Leica Q – Cheaper Battery Options..and Crop Mode By Ted Krohn

30 Comments

1. Would you know what the filter size is for the Leica Q? Can’t seem to find any info on that.

   • 49mm

2. Steve,

   If Leica made an ILC FF camera without RF, what would its price be?

   Can Leica put an FF sensor on the model T(like Sony did on the E-mount)?

   Thanks.

3. When Leica USA gave pricing information on the Q accessories to dealers, the battery had a different catalog number and price than the V-LUX battery even though it appeared to be the same model (BP-DC12). Leica dealers only learned last week that the pricing was incorrect (it was over $100 more than the equivalent V-LUX battery which definitely did not make sense). I can say that at Leica Store Miami we have fixed this error and now the Q battery and the V-LUX battery are the same price.

4. Thanks a lot Ted for the info! This is indeed super useful. I don’t know what Leica is thinking charging Q battery for $190 a pop, while alternatives exists for 1/2 or 1/4 of the price.

5. I own a dp2Quattro and a dp3Quattro: Sigma puts a spare battery in each box. And they are the same kind of battery that goes in my Q. I have now 4 spare batteries 🙂

   The macro mode is good, I don’t see why I should put a glass in front of that lens, when I can use a longer focal lenght macro lens on another system. If it was just to try it, good, but I would not loose my sleep on that.
   The Q macro mode is good enough, just don’t expect it to look like a 150mm macro 😉
   It’s great for food photography for example.

   • Thanks for the info, you just saved me some $. I was about to order a spare battery for the Q. But since I have a dp 2 quattro as well – problem solved.

   • I agree, the screw-on macro lens is more of a fun thing than it is a necessity. That said, by using this lens that produces tack sharp results, saves me from any need to crop (I love putting on to a poster board really close up 8.5×11 and occasionally even 13×19 prints of flowers).

6. Beautiful shots Ted. This is a fine summary of the Canon 500D screw on lenses that Ted used.

   http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/infobank/lenses/close-up_lenses.do

7. FYI, you can buy a BP-DC12-compatible battery made by Wasabi Power on Amazon for only $18.99, including shipping. They also sell a 2-pack, with a charger, for only $29.99.

8. Note: spell check got me again The above should read “it’s not a cheap substitute…”

9. Where are you seeing this price of $195.00 for the Q battery? It’s listed @ http://www.camtecphoto.com (Montreal, Canada) for $115.00 CDN.

10. Why would you try to get the cheapest battery you could to put in a $4250 camera?

    • John:

      All the batteries are made on the same production line in China! Same-o, same-o…

    • Because ofter spending soooo….much $$$$ for a nice camera you’re broke (like me, i got one). BTW, I can find the new Q battery in Canada for $115.00 CDN, so not sure where he’s seeing the $195.00 price?

      • Found that original battery price on the Leica website. Doug’s deal (see above posting) is even better than what I found at B&H.

    • It’s the exact same battery. It’s not a champ substitute made by a third party vendor. It’s the same battery as another Leica camera, which is rebadged Panasonic.

11. To barjohn1:

    The closeup lens allows you to get super close to the subject. The Q filter size is 49mm in diameter. My 500D close up lens/filter happens to be 58mm. So I bought ($6 at B&H) a so-called step-up filter ring that allows one end to thread onto the 49mm diameter, the other to the 58mm thread diameter. The in this case of the flower, I wanted to see what the Q’s quality output would be at 28mm (24 MP), at 35mm (16MP) and at 50mm (8MP). I am extremely impressed with all three and can further justify my photo expenditure addiction….

12. Surely, Leica is taking the mickey with the price of the battery, which isn’t even made by them. A 500% markup? Odd, though, that the Q uses a Panasonic battery that now one wonders just who has supplied the electronics inside it. Someone on Steve’s original posting speculated Panasonic, which could be good as it may presage their own entry into the FF arena. Is this a clue?

13. very impressed,sadly beyond my means just now ,still saving for the M246 !!

14. Any one tried the Q with a sony wide angle or fisheye converter which is meant for the sony 28mm f2. Or the Fujifil WCL100 wide converter meant for the X100 fujifilm cameras.

15. Hmmm…sure wish I could afford one, but it it beyond my means, especially for a hobby…. but these sure look nice even so…..

16. It isn’t clear to me but what did the step up rings do for you? The camera has a macro mode and crop modes so does it need these rings?

    • Tested at the Leica shop, it is not really a macro mode as Steve mentioned in his review. I am not sure about the magnification, but from my experience the lens should have about 0.3 to get good results with cropping. And to be honest, this was one of the reasons to decide against the Q as a single camera. At 28 mm you will have a hard time finding a better camera, but at 35 or 50 mm, well, it certainly does not come up top in comparison. Brilliant camera, first FF Leica I could afford/justify as a amateur but unfortunately not my cup of tea. And as a non Leica user, it doesn’t feel (limited to workflow) anything like a Leica M which is not a bad thing. And I do disagree with Steve Huffs, it is allmost certain Leica introduces a new Leica Q with interchangeable lenses as Sony is allready hitting the M and now Canon hard. Nikon will be next.

      • As Steve Huff speculated sometime ago, Sony may do that with its RXII, whenever that is introduced. And my guess is that if that becomes a sales success, then Leica and Panasonic will collaborate and do the same.

        Kudos to Steve Huff and his great website to allow serious dialogue for hopelessly addicted photographers!

        • Thank you!

          • Brilliant website and I really enjoy reading your articles. Unfortunately they get a little short lately. Another criticisms, you made me walk to the Leica store in London as I want to have a Leica after reading your articles for 3 years.

            Any chance to do a crazy just for fun comparison between the Leica Q and Sony Rx100M4, totally different cameras but I would like to see Leica Q Crop 50mm vs. Sony 70 mm (same physical focal length) – FF higher aperture vs 1inch higher MP.

          • The Q would slaughter the RX100 V4, in every way but size and cost. This article is short as it was just battery info set by a reader. When I did 10,000 word reviews, I would get those who would complain over and over telling me to shorten them up. Most reviews today are 3500-5000 words.. but when a truly spectacular camera arrives it will still get the long form treatment. Thanks for stopping by!

        • Not so sure if there will be a RXII, to be honest, size wise the Leica Q (for me as I would need the grip) is much closer to the Sony a7 mII with 28 mm than RX1. But than again, at 28 mm I still would favour the Leica Q over the Sony a7RII. I was waiting for the RX2 for a long time but after testing the Q, I am not sure what Sony (beside slightly better ISO and stabilisation) can offer me. I realised the main limitation for me is the fixed lens and even the highest MP will not give me the perspective and DOF of a 50 mm lens when needed. In summary, for me the Sony a7Rii comes up top and is the “camera to beat 2015”, as small as Q, but you can choose from a constantly growing collection of lenses.

17. Nice! I’m not familiar with either close up lens or step up ring. What is a step up ring? Is the close up lens like adding a teleconverter? If so how does this effect the AF speed of the Q? Can it be used without a tripod if I just need extra reach?

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