikon do a pro (D5) type MILC & a cine cam. wishful thinking though I'm afraid..

Lol wait.. you're the one that brought up NASA uses Nikon for still photography.. in a Canon thread.. on a video-centric forum.. and I'm the one turning things into a pissing contest?!! Cmon man, you went there. All i did was post a relevant link to an article which btw you thanked me for finding interesting. Why now the hissy fit?? Woke up wrong side of bed? This place is like a ticking time-bomb, always with the drama.. especially if you dare say anything remotely positive about Canon, then all hell breaks loose, SMH. FYI i started out with Nikon, shot on them for decades. Still own much of their glass & an FM2. Why would I feel remotely threatened by astronauts shooting stills? So please mate.. take a deep breath and ask yourself..

I think an IMAX production shot by actual astronauts in space makes for an even better story/case! They could have used anything and tested ARRIS/REDS/CINEALTA and even a $200,000 Phantom F65... only to settle with a 1DC & C500.

Re: NASA.. Eye Piece: How I Trained Astronauts to Shoot the Stunning 4K Footage in A Beautiful Planet from Space