Leica Q2

The Leica Q2 is a compact camera from 2019 built around a full frame sensor and a fixed lens. You buy it as one complete package rather than a body that grows with new lenses.

That suits photographers who want one camera for travel and everyday shooting. An electronic viewfinder and a 3-inch touchscreen handle framing and setting changes, and the 734g body is manageable on long walks.

Owning it takes a little planning. The battery is rated at 350 shots, there is one SD card slot, and the camera cannot charge over USB, so spare batteries and cards are worth packing.

The heart of the Q2 is its 47.3 megapixel full frame CMOS sensor. That resolution leaves generous room to crop tightly or print large while keeping fine detail, and a base ISO of 50 favours bright conditions.

The Maestro II processor handles those large files, and the camera shoots at up to 10 frames per second, enough for short bursts of motion. Treat that as a maximum rate rather than a sustained one.

These strengths give the Q2 a good Optics score of 79, placing it in the top 10% of cameras in our database for Optics. Autofocus is listed with 225 points, though their coverage is not specified.

The main constraint is the lack of in-body stabilisation, so the body itself provides no shake reduction for slow shutter speeds. The 1/2000s maximum shutter speed can also restrict wide apertures in bright light. Sensitivity extends to ISO 50000.

Video is a real strength here, shown by a very good score of 91. The maximum video resolution is 4K, which gives editors room to crop or reframe footage after recording.

Frame rates reach 120 frames per second, which makes slow-motion footage possible for fast-moving subjects without tricks in editing. The resolution and frame rate figures are separate maximums, so check the available combinations before a shoot, as recording limits, crop and heat behaviour are not specified.

A built-in timelapse function handles interval work in camera, and recordings use the MPEG-4 file format. With only a single SD card slot, packing a spare card is wise for longer recording sessions.

The Q2 earns a very good Features score of 83. Handling centres on a 3-inch TFT touchscreen with 1,040,000 dots, which allows touch control of menus and settings, and live view lets you compose on the screen.

The screen is fixed in place with no tilt or flip movement, so overhead and waist-level shots depend on the 3.69-million-dot electronic viewfinder or a bit of guesswork.

Weather sealing guards the body against dust and moisture. Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth provide wireless connectivity to other devices.

There is no built-in flash, but an external flash can be fitted when you need extra light. GPS is absent, so geotagging images means relying on a separate device.

This is the Q2's weakest area, with a limited score of 21. The BP-SCL4 battery is rated for 350 shots per charge, a modest figure for a long day out, so a second battery belongs in the bag.

Storage runs through a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card slot. There is no second slot for overflow or copying, so size the card to the shoot and carry a spare card.

Charging offers no USB option, so topping up from a laptop or power bank is out. Any spare batteries therefore have to be fully charged before you leave for the day.