Leica Q2 review

We get to try out the 47-megapixel Leica Q2 compact camera. This is our verdict, with lab test results…

Leica Q2 review

Digital Camera World Verdict

The Leica Q is one of our favorite compact cameras... and based on our brief time using this full-frame compat on we can already feel that that there is a new love in our life. Yes, the Leica Q2 is expensive – but if you want the absolute in luxury cameras, this is it. It is equally at home as a fully manual street camera, or as an automatic point-and-shoot. And boy does that 47 megapixel sensor deliver! If you have got the money, get your name on the waiting list... as there is going to be a long, long queue for the Leica Q2.

Pros

  • +

    Superb image quality

  • +

    Great range of autofocus and manual focus controls

  • +

    The beautiful feel and engineering

Cons

  • -

    The price (if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it)

  • -

    The LCD panel is fixed

  • -

    No built-in flash

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The Leica Q has been in our list of best compact cameras for some time, even in spite of its luxury price tag. And it has been there for good reason... our reviewers loved it, and not least for its image quality. And the Q2 is very likely to not only replace the Q in our list when we have been able to do a full field and lab test – it is also going to reset the bar for compact camera performance.

The big change to the camera is the sensor. The Q2 boasts a 47.3 megapixel full-frame sensor – offering double the resolution of its predecessor.  That makes it one of the highest resolution cameras out there – including professional DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. In fact, we suspect that the sensor in the Leica Q2 is the same as will be found in the Panasonic Lumix S1R, which goes on sale later this month.

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Chris George

Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography. 

His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 15 Pro Max.

He has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Dorling Kindersley, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.