My journey to ownership of the Leica Q3 Monochrom, a dedicated black-and-white camera, was punctuated with intermediate purchases of other Q-series cameras along the way. A family project provided the final impetus to sign up to a version with a dedicated monochrome sensor. When I did, the door to a new world of photography opened for me.
Prologue
During a long-term photography project for one of my former employers in 2018, we worked with two professional photographers, one of whom occasionally used a Leica Q. From the very first moment, I was fascinated by the camera’s design (which I recognised from the Leica M and the Fuji X-Pro1/2) and the images produced by the photographer on assignment.
Whenever he used this camera, the people involved at the time forgot after a very short while that there was a camera nearby. Wonderful images were created entirely without artificial light sources.
My curiosity and interest were piqued, but the professional advised me against buying one, as the autofocus, in particular, was well below the technical standard already common at the time. So, for the moment, I stuck with my Fuji and Canon, but I hadn’t forgotten the Leica Q.
My journey to the Leica Q
In March 2019, the Leica Q2 was launched, giving me another strong incentive to look into this camera once more. I read the reviews in photography magazines and watched lots of videos on YouTube. The appeal of this camera grew ever stronger, and the only thing holding me back from buying it was the recurring question of whether such a high price for a camera with just a single focal length really made sense.
Then, when Fuji unveiled the X-Pro 3 in October 2019, my preference for the Leica Q2 waned somewhat. Viewed rationally, the Fuji had a similar design, the same compact size, the best autofocus of all X-Pro models and, above all, the option for different focal lengths. Aside from the financial aspect, the Fuji also had a spectacular tilting screen by the standards of the time, so the Leica initially had to take a back seat.
In mid-2020, I experienced a major career turning point and found myself in a new role that took me to Nuremberg from 2021 onwards. The city isn’t just exciting from a photographic perspective; it also has a Leica store. And so, the Leica Q2 and I met again.
Emerging from the pandemic
The restrictions of the first year of the pandemic eased, and it wasn’t long before I had the camera in my hands in the shop. Less than two weeks later, I was the proud owner of a Leica Q2. To this day, I still only partially understand what happened next: within a short time, almost two-thirds of my photos were being taken with this camera.
The limitation of a single, fixed focal length rarely bothered me; my photography changed, and my zooming and lens changes were replaced by walking around and searching for alternative vantage points. If there was anything I missed, it was a tilting screen, a faster autofocus, and a 35mm or 50mm focal length. In short: my Fuji and Canon cameras stayed in the cupboard almost all the time.
Less than 24 months later, Leica unveiled the current Q3 (28) model, with a flip-out display and significantly improved autofocus. I bought the camera on the day of its launch and am even more enthusiastic about it today than I was with the Q2. When, in September 2024, a Q3 43 was launched – completely out of the blue (for me) – I could hardly believe my luck: two compact bodies, two focal lengths, all fitting into an equally compact camera bag.
The number of photos I took with my remaining interchangeable-lens systems continued to dwindle.
B&W photography with the Leica Q2
I like colour; I like the variety of colours, and so black-and-white photography held no appeal for me. In one of my previous jobs, I regularly travelled to various tropical countries. I remain deeply impressed to this day by the atmospheric lighting conditions to be discovered there, and the power of the colours in almost every part of the countries I have visited. Even the aerial shots taken with my drone would be only half as beautiful without colour.
I first got more seriously involved with black and white in 2024. Or rather, I had to: my partner asked me to create a yearbook with photos of our families in black and white for a change. So, I began to explore this subject.
I converted the colour RAW files to black and white using Camera Raw, adjusted contrasts, tonal values, colours, and so forth, and created my own presets. I soon found myself using the Nik Collection and the SilverEfex filter, with its almost limitless possibilities.
I liked the different visual language, initially with faces and portraits, but then also with landscapes and in urban settings. More and more often, I switched the camera view to black and white, and thus discovered the other possibilities of monochrome photography. But what always remained was the constant back-and-forth between colour and black and white within a single camera.
I would frequently ask myself: “What might the image look like in black and white? Would it perhaps work better in one version or the other?”
Encounter with Leica monochrome cameras
Switching between color and monochrome views meant a constant balancing act between the possibilities offered by digital photography. At Leica Academy workshops, I met photographers who worked exclusively with the Leica Q2 Monochrom and the Leica M11 Monochrom, and they told me that it was precisely this limitation that had helped them develop a ‘black-and-white perspective’.
I decided to attend a workshop on the subject and spent the time photographing with a borrowed Q2 Monochrom. And, lo and behold, the restriction to black and white does indeed change one’s photographic vision. I found it a real pleasure to embrace it.
