Not Going Gentle Into the Good Night

The Leica Q3 is the newest addition to the Q family and is proof that premium compact cameras still have a place in a smartphone-ridden world.

- ALVIN LIM

The sales numbers speak for themselves. According to Nikkei, global shipments for fixed lens compact cameras fell by 110 million units in 2008 — a year after the release of Apple’s iPhone — by 97 per cent to just a meagre 3.01 million in 2021.

With Panasonic and Nikon’s subsequent announcement that they’d be canning their entry-level compact cameras, the budget single-lens camera is undoubtedly at death’s door.

But what about point-and-shoots in the luxury segment? Leica certainly believes that the sector still has legs, given that the Germany company recently released the Q3, a followup to their popular Q compact camera series with a price tag of $8,960 — sans accessories.

A BETTER POCKET CAMERA

First launched in 2015, Leica’s Q series has earned quite a reputation in photography circles.

This is marginally more expensive than the Leica Q2 (the cheapest variant of which is currently listed at $8,510 on the brand’s website), and a good deal cheaper than the brand’s flagship Leica M11, which retails at over $13,000.

The Q3 costs about as much as five iPhone 14 Pros, which is not to question the device’s affordability but its value in 2023.

The digital zeitgeist favours content that is snappy, easily digestible, and even easier to capture — preferably with a device that fits snugly into your back pocket, like a smartphone; one that costs comfortably high enough to be a status symbol while being cheap enough to upgrade every year.

The Leica Q3 is the first camera to feature wireless charging with an optional hand grip accessory.