Leica has unveiled the Q2, the successor to the highly-praised Lecia Q which saw the German manufacturer incorporate its stunning lenses and technology into a compact body. The Q2 comes with a host of upgrades that allows for the standard 28mm focal length to perform in 35mm, 50mm and 75mm modes via intelligent built-in cropping, as well as receiving a number of hardware upgrades too. Featuring a 47.3MP sensor, ISO from 50 to 50,000 and incredibly precise autofocus technology, the Leica Q2 continues to be a benchmark in photography and upholds the Leica standard. The Q2 also comes equipped with 4K UHD and 4K-Cine video shooting capabilities that captures footage at both 30 and 24 frames per second. Most notably, the Leica Q2 is now weather sealed, making for a camera usable come rain or shine. The Q2 is finished with the archetype Leica black metal body and is available to purchase at Leica boutiques for $4,995 USD. In case you missed it, check out Jason Momoa’s eclectic collection of Leica cameras.<doc-sep>Leica’s compact-yet-powerful Q was one of the most interesting cameras released in the past few years. A true photographer’s camera, the Q combined a large full-frame sensor with a fast, sharp lens in a camera small enough to be carried almost everywhere. Nearly four years later, Leica is back with the Q2, which retains the compact design and overall appearance of the original, but with some significant performance improvements. The headlining feature of the Q2 is its new sensor, which has the same full-frame size as before, but comes with an increase to 47.3 megapixels of resolution over the 24 megapixels of the original. That puts the Q2 in line with some of the higher resolution cameras from Sony, Nikon, and Canon that have come out since the original’s launch, and even has it in spitting distance of medium format cameras from Fujifilm, Pentax, and Hasselblad. The new sensor also comes with an upgraded processor, which enables things like a slightly expanded ISO range of 50 to 50,000, 4K video recording at 24 and 30 frames per second , and 1080p video at up to 120 frames per second, while maintaining the snappy response, continuous shooting, and autofocus of the original. The Q2 also uses Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi to connect to a phone for image transfer; there are no ports for USB, HDMI, or any other output on the body of the camera. The Q2 has the same 28mm f/1.7 optically stabilized lens as before, but the higher resolution of the new sensor offers more cropping flexibility after the fact. Leica has added a new 75mm digital framing crop, in addition to the 35mm and 50mm options that were available on the Q. Even with the 75mm crop, which discards much of the information captured by the sensor, the Q2 can still offer a 7-megapixel image. The new OLED viewfinder is brighter, faster, and easier to see Externally, the Q2 looks nearly identical to the Q, but Leica says the inside of the camera has been completely redesigned. And if you look closely enough, you’ll find a variety of tweaks and changes to button placements, dials, power switches, and more on the outside of the camera. Most notable is the customizable button inside the thumbwheel on the top deck — the dedicated movie recording button is gone — and the simplified arrangement of buttons to the left of the touchscreen, brought over from the M10. The touchscreen itself has the same specs as the prior model, but Leica says it is a newer generation panel. Likewise, the Q2’s viewfinder has the same resolution as before, but it is now an OLED screen with a higher refresh rate and greater magnification. One of the big upgrades to the Q2’s design is weather sealing, which allows for IP52 dust and splash resistance. It’s not the kind of protection that lets you completely submerge a camera or get it soaked, but it should give peace of mind to shooters who occasionally find themselves stuck in a rain shower. The Q2 also has a larger, upgraded battery that adopts the trick magazine loading system Leica debuted on the SL. The company says it has 30 percent better battery life than before. The Q2 remains primarily a stills camera I had an opportunity to use the Q2 ahead of today’s announcement and found the improvements to be largely positive. The camera hasn’t lost any of its charm or appeal, but feels faster in use and is easier to handle thanks to the refined controls. The new viewfinder is noticeably better to look at, and the high-resolution files provide a lot of flexibility for cropping and editing. Despite the new video recording capabilities, the Q2 remains a stills camera first and foremost — the lack of articulating display, mic input, or fine-grained video controls will put off most videographers. Leica says the Q2 will be available to purchase at dealers and online starting today and it expects there to be high demand for the camera, much like the first model. (The Q was famously on backorder with varying delays for the entire first three years of its existence.) That anticipated demand is in spite of a price increase: the Q2 sells for $4,995, $500 more than the original. That’s certainly not cheap, but if you want to own one of the most unique and enjoyable to use cameras on the market, that’s what it will cost you.<doc-sep>Leica has released an update to its Q camera – which was already so beloved that it was very difficult to buy. The new camera, known as the Q2, looks almost identical to the product it has replaced. But it brings a whole host of updates meant to improve the performance. It adds a new and much more high-performance sensor, which can capture images at 47.3 megapixels and 95 per cent more resolution than its previous model. It also brings the fastest lens in its class and new and improved autofocus. The Q2 also brings a new dust and water seal to protect it from the weather, which Leica said would help its position as "the perfect travel companion". The new camera is on sale now with an RRP of £4,250. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. 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Buying the Leica Q has meant signing up to a waiting list, with the company unable to make enough of the cameras to satisfy demand. Recommended Samsung Galaxy S10 leak reveals major camera upgrade and huge battery The Q sits in the middle of Leica's range. It packs many of the same features of its more well-known and traditional cameras into a smaller body, while standing above its more entry-level models. Like the Q, the Q2 has intergrated Wi-Fi so that pictures can be sent straight to a phone or snapped remotely.<doc-sep>
Leica has updated one of our favourite premium compact camera designs. The Leica Q2 keeps the minimal ‘reduction to the essentials’ design of the original Leica Q, but brings a massive jump in resolution from 24 megapixels to 47.3MP – that’s an increase of 95%. This resolution wouldn’t count for much without a lens capable of resolving this kind of detail, and the Leica Q2 keeps the excellent Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH. lens used in the Leica Q. Leica says this is the fastest lens in its class, and while the focal length is fixed at 28mm, the Leica Q2 does offer 35mm, 50mm and 75mm ‘crop factors’ to simulate longer focal lengths. See our Leica Q2 hands-on review Normally this kind of digital cropping wouldn’t be taken as a serious alternative to a zoom lens, but the high resolution of the new 47.3MP sensor makes this a much more practical proposition, and both the viewfinder and rear screen have ‘bright line’ frames to show the angle of view of these different settings. Leica says the Q2 offers fast, precise autofocus with an AF time of less than 0.15sec, making the Q2 ideal as a classic ‘street photography’ camera, though Leica is also keen to emphasis its suitability for travel photography, architectural photography, landscapes and even portraits, where the wide maximum aperture could be used to add depth and background defocus to ‘environmental’ portraits of subjects in their surroundings. 47.3MP and 10fps too Perhaps most impressive of all is that the Leica Q2’S improved Maestro II processor allows a continuous shooting speed of 10 frames per second, even at full resolution. The new camera can also capture 4K UHD video, making it of interest to anyone looking for the best 4K camera right now. While the exterior design is the same as the Leica Q, the new camera’s body is now dust and water sealed, and Leica says it has also improved the battery life. Other mod cons include integrated Wi-Fi and ‘always on’ Bluetooth LE connectivity for a permanent connection to a paired smartphone. The Leica Q2’s price puts it out of reach of all but he most affluent enthusiasts, but for a Leica it’s actually quite reasonably priced and probably the most accessible model in the range for new users keen to try this legendary camera brand. The Leica Q2 is on sale now, at a recommended retail price of £4,250/$4,995.