"Now this is not a cheap camera by a long mile, but that said, it is so worth it for the quality and in fact, quite a bargain as far as Leica cameras go."
As you probably all know, as well as landscapes I am also interested in taking street photos. I guess really, if you put the two together, you could say I love travel photography (but obviously not doing much of that right now!)
The problem with street photography is that a big DSLR really isn't the right camera for it as it's too bulky and obtrusive - ideally you want something that is light to carry around and discreet to take pictures with. So with that in mind, I set about last summer to identify a good camera to use for my street photography.
After reading a lot of reviews and learning what I needed from the course I did with the Institute of Photography, I settled on the Leica Q2. Now this is not a cheap camera by a long mile, but that said, it is so worth it for the quality and in fact, quite a bargain as far as Leica cameras go. You'd in fact pay almost double the price for most of their other models of a similar specification (the only difference being that the Q2 has a fixed lens with fixed focal length - 28mm - rather than the option to change lenses that you get with most others).
When I finally had the courage to commit the funds last summer, I ordered my camera from the Amsterdam Leica Store. The camera really does do everything my Canon 5D MkIV does, with even a larger sensor, albeit you are bound to 28mm. But this works fine for some hand-held landscapes and of course, street photography (even if you do often need to get in quite close to your subject).
The Leica Q2 is pretty much a rangefinder camera (you turn some dials on the lens to easily set your settings) and that's really important for taking street photos quickly while you have the chance.
I ventured out with my new camera along the beach and around the city centre of The Hague to see what I could capture. I'll admit it took a little while to get to grips with getting the right settings, but what a difference it made to my street photography to have a small camera with great quality (that was far less noticeable than the DSLR).
I took the photo above whilst wondering along the pier one day. The image is very sharp and detailed, which I'm really happy with. Do you ever wonder how many hours of a person's holiday they lose looking at their phones instead of what's going on around them? 😉
Interestingly enough, whilst taking photos in the city centre one day, I came across a gentleman from Rotterdam who was doing exactly the same thing with exactly the same camera and we were both quite surprised to come across someone else with the Q2 😊 I actually learned how to set my minimum shutter speed from him and we are still Instagram friends!
Look out for my street photos coming to the website soon. I'm itching to get out and take more photos right now, but things are improving a little here in the UK so I'm hopeful that time is getting closer.
Are you a Leica enthusiast or also enjoy street photography? In case you want to know more about the Q2, you can check it out at the Amsterdam Leica Store website.