Leica Q3 43: two-minute review

You know a camera’s special when you don’t want to return it after a review. Almost as soon as I got it in my hands, I knew that would be the case with the Leica Q3 43. To call this one of the best compact cameras is to do it a serious disservice: we’ve already waxed lyrical about how incredible the Q3 model is in our full Leica Q3 review – and this edition shares the same core qualities.

All of the Leica hallmarks are here: beautiful design, stunning build quality, and tactile handling. You get a powerful 60.3MP full-frame sensor, comfortably the most capable you’ll find in any compact camera, with support for 8K 30p video. You also get the same niggles as the standard Q3, including relatively average battery life and autofocus that’s bettered elsewhere. And, of course, there’s the eye-watering Leica price tag.

What sets this edition apart is the glass. This is still a fast, fixed-focal length affair, but the clue with the 43 is in the name: it’s fronted by a 43mm prime lens that’s meant to mimic the natural perspective of your eyes. Wider than 35mm, tighter than 50mm, that focal length offers an unusual field of view which somehow feels instantly and intuitively familiar.

Even more so than the standard Q3, the Q3 43 feels like the perfect everyday camera. Set aside the cost factor and you’ve got a sublime camera with a focal length that really invites you to view the world, and which also gives you the tools to capture it effectively. With a fast f/2 aperture at its widest, the specially designed APO-Summicron lens nails all of the benchmarks: beautifully smooth bokeh, minimal distortion, and absolutely pin-sharp detail.

That, combined with the high-resolution sensor, makes the Q3 43 a camera that's at home in almost any scenario. Having shot with it for a week, the 43mm focal length lends itself wonderfully to street portraiture, producing stills with a real sense of intimacy. Should you need to re-frame, you have a whole lot of pixels to play with.

There are many things that make the Leica Q3 43 truly unique. No other compact ships with a 43mm prime lens. And you don’t find too many cameras of any description with a 60MP full-frame sensor inside, let alone one that looks and feels this good to shoot with. In short, the Q3 43 is everything a compact camera should be. If you can afford its inordinate price tag, it’s one you’ll never want to leave home without.

Leica Q3 43: Specs

Leica Q3 43: Price and availability

• Launched on 26 September 2024
• Priced at $6,295 / £5,900 / AU$11,890

The Leica Q3 43 was released on 26 September 2024. It’s priced at $6,295 / £5,900 / AU$11,890, which means it will set you back more than many of the best mirrorless cameras. It’s an undeniably premium piece of kit with niche appeal. Red-dot cameras never come cheap, and what you’re paying for here goes beyond the spec sheet; it’s the Leica design, build quality, and shooting experience.

The 43 is slightly more expensive than the standard Leica Q3, which is priced at $5,995 / £5,300 / AU$9,790. At this end of the price spectrum, though, you won’t be choosing between the two cameras based on cost. Instead, it’ll come down to whether you’d prefer your full-frame Leica compact with a 28mm or 43mm focal length.

Leica Q3 43: Design

• Identical body to the Leica Q3
• Modern, minimalist design
• Tactile controls and tilting touchscreen

Besides the lens, everything about the 43 is physically identical to the Leica Q3. That means you get the same weighty, magnesium die-cast construction, with the same beautifully pared-back design and the same wonderfully tactile control layout. There’s nothing quite like it at any price point, and you really have to hold the Q3 43 in your hands to appreciate the way it feels.

Everything about this camera is premium, from the weighting of the body to the perfectly judged resistance of the control rings. This is a camera that you want to handle, and one that rewards you with satisfying physical feedback at every turn. The manual focus ring is just one example: it’s so enjoyable to use that you might forget the Q3 43 also has an excellent autofocus option. It's the same story with the macro ring, which twists to reveal a different set of markings for close-up focusing.

This is the kind of camera that you’ll come back to, when it’s sitting on your kitchen counter or entrance hall table, just to pick it up and appreciate it. It's a camera that you’ll never want to leave home without – not only because you want to shoot stills with it, but because the Q3 43 makes it such a joy to do so.

That also extends to the interface, both physical and digital. Pressing and holding to customize buttons makes it easy to adapt the user experience to your liking, while the quick touch menu on the screen feels responsive and intuitive.

