It’s only been a few weeks since I purchased my Leica Q3 and in that short period of time I have already grown to love this camera. I have become familiar with its controls and settings. I am really enjoying the 28mm field of view and my eye has quickly adapted to see potential compositions using this focal length. The addition of a hand and thumb grip plus a soft release button have improved the handling and it now feels very comfortable to hold and use. The files are simply stunning and the dynamic range of the sensor is unlike anything I have used in the past.
My collection of images of the Dorset countryside near to my home continues to grow. Here are just a few photographs I have made with the Leica Q3. Seeing these images on screen is one step away from making prints, and I am increasingly inspired to do so in the near future.
Former church of Holy Trinity at Turner’s Puddle – now redundant
I am sure that anyone reading this could write their own book about image capture, I know I could, so in this second entry which follows Part One – ‘Seeking Inspiration’, I shall briefly address my way of capturing a scene. This will not cover every aspect of my way of working but is more of an overview of the key methods I adopt before releasing the shutter. It might also help explain why I recently decided to buy a Leica Q3.
Principally I will be referring to my landscape photography as other genres – church interiors for example – require a different approach which I might cover at a later date.
The River Piddle near Throop
First and foremost I consider myself to be quite a spontaneous photographer. Although I will go out specifically with the intention of making images I don’t often plan to capture a particular view or arrive at a location when the light will be at its most favourable. I would far rather wander around the countryside and respond to a scene, the light or a particular composition which appeals to me and draws my eye. Nor do I get up to be out before the dawn or stay out until well past the blue hour. I am a daytime photographer – which suits my lifestyle and the images I am trying to make. In summary I like to document the rural nature of the places close to my home.
Call me impatient but I won’t stay in one place for very long. In other words I won’t wait for the sun to move round or for clouds to shift in the sky. If the conditions aren’t right then I’ll simply move along and look forward to finding another scene to photograph. I do sometimes criticise myself for not slowing down but it’s how I am and it’s why I like to travel light. Always having a camera with me allows me to capture an image which might be missed.
For this reason I rarely use a tripod. In fact if I am out walking in the landscape it’s the last piece of equipment I will pack – I know it will not get used. I am not a lover of zoom lenses either. I much prefer using prime lenses but choosing which ones to take with me can be tricky. If I can choose only one lens then for years my default and arguably my favourite lens is the 50mm or ‘nifty fifty’, but it does have its limitations. So I then start to think do I need to pack something wider and or longer as well? The added weight plus the inconvenience of repeatedly changing lenses can be frustrating – but perhaps I am just being lazy!
Barn detail
Ever since 2012 when I purchased a second hand Leica Monochrom, I have largely remained loyal to the Leica brand albeit with a more recent foray into the world of Fujifilm with the purchase of a Fujifilm XT3 and Fujifilm X100v. As much as I liked these excellent cameras they have never replaced my love of Leica and in particular their wonderful prime lenses, which I really enjoy shooting wide open for creative effect. Until a few weeks ago my camera of choice was the Leica SL2S.
If you are interested you might like to read these two posts –
So why Leica and what camera settings do I use? I like to remain in complete control of the exposure and focus. It’s not that I don’t trust being on auto this or auto that, but I would rather take a little more time to adjust the shutter speed, aperture and ISO myself as well as focusing manually. I appreciate that almost any camera will allow me to do this, but the Leica SL2S makes it so easy for me. Perhaps its my familiarity with the camera controls coupled with a degree of muscle memory.
Leica SL2S and 50mm prime lens
The manual focus only prime lenses are a joy to use. They have a dedicated aperture ring and a depth of field scale on the lens. The manual focus ring is not fly by wire and a quarter turn will take the focus from infinity to the closest distance. It’s mechanical and beautifully tactile and it just works. The Leica camera menu is intuitive, straightforward and far from complicated. Sorry Fuji but I have never got my head round all your menu settings.
Private Keep Out
I mentioned earlier that I rarely ever use a tripod. Weight and inconvenience aside I like to compose a shot with complete freedom. Raising or lowering the camera at will, moving my feet to the left or right, or getting closer or further away from the subject to get the view I want. I check my settings, focus and press the shutter. I often shoot wide open so I am usually working with a high shutter speed so camera shake is never really an issue. The SL2S has in-body image stabilisation so shutter speed is rarely an issue to achieve a sharp image. If I do want to shoot in a semi-automatic mode then I will usually choose aperture priority, adjusting the speed or ISO to suit. Controlling the depth of field and the main point of focus is a priority once I have dialled in the exposure. I’ll use the digital zoom to double check my focus if necessary. I can use ‘focus peaking’ but the viewfinder is so sharp and clear I don’t find it’s required.
Filters and do I use them? I have a collection of filters, a polarizor, neutral density and graduated filters (hard and soft) all of which I will very occasionally use but I treat them rather as I do the tripod. They can get in the way of spontaneity. Once again if I slowed down and took more time over capturing each image then I think they would get more use. They definitely have their place in photography but not always in my camera bag. This is true only because modern sensors can now capture a broad dynamic range and the hybrid mechanical/electronic shutter negate the need for ND filters, even when shooting in bright conditions with a fast aperture.
As I am a monochrome worker I will always have the screen set to give me a black and white preview of the picture I am taking so that I can an idea of tones etc. I have to give credit to Fuji with all their in-built film styles, including many excellent options for monochrome, but I shoot RAW and will always process the image and never use the JPEG straight out of camera. I’ll cover this aspect of my workflow in Part three. I always use the histogram to make sure the highlights aren’t blown. The level gauge and something called perspective control are also very helpful if you have converging verticals which you want to correct during processing.