The only downside at that point, however, was the camera: if you’re used to a Leica Q3, the Q2 Monochrom seems, by comparison, like an iPhone 9 next to an iPhone 16. And then there’s the lack of a flip-out display. However keen I was on the ‘special camera’, I would rather not downgrade in terms of camera technology.
Leica Q3 Monochrom – Here it comes
In November 2025, the time had finally come: Leica remained bold, continuing the tradition of slightly different camera models, and so presented the Leica Q3 (28) Monochrom. The day after its release, I held the camera in my hands and, from that day on, discovered yet another new genre for myself.
The body, made from the familiar magnesium alloy, weighs 746g — substantial but not too heavy in the hand. Lens, sensor, tilting display, (programmable) buttons, menu… everything is the same as on the standard Q3 28.
Aesthetically, in my opinion, it is the most beautiful Q. It is certainly one of the most beautiful current Leica models: Completely matte black, without a red logo, scale engravings are entirely in grey and white — that’s understated style. As far as I’m concerned, all cameras could look like this: a true beauty.
The monochrome Q makes it incredibly easy for me to switch to black and white, and there’s simply no longer the temptation to switch to the colour view. Looking through the viewfinder reveals a wealth of grey tones, and my photographic environment transforms into an exciting, new, black-and-white world.
B&W world
From the very first glance through the viewfinder, you find yourself in a different photographic cosmos and, after just a short while, begin to look for light and shadow and for contrasts. The more often and the longer I look at subjects through the viewfinder, the quicker I start to think in black and white.
The camera has no Bayer filter and no low-pass filter. In this case, however, less becomes more, as the high light sensitivity of the 60-megapixel sensor and the impressive resolution ensure detailed images with very finely graded grey tones.
In typical Q fashion, daily use is simple: switch on, set the shutter speed and/or aperture (I select the aperture manually and leave all other parameters to the automatic mode with defined upper limits for the ISO), and start taking photos. The camera can easily capture images at very high ISO values; handheld night shots in low light are possible.
My preference is for two defined maximum ISO values (3,200 and 6,400). I also use a tripod for night shots in true old school style to achieve images with a low ISO value. It isn’t strictly necessary, though.
What a lens
And then there’s the wonderful lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.7, which has been used on all Q models to date. This also allows for portraits with excellent background blur. Even though the depth of field is shallow, the autofocus with face/eye detection helps to optimise focusing compared to the previous model.
There is a digital zoom (35, 50, and 75 millimetres), which I never use on any of my Q3s. I crop my images very little anyway, and when I do, it’s exclusively on the computer.
I should also mention that the monochrome sensor has only one colour channel (brightness values only), so you should pay attention to the histogram when using manual exposure, to avoid blown highlights. To date, I have used the automatic mode and haven’t had any difficulties with it so far. From the Leica accessories range, I recommend and use the thumb rest, the handgrip, a soft-release button for the shutter release, and the fixed wrist strap.
One-channel editing
When it comes to developing/editing the images, one might argue that the lack of colour channels reduces the creative possibilities compared to converting colour images. There is no active control over specific colour and tonal values; this is possible with the Q3 Monochrom using appropriate colour filters. These are attached via a regular screw thread at the front of the lens. I have only used this option very rudimentarily so far, and am only just beginning to explore the filter effects.
The way I edit my images has changed in that I hardly use the Nik SilverEfex filters any more. With a few adjustments in Camera Raw and two of my presets, I can quickly achieve the results I like.
My new photographic life with this beautiful camera…
My (provisional) conclusion: the Leica Q3 Monochrom isn’t a camera you need; it’s a camera you want. It has changed my photography in the sense that black-and-white photography has added a new dimension. For just under six months now, I’ve been enjoying heading out with my ‘monochrome bag’ and thinking and shooting entirely in black and white.
Black-and-white images have become a natural part of my photography. Every time, I find myself wondering whether I shouldn’t just use this special tool to go searching for exciting subjects. I wouldn’t have achieved that in the same way with a normal camera. Picking up this camera is a joy because it’s simply a feast for the eyes and, like every Q, a delight to hold. All the photographs in this article were shot using my Leica Q3 Monochrom.
I want for nothing, except perhaps a Leica Q3 43 Monochrom or a Leica SL3 Monochrom…
So Leica, keep being crazy and bold, and bring even more of these kinds of cameras to the market!
| Jonathan Slack Leica Q3M review | More from Olaf Reichardt |
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| Hamburg | Saarbrücken |
| Unna | Zollverein |
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