That’s not to say it’s a perfect camera. Like the Leica Q3, the 43 has a small indentation on the rear which serves as a thumb rest, but the compact dimensions mean there isn’t much room for ergonomic sculpting – there are more comfortable cameras to grip over long periods.

As in our review of the Leica Q3, we also felt that the tilting touchscreen isn’t perfectly implemented. While it’s theoretically useful when you're shooting from the hip, it’s not the easiest display to pull out and adjust. During our time with the 43, we were more naturally drawn to the high-res 5.76m-dot viewfinder.

Really, though, it’s very hard to pick fault with a camera that feels as good to use as the Q3 43. Shoot with it for a day, and you’ll wonder how you’ll ever fully enjoy a different camera again.

Leica Q3 43: Features and performance

• Phase detection autofocus
• Lens-based image stabilization
• Single SD UHS-II card slot

In most respects, the Leica Q3 43 shares its spec sheet with the Leica Q3. That includes the 60.3MP full-frame sensor, 8K 30p video recording, and Leica’s best phase-detection autofocus to date, complete with human tracking that’s broadly sticky. And like the Leica Q3, it also has some features which highlight its status as an everyday camera – albeit a very expensive one.

There’s the maximum burst speed of 15fps, which you can only use with the electronic shutter. You also get just one SD UHS-II card slot, while the lens-based image stabilization still can’t compete with the best. You can read more fully about how these features perform in our Leica Q3 review, but the takeaway is that this isn’t a camera with the outright performance to rival the best mirrorless cameras.

What you’re getting here is not a heavyweight workhorse, but a sublime tool for everyday use. That’s reflected in features such as Leica Looks: preset image styles which can be loaded via the Leica Fotos app over Wi-Fi, allowing less-experienced photographers to achieve different and dynamic effects with no editing. The original DNG files are kept, so it’s non-destructive.

Leica Q3 43: Image quality

• 60.3MP full-frame sensor
• Fixed 43mm f/2 prime lens
• Digital cropping up to 150mm

Where the Leica Q3 has an uncropped 28mm field of view similar to that of your smartphone’s primary camera, the 43 mimics human vision with its APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH lens. That gives you a slightly tighter crop than the more familiar 50mm prime, but a wider angle than the Q3, or any 35mm lenses you might have used. While it’s an unfamiliar number, it’s also an incredibly intuitive one.

By offering a natural, distortion-free view, that glass offers an intimate perspective. It’s one that invites you to look at the world and capture it, whether that’s a portrait, a street scene or something else entirely. Both when framing and reviewing what you’ve shot, there’s a sense of scenes being true to life, both in stills and video.

Specially designed for the 43, the APO-Summicron lens is tightly packaged and pin-sharp. Thanks to its fast f/2 aperture it’s capable of soft backgrounds and beautifully smooth bokeh, strengthening its credentials as a portrait star. We also detected minimal distortion in stills.

Paired with the Q3 43's 60.3MP full-frame sensor, this is a lens that can produce stunning images in a whole range of scenarios, from high-contrast backlit portraits to detailed macro shots. Low light wasn’t an issue either: the lens and sensor pairing seemed able to gather a fair amount of light, and where it was necessary to bump up the ISO we didn’t notice a huge loss of detail in the fine grain of noise.

Like the Leica Q3, you have the option to apply a digital crop. This doesn’t alter the perspective or depth of field, but it does give you the versatility to frame in on subjects. Starting at 43mm, you can apply the digital crop all the way up to 150mm, which is notably tighter than the 90mm maximum of the Leica Q3. It’s a useful trick, although I would generally prefer to crop in after the fact. Helpfully, the crop is only applied to JPEG files, with the full area retained in DNG raw files.

On the standard setting, JPEG images out of the Q3 43 are pleasingly sharp and dynamic. Colors can feel a little understated, but there’s a realism to JPEG stills that nicely complements the 43mm field of view. That said, we’d always advise recording shots in both JPEG and Leica’s DNG format, to give yourself maximum editing flexibility.

Should I buy the Leica Q3 43?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Leica Q3 43

• I used the camera for a week
• I shot more than 300 stills
• I took pictures in a range of conditions

Premium or not, the Leica Q3 43 is pitched as the kind of compact you’ll want to take with you everywhere – so that’s exactly what I did. With a loan period of only a week, I made the most of every day: it went wherever I went. That meant taking the 43 about town, on a drive to the beach, and just about everywhere else.

