Quick take: I bought and sold the Leica Q2 twice. Looking back through its photographs still makes me want another one. I love the sharp lens, color, and simple experience of carrying one camera, but its autofocus frustrated me when I tried to keep up with my moving child.
Watch my Leica Q2 review
This review is based on my experience owning the Q2 and on the family, travel, and occasional work photographs in the video. The final portion also includes photographs from the original Leica Q, which I rented before buying a Q2. Those are two different cameras, and I keep that distinction clear below.
Why I kept coming back to the Q2
The photographs are what draw me back. When a Q2 image appears among my personal photographs on the TV, I remember how much I enjoyed the camera. The lens produces clean, sharp detail, and I especially like the colors, skin tones, and black-and-white results.
The examples in this review are edited with presets I developed over time. They show the finished photographs I enjoy making, rather than untouched files or a laboratory comparison. Light and editing both contribute to the look.
Living with a fixed 28mm lens
The fixed lens is both the limitation and the appeal. I can leave home without deciding which lenses to pack. For travel and everyday family photographs, that makes the camera easy to bring along. I took the Q2 to Kauai as my only camera and did not regret it.
The 28mm f/1.7 lens can give good subject separation when I work close enough, and macro mode lets me move closer for small details. I also enjoy the 35mm crop framing. It is a crop, rather than a second optical focal length, but the resolution gives me room to adjust the composition.
I generally used Auto ISO while setting the aperture and shutter speed on the physical controls. The video shows ordinary moments at home, travel in Nashville and Colorado, and family photographs in Hawaii.
Autofocus was the reason I hesitated
The Q2 was less satisfying when my daughter would not hold still. I could get lovely photographs, but slower autofocus meant missed moments and frustration compared with the Canon cameras I use for work. That was part of why I sold it, bought it again, and eventually sold it again.
For slower, deliberate photography, I found the experience much more rewarding. I would not choose it because I needed the fastest possible tracking; I would choose it because I enjoyed carrying it and liked the photographs it helped me make.
Low light and occasional wedding work
In the video, I show ISO 4000 and ISO 6400 examples. Some ISO 4000 photographs looked good to me, while ISO 6400 was around the point where I became more selective. I sometimes liked the grain in black and white. That is a personal assessment of these examples, rather than a hard limit for every situation.
I also brought the Q2 to an elopement as a third camera. It produced portraits, ceremony photographs, and mountain sunset scenes that I enjoyed. Some frames missed focus or showed motion blur from a shutter speed that was too slow. Those examples are useful context: the camera can make beautiful work, but I get the most from it when I give myself time.
The original Leica Q in Palm Springs
Before owning the Q2, I tried to rent one for a trip. When that rental became unavailable, I received an original Leica Q instead. The Palm Springs, Orange County, and Joshua Tree photographs near the end of the video come from that original Q.
I enjoyed its colors and the same freedom of working with one lens. Both cameras gave me photographs I love, but the original Q examples should not be treated as Q2 image-quality samples.
Who I think would enjoy it
The Q2 makes the most sense to me as a camera for personal life, travel, and deliberate photography when a wide fixed lens suits the way you see. It is less compelling when fast-moving subjects or changing focal lengths are central to the job.
If you are considering one, try it with the subjects you actually photograph. My strongest recommendation is to judge both the pictures and the experience of carrying it. In my case, the photographs kept pulling me back, even though the autofocus meant it was not always the right fit.
This article reflects the experience described in my original video. Price, resale expectations, and speculation about future cameras from that recording have been omitted because they are no longer a useful basis for a buying decision.
