[Leica] Q3 Monochrom - more images and "report"

[Don Dory]

Your decision is of course yours to make.  I think that if you push the
files you will find the dynamic range to be extraordinary allowing you or
the camera to make drastic misjudgements in exposure and still have a great
image.  Second, memory is cheap, a capable computer is not that expensive,
and large files from an excellent lens allow you to do a of "Ted Grants"
wow, click, look at that when your subject distance isn't ideal.  Last, Q
monochromes are in very high demand and your can purchase one, use it for a
year and resell it for very little depreciation.

All the best.

Don

On Thu, Jul 30, 2026 at 1:23 PM Peter Dzwig <pdzwig at summaventures.com>
wrote:

> Dear All,
>
>
> I promised more shots and my impressions of the Q3 so, here we go :-)
> Please don't dismiss it as too long to read! I should probably begin
> with a statement that these are my results and impressions and opinions.
> You may think otherwise
>
>
> BACKGROUND:
>
> A bit of scene setting: some of you will know that for several months I
> have been considering whether or not to buy a Q3 Monochrom.
>
> I am particularly grateful to all who have offered advice here on the
> LUG and on a number of other fora, in particular to Lluis, Nathan and Don.
>
> I also want to thank Leica themselves, who were very generous loaning me
> a Q3 Monochrom for almost a week and for a great deal of time spent
> discussing issues that I found - and promising to address them.
>
>
> THE IMAGES:
>
> NONE OF THESE are intended as works of art!! They are what they are -
> tests!
>
> - All the photos were taken in auto mode, the idea being to see what the
> camera would do "on its own", there is were no filters used, again this
> is in effect the raw processor working. Anything else can be fixed with
> filters or PP.
>
> - The .jpegs were made directly from the entire .DNGs (enormous) in
> Darktable, reduced to 8-bit and scaled to fit within the Gallery format.
> So what you are seeing here is the output .jpeg reduced to approx 18%.
> Obviously it degrades the quality of the images a bit.
>
> - If anyone wants to have a look at the originals (.jpegs or .DNGs)
> contact me offline.
>
>
>
> 1. The Bull and Hare sculpture Cheltenham.
>
> Taken under a canopy of leaves in bright sunlight. The sculpture is
> highly textured. I was surprised at the lack of variation in the shadows
> given what I saw when I was there. More about the vignetting below.
>
>
> <
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/PESO2011/Q3+Mono/L1001669.jpg.html
> >
>
>
> 2. The same from the reverse to give an idea of the depth of shadows:
>
> <
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/PESO2011/Q3+Mono/L1001671_01.jpg.html
> >
>
>
> 3. Mobile coffee bar - makes the best iced coffee in Town!
>
> <
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/PESO2011/Q3+Mono/L1001674.jpg.html
> >
>
> It *really* is excellent coffee. Overall luminosity was not extreme but
> varied rapidly; highlights are unblown, but the woman's skin is actually
> a light coffee in colour which I had hoped would be better rendered.
>
>
> 4. Ancient Beech:
>
> This is an extremely old beech tree in the grounds of Tewkesbury Abbey,
> the picture showing great detail in the bark. View large!
>
> <
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/PESO2011/Q3+Mono/L1001635_rescaled.JPG.html
> >
>
>
> 5. The front entrance to Tewkesbury Abbey from its grounds.
>
> "Contrasty", but handled well. I really liked this shot. I felt that the
> ones I took around the Abbey highlighted the general capabilities of the
> Q3M.
>
> <
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/PESO2011/Q3+Mono/L1001637_rescaled.JPG.html
> >
>
>
>
> 6. Gustav Holst Statue, Cheltenham: In the original .jpeg you can easily
> read the inscriptions
>
> <
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/PESO2011/Q3+Mono/L1001679_Holst_scaled_corrected.jpg.html
> >
>
>
> 7. A Bar at Craven Cottage (Fulham FC) overlooking the River Thames.
>
> A really high contrast shot which it handles very well.
>
> <
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/PeterDzwig/PESO2011/Q3+Mono/L1001704_Craven_Cottage_Interior_Scaled.jpg.html
> >
>
>
>
> TECHNICAL ISSUES AND VIGNETTING:
>
> As you can see from some of the shots there was an issue with vignetting
> (the worst case was the statue of Holst -,which I corrected for in the
> version above). This turned out to be because the Q Monos (both) have
> been mis-identified in some PP databases and as a consequence the lens
> corrections, which are different from the Bayer-filtered Qs, and they
> also fail to take account of the different processors. It is a fairly
> trivial change.
>
> I have submitted ammended code to the main DB and Leica are looking into
> making sure the various DBs get the relevant data direct from Leica in
> future.
>
> The PP systems involved are any that build on the so-called Lensfun DB
> and potentially several others. If anyone wants/needs the code I can
> make it available while it filters its way into the system.
>
> I also had issues with using FOTOS - which remain unresolved, but may be
> due to overall systems configuration issues.
>
>
> CONCLUSION
>
> Simply put, it's a great camera. As you can see from the photos the
> level of detail is extremely high* and a bit to my surprise I found the
> 28mm very interesting.
>
> I was pleased with many of the photos (there were well over 100) and
> despite a few niggles it handled the sort of scenes I like shooting very
> well.
>
> So will I get one? The answer is probably not and here's why. It's an
> expensive camera (unsurprising), and which a number of things that I
> don't need, in addition to issues of pixel density. I don't shoot video
> - at all - so all the functionality around that is useless for me (and
> why in B&W?); the Apple charging is pointless as I don't use Apple.
>
> Then there's the unresolved FOTOS issue, which...
>
> At the end of the day I'm really a film photographer, and I don't think
> I need 60Mp files, extraordinary as they are. I suspect I don't need
> much more than 40Mp.
>
> I am looking at two Leica options: one is buying a Q2 Monochrom *and* a
> Summicron V4 to go with my M3; or a V4 Summicron and M10 Monochrom, both
> combinations of which I could get for the cost of a new Q3 Monochrom.
>
> Still thinking, but watch this space ;-)
>
>
> I very much hope that you got this far! Your C&Cs are as ever always
> welcome
>
>
> Peter
>
> * In one DNG I could clearly distinguish details of structures,
> including individual buildings at 4 - 5km!
>
>
> --
> Dr. Peter Dzwig
>
>
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>


-- 
Don
don.dory at gmail.com