I shot more than 300 stills over the course of seven days, covering a whole range of scenes and conditions. That included the brightest sunlight that an autumn day in the UK could muster, the more familiar cloudy skies of September, the honey tones of the golden hour, and dark nights sat by a fire pit.

Because the 43mm prime lens is what distinguishes this edition from the standard Q3, I paid particular attention to how that felt when framing different subjects in different scenarios. That spanned taking portraits, street shots, landscapes, and close-ups, to get a full impression of how it feels to work with that unique frame of view.

First reviewed October 2024

Ricoh GR IIIx HDF: two-minute review

With its large APS-C sensor and fixed 40mm f/2.8 lens, we already rated the Ricoh GR IIIx as one of the best premium compact cameras for travel and street photography. This version features a niche tweak that gives it a specific appeal: where the original had a built-in ND filter, the GR IIIx HDF instead has a highlight diffusion filter.

There’s no software trickery at work here. This is a physical filter that's built into the shutter unit and is enabled with a push of the Fn button, and it reduces contrast and blurs bright whites, producing soft, dreamy stills with an ethereal glow that harks back to the days of analog.

Based on our time with both the GR IIIx and the HDF version, the latter is the more creative tool. Whether you're capturing reflections shimmering off water or sunlight through leaves, it allows you to experiment with unique, film-like lighting effects.

The GR IIIx HDF also benefits from a couple of new firmware features: there’s support for up to three custom white balances, while zone-select AF gives you more flexibility to target automatic focusing within the center area. These are minor tweaks which will also be introduced to the GR III / IIIx down the line.

Otherwise, the GR IIIx HDF is identical to the existing version. That includes everything from the pocket-friendly dimensions and direct access controls to the APS-C sensor and 40mm lens combination we praised in our original review. It also retains the same drawbacks, though, including average battery life and a fixed screen.

The GR IIIx HDF isn’t the major update that many Ricoh fans were hoping for, and it’s certainly not worth buying if you already own the GR IIIx. But if you’re choosing between the two versions, we think the highlight diffusion filter makes it the more artful and unique option, especially if you’re a fan of the vintage aesthetic. It costs marginally more, but it’s the one we’d pick.

Ricoh GR IIIx HDF: price and availability

• Launched on 28 March 2024, alongside the GR III HDF
• Priced at $1,146 / £1,099 / AU$1,899

The Ricoh GR IIIx HDF was announced in March 2024 with a launch price of $1,146 / £1,099 / AU$1,899. That makes it $147 / £100 / AU$120 more expensive than the standard Ricoh GR IIIx, which already commanded a pretty premium ask. At that price, the GR IIIx HDF is close to mid-range mirrorless money, with cameras like the Sony A7 III available for a similar amount.

While that might seem hard to justify for a compact with a fixed lens, the point here is that Ricoh is making a niche version of an already niche camera. You’ll buy the GR IIIx HDF not because you want the best possible performance for the money, but because you want a sharp-shooting compact with a relatively large sensor, with the added value of a unique built-in filter.

If you’re in the market for one of the best travel cameras, the GR IIIx offers better value objectively. Whether the highlight diffusion filter is worth the extra expenditure will come down to how you plan to use the camera and whether you’ll appreciate the creative aesthetic it’s capable of. But for our money, it’s the more compelling proposition, even with the increase in cost.

Ricoh GR IIIx HDF: design

• Physically identical to the GR IIIx
• Truly pocketable dimensions
• 3-inch, 1.03 million-dot touchscreen

Other than its silver shutter button, the GR IIIx HDF is identical to the GR IIIx. That means it’s a genuinely pocket-friendly compact, measuring a tidy 109.4 x 61.9 x 35.2mm and weighing an impressively light 262g, including the battery and an SD card. It’s pretty much as small as a camera with an APS-C sensor inside can be, making it a portable yet powerful shooting tool.

Not only do those dimensions mean the GR IIIx HDF is a convenient camera to travel with, but it’s also one you can comfortably use with one hand, making it ideal for discreet street photography. Ergonomically, there’s enough of a front grip to get your fingers around, with a moulded thumb rest on the rear.