Muddy track and barn
Explaining all of the above brings me onto my recent purchase of a Leica Q3….. the version with a fixed 28mm lens, not the recently announced Q3 43, which has a fixed 43mm lens. I mentioned earlier that I had a Fuji X100v which I bought back in 2020. A highly regarded camera, but I always found the 23mm (35mm in full frame terms) to never be quite wide enough when I didn’t want to use my 50mm lens. Whilst compact and lightweight I almost found it too small to be reassuring to use. The Leica SL2S is quite a hefty beast but being quite large and very solid is to me much more comfortable to use.
So I decided I might sell my X100v and did some research into the Q3 as a replacement. I soon found a number of nearly new examples for sale at a much lower price than brand new. It’s far from being cheap to buy, as with anything made by Leica, so any saving is worthwhile. I didn’t take very long to make up my mind.
I have to say the Q3 is not really that compact, the lens is bulky, particularly when compared to the X100v which will readily fit inside a coat pocket. However it shares most if not all the things I like about the SL2S and has some other benefits which are lacking on the SL. The camera controls are very similar, the lens just feels like any other M mount prime lens. It has a maximum aperture of f1.7 which even on a 28mm lens can give me a very shallow depth of field in certain situations. It also has a macro facility which is quickly enabled by turning another ring on the lens. Like all Leica lenses the quality and sharpness is outstanding. Yes it’s larger and heavier than the X100v but to me it feels more like a scaled down version of the SL2S, so it instantly felt comfortable in the hand. Having made the switch I did add a thumb grip, soft release and I will probably add a hand grip as well, all of which I had on the Fuji.
Various images of my newly acquired Leica Q3
The menu system on the Q3 is very similar to the SL2S, so I can switch between cameras without having to think too much about what I am doing. Just like the X100v it has an articulated screen, which is something I miss on the SL. It has in-body image stabilisation, is weather proof and for the few weeks I have owned the camera it is already proving to be a delight to use.
I am greatly enjoying the challenge of using a 28mm lens as opposed to the 50mm. It’s opening up new creative compositions. Finally I should mention the 60mp sensor which is quite superb and offers the following crop modes of 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 90mm. Even at 50mm it’s providing me with a 18.9mp file – The Leica SL2S has a 24mp sensor by way of comparison and I have never been disappointed with the images it captures. In fact I have always considered 24mp to be something of a sweet-spot. Turning the clock back my Leica M Monochrom had a 18mp sensor, so for convenience when I only want to carry one camera I feel very at ease using the crop mode on the Q3.
So in conclusion I hope this has given you an insight into my approach to image capture when I’m out in the landscape. My purchase of the Leica Q3 is a great companion for the SL2S. I can take it anywhere and given time may get more use than the SL and the ‘nifty fifty’.
All of the monochrome images in this entry were captured with the Q3, as indeed were the images in the first post in this series. They were all captured during a single walk not far from my home.
Grey, cold, and damp….. a typical Winter’s day in the south of England. Despite these conditions I very much enjoy wandering around the countryside, and in particular photographing the various farm buildings I encounter. They hold a certain fascination and are often in a state of disrepair. It’s a subject I keep returning to, and I don’t imagine this ever changing. The combination of a walk in the Dorset landscape with a camera for company is always a pleasure irrespective of the weather; although warm, waterproof clothing and a good pair of walking boots are a requirement.
The walk began and ended at the church of St Nicholas in Winterborne Kingston. A fine display of snowdrops reminded me that Spring isn’t so very far away.
There are occasions when a spontaneous outing with minimal photographic equipment can prove to be a rewarding experience. This may also be true if you visit a location with no specific intention of what it is you are going to photograph. You begin with no expectations, so hopes of capturing that pre-visualised image cannot be dashed. You accept the weather and light for what it is. The search for subjects to photograph may be slow but with a little patience compositions may start to reveal themselves. One image can lead to another and then another. Before you know it a theme develops and a small body of work comes together.
This happened to me some weeks ago. I had a couple of hours to spare but the light was flat and I didn’t want to travel very far. I went to an area of forestry and heathland not far from home. I was not that familiar with the landscape and didn’t expect a particularly productive time but I would enjoy the exercise even if the camera didn’t get much use.
I have almost certainly said this before, but a visit to a small church in the countryside is good for the soul whether or not you are religious or have a faith. I can happily spend a couple of hours in a relatively confined space taking some images whilst allowing the quiet solitude and timeless quality of the interior to have an enriching affect on me. More often than not it is helped by the fact that rarely I am interrupted by other visitors. To have the place to myself is rather special and only enhances the peaceful experience.
All Saints’ in Little Somborne is another church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Historically important, it was mentioned in the Domesday Book and its origins are half Saxon and half Norman. It is still consecrated but no longer used for regular worship. I suppose this adds to a feeling of melancholy…..time and circumstance has long passed it by, and with church attendance falling in this country, more and more parish churches will inevitably close as they cease to be financially viable. They can’t all be saved so those that are should be treasured, not just because of the building’s significance but as a reminder of times past and how the church played such a vital role in village life in days gone by.
For the record Sir Thomas Sopwith, a British aircraft designer whose company was responsible for the Sopwith Camel and other military aircraft which fought if the First World War was buried here in 1989.
alan frost photography 