[Leica] Leica Q at Leica Store München

[Howard Ritter]

While in Munich last weekend, I visited the Leica Store on Brienerstraße hoping to have a look at the Q. I got to handle and shoot a little with their demo model and found it easy to handle and work with. What a novelty, autofocus in a “real” Leica, not to mention a robust macro mode. Price, 3995 Euros—just a little more than B&H’s price. I was a little nonplussed by its size, only 1 cm narrower than the M240 and the same in height. I’d have hoped that without the volume occupied by the M's mechanical RF, the body could have been shorter than the digital Ms. It looks strangely square from front or back.

By contrast, the Sony RX-1 with FF sensor and fixed 35mm lens is a full inch narrower than the M240, over half an inch shorter than M and Q, and almost an inch shallower than the Q. I’d have hoped a similar machine from Leica would be similarly compact. The most compelling aspects of the Q are Leica glass, autofocus, a viewfinder—through-the-lens at that—and a FF sensor for thousands less than an M. Its most distinctive categorical advantage over the RX-1 is that EVF. Even match on the fixed prime wide-angle normal lenses (when I regularly toted an R4 around with only one lens, it was usually the 28mm Elmarit). But with a much smaller form factor, as well as price factor, with autofocus and Carl Zeiss glass, the Sony at its current reduced price is a mighty attractive proposition when you’ve gotta have a FF in your pocket. The main deterrent to me is that they couldn’t find a way to cram an EVF into the interior volume and back-panel real estate. I love my NEX7 and would like to see a FF version of same, even with less zoom, like 21-35 mm.

But there was this about the store as well: I got a Leica high just from being in the place. Display cabinets on three walls, with what must have been over a hundred used bodies of practically every Leica model from late pre-M to M240, and SLRs from Leicaflex to R9 and S, and a similar number of lenses, plus accessories. Some bodies were stacked several deep! All for sale! And new ones, including the new M Monochrom. I did make a few interested noises about the Q before the very friendly and helpful Herr Michael Müller tilted his head, got a very wistful look on his face, and sadly said “We sold out 45 minutes ago…” and explained that they’d sold 45 Qs since it was released. I was lucky to escape without my Amex card seeing daylight. 

For any list members visiting Munich (or anywhere else in Bavaria!), it’s worth a visit even if you have to skip the Hofbräu Haus.

—howard