An evolving methodology for using the Leica Q2. Different than what I expected.

 

When I first started using the Leica Q2 I think my brain was adamant in telling me that the thing in my hand was a glorified point-and-shoot camera and would be most effectively used as an "automatic" and "auto-focus only" device. A mental pigeon-holing of the camera into the "toy" column of cameras rather than the "working tool" category. 

From the outset I used the camera that way. I would set it for aperture preferred mode, set an aperture that I "knew" would deliver nice results, and then rely on the camera's autofocus to quickly nail focus for me. While the photographs generally turned out well and the camera was a breeze to operate I missed a bit of the friction I generally like to have attendant in a camera to make its use more...fun. 

I think it was the arrival of the M series cameras (M240, M240 ME) I've been buying over the last year that switched my thinking about the Q2. At some point, maybe just a few weeks ago, I started using the Q2 in a different way. I started setting my exposures manually. I started using smaller f-stops for exterior work and larger f-stops for interior work. (Yes, I know that makes complete sense, but for me it was a move away from just setting and then forgetting what I believed was the optimum aperture. I was living my life at f4.0 or f5.6). 

But the biggest change has been moving from depending on AF to relishing MF. Manual Focus. 

What I discovered when I really plunged into manual focusing on the camera was how good the entire system actually is for providing a near perfect manual focusing experience. And how convenient it is, in some cases, to rely more on zone focusing (or hyper-focal distance focusing) for quicker work. 

But I should back up and explain the camera I think. The Leica Q2 is the second camera of three in Leica's evolution of a full frame, fixed lens (28mm) take everywhere camera. It's compact, the external interfaces are very minimalistic and the camera and lens are very well built. The lens autofocuses and also has a traditional aperture ring near the front. It's lovely. The finder is an EVF and like other Leica cameras the optical configuration/construction of the eye level finder is superior to any other compact camera on the market. The camera has a leaf shutter which is mostly silent, but more importantly for flash shooters, it provides flash sync at all shutter speeds. Perfect for fill flash in full sun. 

The lens features a complete set of focusing distances etched (not just painted!) onto the lens barrel. This is an important aid for those who want or need to zone focus!!! The lens barrel also features an etched depth of field scale for the 28mm lens. Also a nice aid for zone focusing fans who don't want to carry around a book full of depth-of-field measurements. But the best thing about all this is that the lens, when switched into the manual focus mode, is a real manual focus instead of a focus-by-wire type where the focusing ring can turn and turn and turn. When you are in MF there is a hard stop at both ends of the focusing range. A hard stop at infinity and a hard stop at the closest focusing distance. That's an incredible relief for all manual focusing aficionados. It also means that when you set a specific distance in MF the focus point stays there until you move it somewhere else. You are completely in control. 

Of course none of this would matter if you had a hard time focusing with your eyes. Right? 

As soon as you touch the focusing ring the image in the finder is magnified by 4 - 12X and, if it's set in the menu, focusing peaking is also engaged. Combined, this makes focusing with your eye incredibly easy and incredibly accurate. As soon as you let go of the ring the full image shows in the finder. 

It's an elegant system and I'm now using it nearly all the time instead of depending on the autofocusing capabilities of the camera. 

While the image magnification and focus peaking are nearly foolproof for getting sharp images with most subjects there are times when I'll encounter a fast moving subject or I want to photograph in the street or in a crowd without bringing the camera to my eye. That's when I default to zone focusing. After all, it's a 28mm wide angle lens so why not?

If I'm walking down the sidewalk in a city and want to grab quick, candid shots I depend on an aperture like f8.0 or even f11, prefocus in the range I think I'll want to cover and find a shutter speed that gives me the third leg of the exposure triangle I want; along with the ISO. With the camera focused at a bit past six feet on the  focusing ring, and the camera set at f11, I can be reasonably sure that I'll have good focus on everything within a zone of about 4.5 feet to infinity. Since I'm generally photographing people from about eight feet away that set up means that eight feet is nearly the exact point of focus and so will be quite sharp and in focus. With a safety margin on either side.

One of the reasons I sold the two Fuji X100V cameras I owned was my frustration with the manual focusing set up with those cameras. There was no indication of focus distance on the lens barrel and one had to consult a small, linear scale in the EVF to watch while rotating the focusing ring. Turn the camera off or let it go to sleep and you lose the focus point. It's not an optimal camera with which to pursue zone focusing. Maybe Fuji has changed that on the X100VI. I haven't worked with one so I don't know.

One more note about using the Q2 professionally. I now have several of the Leica SCL-6 batteries and the difference between them and the previous SCL-4 battery that came with the Q2 is significant. Working with the camera in manual focus, and setting a power saving mode, I'm finding that I can get through a full, casual day of photography with one battery and an intensive day of commercial photography with just two batteries. The added bonus being that the new batteries are also less expensive. Win-win. 

I like the Q2 very much now. It's also changed my taste in focal lengths and I'm much more inclined to use wider focal lengths like the 28mm now. That's a change for me. 

The Q2 and the SL2 are both cameras I have absolutely no regrets about buying. They both fill their photographic categories quite well. And they travel well together. The larger camera for exacting work with longer focal length lenses and the smaller camera for quicker and more discreet work. 

In taking the camera down to its essentials: manual focusing and manual exposure, it works just like the cameras I grew up with and learned to work with. It's a comfortable way to work because you have at least the idea of being in complete control. And you'll likely feel more engaged in the process. 

The Q3 offers some things that many photographers might like. The flipping rear screen being one. But if I were to add another camera to the Q mix it would most likely be a lightly used Q2 as a back up or, for the novelty of it, a Q2 Monochrom. I seem to nearly always buy stuff one model back from the current newcomers. When I finally do pick up a Q3 a year or two from now it will still seem like a big revelation. 

Oh dear. No skyscrapers. No mannequins. No soliloquy to my desk chair or my filing cabinets. Just writing about how I personally use a popular camera.