Can you travel with only Leica Q2?
Kristan and I recently had a chance to visit Cape Town South Africa for 8 days of sight seeing and photography. When I say photography, I mean, landscape, wildlife, portraits, family, elopement, cars. We had 9 sessions booked on this trip. It was a dream trip and one of those once in a liftetime trips.
A few weeks out before the trip we are making our list of gear and clothing. For me it was down to the Leica Q2, the Canon R6 with a RF 50mm, and the 15-35mm RF lens. Oh, and my laptop… and my charging cables… oh, and the adapters.. oh, let’s not forget Kristan’s Leica Q2, her Canon R6 with an 85mm RF, her laptop, chargers to ensure she was good and her mouse. Needless to say this was a LOT of gear, but again, this was a once in a lifetime trip for us. We had to bring it all. Except the 15-35 because the Q2’s could handle wide shots.
The appeal hung with me to only take the Q2 (for me). Could I take this camera that I love and cherish, and only use it? Or would I always feel like I was missing something without my Canon and 50mm. Ultimately I decided to bring the Canon but I would challenge myself to really try and push myself with the Q2.
Fast forward 8 days later
I have not used my Canon camera 1x on this trip. It has stayed at the AirBnB the entire time. The Q2 was my companion on every adventure we went on. From dinner out, to capturing behind the scenes footage to the actual shoots. We used it shooting Shelby Cobras, to portraits, to couples, and boats, to sunrise beach sessions. The Q2 was my only camera. The best part, I do not feel like I missed out by not having my Canon. Now, I would not go to a wedding day with only a Q2, nor would I ever not have backup stuff while in the states, but for a travel camera, that can handle portraits, couples, families, moving, cars, landscape… the Q2 can truly do it all.
Is it the perfect camera?
No, there were things that frustrated me a little. The face detect did not always work and sometimes worked on weird random things. The buffer can get slow with heavy hitting and the camera just locks up until it is cleared out. These were my only two main complaints really.
Where it shined
Size and portability first. The Q2 is not the smaller camera, but it is smaller than most with the amount of tech inside. I was able to take it everywhere with me.
Battery life. I brought a total of 4 batteries. 1 main and 1 backup for each Q2. Some days I would have went through an entire battery and had to use the second, but never two full cards a day, and this was with a lot of shooting. I heard other photographers complain the battery life sucks, but honestly they must be taking a lot! I took around 400 shots per day with my results.
Is the Leica Q system right for you as an only travel camera?
Are you someone who shoots wide, likes to get close to your subjects and appreciates heritage and quality? Absolutely the Q is right for you.
Are you someone who shoots 35/50 all the time but finds the gear too heavy to travel with? Yes, I think the Q is right for you. It is a little wider, and requires you to get creative a lot, but you can pull some amazing portraits and landscape images from the Q.
Are you someone who shoots 50mm+ and requires the bokeh in your images to tell a story? No, the Q would not fill that itch you want. The world is very different from 85 and 28. The Q will push you to think different and really get you out of your comfort zone. If this is what you want, then yes, give it a try, but with an open mind.
Looks, there is no doubt the Q system has a major following. People love it or they hate it. It’s expensive, has no interchangeable lens and takes some work getting used to it.
After this trip, I am confident that I can travel with only a Leica Q camera and be 100% satisfied. Except on a trip to a safari or something. Everything else, the Q can handle it for me.
