Leica Q (Typ 116) is a 24MP full frame compact camera with fixed 28mm f/1.7 lens
posted Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at 3:52 PM EDT
Today, Leica announced the Leica Q (Typ 116), a fixed lens compact camera that packs a 24-megapixel full-frame sensor and 28mm f/1.7 lens into a compact frame.
Despite its small size and much more wallet-friendly price, the Leica Q (Typ 116) still dons the German manufacturer’s signature red dot and rigorous build quality, brought over from Leica’s M-series digital rangefinders.
Specifically, the Leica Q (Typ 116) utilizes a solid aluminum top plate and magnesium alloy body, the latter of which has become a staple in many camera designs for its strength-to-weight ratio.
At the heart of the camera lies a full-frame 24-megapixel CMOS sensor, capable of pumping out up to 10 frames per second at full resolution. The ISO range tops out at a respectable 50,000.
Leica claims both the autofocus and lens of the Leica Q (Typ 116) is the fastest among full-frame compact cameras. While we’re unable to confirm the speed of its autofocus, the Leica Q’s optical-stabilized Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH lens is indeed faster than that of the Sony RX1, which opts for a Carl Zeiss 35mm f/2 lens.
In addition to a 3-inch touchscreen rear display, which can be used to focus, the Leica Q (Typ 116) offers a 3.68-megapixel EVF for composing shots. A unique feature of the EVF is its ‘digital frame selection’ mode, which lets you choose between 28mm, 35mm and 50mm fields of view when composing and capturing photographs. This feature lets you save the digitally cropped 35mm or 50mm image as a JPEG while simultaneously saving the 28mm RAW file to the memory card.
Additional features of the Leica Q (Typ 116) include the ability to capture full HD 1080p video, a dedicated macro mode for shooting objects as close as 17cm, and built-in WiFi for sharing content with your mobile device.
To coincide with the release of the Q (Typ 116) camera, Leica has developed a camera-specific iOSapp that will let you remotely control camera settings.
The Leica Q is available starting today for $4,250. As with all Leica cameras, the Q (Typ 116) comes with a free copy of Adobe Lightroom 6.