Leica Q3 43 First Impressions
To be frank, purchasing a Leica Q3 43 was not something I was anticipating to do in 2025. But thanks to the increasing uncertainty of tariffs here in the United States, it was only a matter of time before prices would increase, sure enough — they did. With that foresight I was able to snag a used camera just two hours before the prices increased over $700 on May 1st, 2025.
Now a few weeks later, here are my first impressions on this camera. In this post I will touch on items and aspects that have an impact on how I personally use the camera, without getting too far into the technical aspects. If you want to know more about that there are plenty of resources that you can read or watch videos on elsewhere. I purchased this camera with my own money and all opinions are my own. Since this is a first impressions blog, my opinions are subject to change as I get more experience with it. Let’s dive in!
Purpose
My primary camera for the last several years has been my Sony Alpha 7RV, a more than capable camera that does practically everything I would ever want or need from a photography standpoint. So why on Earth would I ever need a Leica Q3 43? The short answer, simplicity. The Leica Q cameras have a fixed lens, which means when taking a photo, I no longer have to worry about choosing the right lens or focal length. Instead I can focus more on my compositions instead of being paralyzed with the choices that can come from an interchangeable lens system. The Leica Q3 43 in that regard becomes my go-to solution when I only want to bring one camera and one lens, in most situations. More on that later.
Build Quality
The build quality is about what I would come to expect from a several thousand dollar camera made in Germany. The camera body itself is made of magnesium and feels solid in the hand with a nice, evenly distributed weight. You definitely get that premium feel over the predominantly plastic camera bodies out there, but obviously that comes at a price. The only downside that I’ve come to notice is that if you have even the slightest bit of oil or grease on your fingers, it will show up on the matte black paint. So I do find myself wiping the body every few days with a microfiber cloth or t-shirt depending on what I was doing or how hot it was outside.
Handling
The handling on the other hand — not the greatest. Because the body is fairly slim, it’s skimps out on ergonomics and can make holding the camera uncomfortable for some. I primarily use a wrist strap on my camera so that it can be readily available for me to turn on and take a photo. So I need to be able to hold the camera for longer periods of time with one hand, therefore, one of the first purchases I got, before the camera even arrived, was a third party thumb grip. This little metal insert just makes holding the camera for longer periods of time that much more comfortable, though after a while I do still have to switch between holding it one handed vs. two. For me it’s a minor inconvenience, and having to pay extra money for a third party accessory is a little annoying, but I knew that going into it so I wasn’t shocked by it. Lastly the camera lens is a little front heavy. So if you set the camera down on a flat surface it will tip forward, placing unnecessary weight and pressure on the lens mount itself. I wish this was something that could’ve been balanced so I recommend placing the camera lens tip down instead of body bottom down. There are accessories you can purchase to remediate that, but alas that’s more money.
Image Quality
RAW format is my go-to when using this camera and the DNG files coming out of it are a pleasure to work with. Compared to my Sony files, they are pretty similar but I find that I don’t have to do as much post-processing with them. The colors and contrast coming out of the Leica are beautiful as you would expect and I haven’t been upset with its performance in this regard. With the 60 megapixel sensor you can crop in quite heavily and comes in handy when you’re in a pinch and can’t get closer to the subject. The color science behind the Leica system and the rendering from the 43mm prime lens are a masterpiece.
White Balance
About 90% of the time I shoot in Auto White Balance while using my Sony camera, for this camera that drops down to about 60%. So far I’ve found that the Auto White Balance on the Leica is significantly cooler/bluer than on the Sony system. If you shoot in RAW format it’s not that big of an issue, but if you are shooting between two systems it can be annoying to try and match the white balance. I find that I’m increasing the Kelvin of my white balance anywhere between +200 to +400 compared to my Sony photos. Sometimes I end up using a gray card or one of the predefined options (Daylight, Cloudy, Shade).
Autofocus
The autofocus system is certainly not the best. Most of the time I’ve had this camera I’ve been shooting still subjects, so I predominantly use a single focus point with single shot focus mode. I tried testing the subject detection with a continuous focus mode and it’s been really hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes the camera will lock-on where I want it to but if I recompose the image then the focus point jumps around. For transparency, I did do this in an indoor setting so the results may be better outdoors. It’s hard coming from a Sony where the autofocus is arguably one of the best and I’m used to it nailing focus nearly all the time. I will need to do more testing in different scenarios to determine the time and place on when to use each mode.
Battery Life
The battery life so far has been adequate - it doesn’t last as long as my Sony camera, but it has lasted longer than other cameras I’ve used in the past, like the Ricoh GR IIIx. On a full charge the battery has lasted me a full day, but by the second day it would be completely drained. Whereas the Sony battery could last me about twice as long before needing a charge. Luckily battery packs and power banks are cheaper than Leica batteries, so I haven’t had any issues with giving the camera a quick charge every now and then in between shootings. I do find that I’m having to be aware of my battery charge before shooting with it more frequently than I’m used to, so there is that.
Leica Looks / Film Recipes
I’m not a heavy user on the Leica Looks so far, mainly due to the fact that I shoot in RAW 99% of the time. Fujifilm still remains king in the JPEG space when it comes to film simulations and recipes. They give you so much customization and options to play around with until you get something that works for you. With the Leica, there is no customization. If I do use the Leica Looks, then the one I end up using the most is Greg Williams. I use this Look sometimes as a helping aid to judge the light and shadows of the scene in addition to the light histogram. Plus it helps to eliminate distracting colors, especially in an urban environment.
Conclusion
There are certain situations in which I would use this camera, and situations in which I would not. If I needed a camera with a more reliable autofocus or the need to change focal lengths, then this camera would not be it. For me, this camera is best served as an every day camera — cases where photography isn’t necessarily the priority. Situations like walking around my neighborhood or city, sporting events, gatherings with friends or family, and capturing those little moments that often get overlooked.
All in all, I have been pretty satisfied with this camera thus far. Don’t get me wrong, the Leica Q cameras are a joy to use and I feel more connected to the process of taking photos. I knew some of the limitations that came with it before purchasing, and it is something I would highly consider if you were in the market for one. There are tradeoffs in different areas that you may have to make, but it’s only up to you if you can accept those tradeoffs.
