Leica Q3 43 pairs a 43mm f/2 lens with the Q3’s full-frame 60MP sensor

Leica has announced the new Leica Q3 43 ($6,895). It’s essentially the same as the original Leica Q3 (review), launched last year. However, it comes with a longer APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH lens, specially designed for this camera.

This will be great news for those who felt the Leica Q3’s 28mm f/1.7 ASPH lens was a little too wide. It’s great for landscape and street but a bit wide for a lot of things. The new Q3 43 also boasts 60mm, 75mm, 90mm, 120mm and 150mm crop simulations.

Leica Q3 43 – Shoot longer

The Leica Q3 43’s big difference (and pretty much only real difference) from the original Leica Q3 is its new lens. 43mm, Leica says, offers the most natural and pleasing, distortion-free image comparison to regular human vision. This is a little shorter than the 50mm that most of us consider to be “standard”, but it’s perhaps a little more accurate to our usable field of view.

This makes it ideal for street photography and even portraits – depending on the style of portraits you like. But you can go even longer, kind of. It offers a bunch of focal length simulation modes. There are 1.4x to 3.5x crop modes available which offer the equivalent field of view to 60mm, 75mm, 90mm, 120mm and 150mm.

Of course, you’re not really switching to a different focal length lens. It’s simply a crop. With that full-frame 60MP sensor, these crop modes should still present a usable image most of the time, though. Personally, I think I’d sooner just shoot 43mm and crop in post rather than in camera.

For those who use their Leica Q3 underwater and are thinking about switching, your dive case may not work. While the main body of the Leica Q3 43 is identical to the Leica Q3, the 43mm lens protrudes out a further 5mm over the 28mm lens. So, it may not fit in your existing housing.

Leica Q3 43 Specs

Price and Availability

The Leica Q3 43 is available to pre-order now for $6,895. Shipping is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks.