Leica Q3
Announced May 25, 2023
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
The Leica Q3 is a premium, fixed-lens compact camera that offers exceptional image quality and a highly tactile, intentional shooting experience. While its high-resolution sensor and improved autofocus performance make it a joy to use, it remains a significant financial investment that lacks some of the specialized video features and ergonomic versatility found in competing systems.
Weighted from 42 reviewer scores
Pros
- Versatile tilting touchscreen LCD
- Sharp 28mm f/1.7 lens
- Bright, high-resolution OLED electronic viewfinder
- Robust build quality with weather sealing
- Stunning 60-megapixel full-frame sensor
Cons
- High price point
- Autofocus performance trails behind competitors
- Ergonomic issues with grip and button layout
- Underwhelming battery life
- Limited video connectivity and features
- Launch price $5,995 (USD)
- Sensor 60.3MP Full-Frame CMOS
- Video 8K 29.97p 4K 59.94p
- Burst 15 fps mechanical
What the Reviewers Say
All 42 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- PetaPixel 6/10
The Leica Q3 is a great camera for more intentional and attentive photography, but it is a paradox that a camera designed for street photography is outperformed by my Canon R5 in almost every metric that matters for that genre.
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So even though this camera's so pre-production, everything that I love about the Q2 is here, and then the upgrades that we're getting are really big upgrades.
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The Leica Q3 is a beautiful and undoubtedly very charismatic camera. When you hold it in your hands or hang it around your neck, you feel like you have something special.
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[T]he Leica Q3 is a superb performer that’s lovely to use, and capable of producing fantastic images.
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[W]ith the Leica Q3, there is a lot to love and a few things I found frustrating also, but thankfully nothing too disastrous.
- WIRED 9/10
The latest autofocusing rangefinder from Leica is a take-everywhere gem of a camera—if you can afford it.
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In the Leica Q3, we have a Leica at a very much lower cost than the mainstream M series, but one that really does maintain the standards and make the grade. It also handles much better (arguably) than the rangefinder style, having the EVF built-in, AF and macro focusing.
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I wasn’t expecting to be as enamored with the Leica Q3 as I have been. The images from the 60MP sensor are stunning, and the digital crop function makes the 28mm fixed lens so much more fun to play around with.
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The compact and weather-protected Leica Q3's full-frame sensor and bright, wide-angle lens make it an ideal camera for outdoor use and travel.
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The Leica Q3 is the most powerful, most enjoyable, but most expensive compact camera available. Cost aside, it’s what a camera should be in 2023; tactile, desirable and high quality.
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The Leica Q3 brings real significant improvements over the already very competent Leica Q2 in performance, functionality, and even in the ergonomics and build of the camera.
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I think you can already tell from the past few minutes that I really, really enjoy this camera, and not just because it's a Leica, but because it makes photography fun and you also get some pretty amazing pictures that simply look special.
- Photo Review 8.7/10
The Q3 continues Leica’s incremental improvements and is a capable, IP52-rated weather-sealed, fixed-lens, full-frame camera that delivers high performance in a compact body.
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The Leica Q3 is not just a camera – it's a photography experience. If you're looking for a catalyst to help you fall in love with taking photos again, this is the way.
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An exceptionally capable fixed-lens camera for both photos and videos. The Q3 might be ruinously expensive, but serious snappers will love it all the same.
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The Leica Q3 offers some solid advantages over its predecessor, including an excellent new sensor, PDAF focusing, a tilting LCD, much improved Bluetooth and Wifi, variable-sized DNG files and excellent Geotagging in conjunction with Fotos.
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All in all, even though the Leica Q3 may look physically identical to the much-loved Leica Q2, it is a new camera nested beneath its shell, and this is a camera hard to not recommend to anyone.
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Now we've both tried it, myself and Luke, and we think, to be honest with you, it's probably one of the best built cameras I think I've ever used.
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There's a particular look that Leica has with its cameras that is attractive to a lot of photographers. The size, the lens, it's a 1.7, it's a fast camera, it looks good, it's high resolution.
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The Leica Q3 is perfectly imperfect. It's my favorite everyday carry camera and my favorite fixed lens camera I've ever used.
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The Leica Q3’s design and functionality left me scratching my head. As a compact, everyday carry camera, it faces stiff competition from other brands that offer similar aesthetics with far better performance.
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Many have waited for it patiently, and even more can only dream of affording it, but there is one thing you simply cannot deny: the Leica Q3 is a damn good camera.
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It's a camera for people that like to have a nice camera. It's more about the pride of ownership than it is about the great photos you can make with this.
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That's made me conclude that actually I really want one of these.
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I know some people may find it overpriced.
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It's definitely improved the overall feel and performance to the point where if you were on the fence about getting the Q3, but the autofocus concerns and the general kind of responsiveness of the camera was an issue. This is no longer an issue, I believe.
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The Leica Q3 is pretty much everything you love about the Q2 but new and refreshed with more versatility and functionality.
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The Q3 is undoubtedly a wonderful camera; I would have loved it even more had it arrived nine years ago. In 2015, we started our travel project and set out to visit 50 countries in 50 months.
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Like I said at the start of the video, the Q3 is an absolutely worthwhile upgrade from the Q2. Everything feels like it's been improved.
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The Leica Q3 is a significant advancement in the Q family, combining premium build quality, exceptional image performance, and innovative features in a compact form.
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I do understand why that is. There is a lot about the ergonomics and the experience and the color science and the lens and everything like that that are really intriguing.
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Spoiler alert: I think this camera is the best package Leica currently has out in the market right now. What you're getting for your six thousand dollars is absolutely incredible.
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I wanted to hate this camera, I really did, and while I personally would still not spend my own money on this, it was an absolute joy to use a camera of this caliber out in the wild [...]
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For those that want an easy all-in-one solution that can capture great results and share it really quickly and easily in the field, the Leica Q3 really sits at the top of the short list.
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Possibly the very best ‘secondary’ camera out there right now is the Leica Q3. It provides many of the pro features—decent autofocus, good stabilization and great optics—in a portable package.
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I can tell you that my experience so far with the Q3 has been very positive, and I want to tell you how I've been using it and incorporating it to my workflow.
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Now, I normally finish my video with the conclusion as to how much I like the camera, what my personal views and conclusions are, but I'm gonna tell you right now, I do find this camera to be really discreet, small, compact, and always there when you need it.
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The Q3 is essentially the ultimate everyday camera, compact and hardy enough to handle the stresses of travel with image quality that does all the talking.
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If money was no kind of object, it wasn't even a consideration, I would snap up a Q3 immediately. It completely fills that niche; it's an absolutely incredible camera.
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I think this is as close to perfect as it's going to get for content creation.
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Sometimes it's all about having the right camera to make you want to go out and take photographs. This is definitely one of those cameras.
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I don't know where this year is going to take me, but I do love the Leica Q3 and I hope to continue with this and showcase more of what this camera can do throughout this year.