Direct-access controls are plentiful, including a mode dial and scroll lever for adjusting exposure, and are neatly set out within easy reach of your thumb. Most prominent among them is the function button, which by default is used to activate the highlight diffusion filter. The control layout doesn’t clutter the body, but the camera’s proportions mean some of the rear inputs do require a bit of nimble finger-work to avoid accidentally hitting other buttons.

Like the GR IIIx, the HDF version has a fixed 3-inch LCD touchscreen. It’s sharp enough at 1.03 million dots, although it’s not the brightest, which can make framing in direct sunlight slightly tricky. That’s not helped by the absence of an electronic viewfinder and, while there is a hot-shoe mount on top of the body, the only optional viewfinders available from Ricoh are analog ones.

All that being said, the GR IIIx HDF is just as fun to use as the standard GR IIIx. The touchscreen is responsive, and touch-focus support makes it as easy to shoot with as any smartphone. Its point-and-shoot design also strikes a good balance between accessibility for beginners and creative control for more experienced users.

Ricoh GR IIIx HDF: features and performance

• Highlight diffusion filter
• Fixed-focal-length f/2.8 lens
• New zone-select AF functionality

The headline feature of the GR IIIx is its highlight diffusion filter, which replaces the neutral density filter found in the GR IIIx. The HDF is a physical filter that’s part of the shutter unit, and it has the effect of reducing contrast and softening bright whites when enabled. The net effect of this is dreamy stills with a blurry glow that mimics the look of film photography.

Based on our tests, it’s more than a gimmick. The effect’s strength depends on what and where you’re shooting, but it can be surprisingly potent. In backlit or overcast scenes we found that it could lead to unwanted halo effects; but in the right conditions, such as warm sunlight filtering through trees or lights reflecting off water at night, the filter makes the GR IIIx HDF capable of producing some genuinely unique, creative images.

On paper, it’s a niche feature. But at a time when analog is all the rage again we can see it appealing to a lot of people. Not only does the GR IIIx HDF produce images with a film-like aesthetic, it does so by way of a genuine physical filter, which lends the results a feeling of authenticity which can’t be achieved with post-processing. It also makes the GR IIIx HDF feel like a fun tool to experiment with creatively, with none of the associated costs of film.

Otherwise, the Ricoh GR IIIx HDF shares most of the rest of its features and spec sheet with the standard version. That’s true of the effective sensor-shift shake reduction system, useful Snap Focus tool and decent macro mode. Unfortunately, it’s also true of the modest 200-shot battery life, lazy burst speeds, and maximum Full HD video resolution.

Also inherited is the 40mm f/2.8 lens, which offers a focal length that’s more versatile for portrait work than the 28mm lens of the GR III. The depth of field is lovely and shallow, although you do need to be careful when using Snap Focus as it’s easy to miss your focus point. Rather than repeat the same observations here, we recommend reading our GR IIIx review for a full insight into how these features stack up in real-world use.

Operation of the HDF version is just as quick as with the GR IIIx, with rapid start-up and shutter response times. Less impressive is the autofocus performance, which suffers from the same laggy tracking as before. One thing that is new for the GR IIIx is zone-select AF. This essentially allows you to zone the AF in on a specific region within the auto-area AF coverage. We could see this being useful for street portraits, but it’s a relatively minor addition, and one that’s also due to be added to existing models in a later firmware update.

More useful is the introduction of three programmable white balance settings, which means you can easily shift between different custom presets without having to dive into the manual settings. We think many users of the GR IIIx HDF are likely to use auto white balance, but it’s nevertheless a welcome addition.

Should I buy the Ricoh GR IIIx HDF?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Ricoh GR IIIx HDF

• I used the camera for two weeks
• I shot more than 150 stills
• I took pictures in a range of conditions

Testing the Ricoh GR IIIx HDF involved taking it out into the world and using it as I would use any camera day to day. I took more than 150 photos over the course of a fortnight, in a whole range of shooting scenarios and lighting conditions, from day to night, and from portraits to street details.

As the highlight diffusion filter is the key point of difference between this camera and the standard GR IIIx, I focused in particular on capturing images with the HDF enabled. I also shot a range of reference images across different shooting modes, to assess the actual effect of the filter.

First reviewed October 2024