The Q2 was the camera that turned a lot of people into Leica owners, and the Q3 is the one that made used Q2 prices finally drop. That's the whole reason this question exists: a clean Q2 now costs a good deal less than a Q3, and the lens on the front is the same. So is the newer camera worth the gap, or is the Q2 the smart buy?
The short answer
Buy the Q2 if…
- You want the Q experience for the least money
- 47MP is more than you'll ever need (it is, for most people)
- You shoot stills, mostly, and don't tilt screens
- You'd rather spend the savings on travel than specs
Buy the Q3 if…
- You rely on autofocus for moving subjects, kids, or events
- You want USB-C charging and a tilting screen
- You crop heavily and want 60MP to crop into
- You plan to keep it a long time and want the current platform
Spec sheet, the parts that matter
| Leica Q2 (2019) | Leica Q3 (2023) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor | 47MP full-frame CMOS | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS, with 60/36/18MP DNG modes |
| Lens | 28mm Summilux f/1.7 ASPH, stabilized, macro mode | Same lens |
| Crop frame lines | 35 / 50 / 75mm | 35 / 50 / 75 / 90mm |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect | Phase-detect plus contrast, with subject detection |
| Viewfinder | 3.68M-dot OLED EVF | 5.76M-dot OLED EVF |
| Rear screen | 3" fixed touch LCD | 3" tilting touch LCD |
| Charging | External charger only, no USB port | USB-C in body, plus optional wireless charging grip |
| Battery | BP-SCL4 | BP-SCL6 |
| Video | 4K | Up to 8K |
| Weather sealing | IP52 | IP52 |
| Typical used price | Roughly $3,000 – $3,800 | Roughly $4,800 – $5,600 |
Those are rough ranges and they move. Check what the Q2 and Q3 have actually sold for before you settle on a number; the Q3 Monochrom is a useful ceiling for a colour Q3.
Same lens, same idea
The reason the Q line works is the lens, and the Q3 kept it. The 28mm Summilux f/1.7 is the same optical design on both cameras, with the same manual focus ring, the same macro switch, and the same optical stabilization. The body is the same size and weight within a few grams, and both are sealed to IP52. Pick either one up and it feels like a Q. If what you want is that lens on a full-frame sensor in a body you can carry all day, the Q2 delivers it in full.
"The Q2 isn't the old one. It's the one that's finished depreciating."
What the Q3 actually changed
Autofocus. This is the real upgrade. The Q2's contrast-detect AF is accurate but it hunts, especially in low light and on anything moving toward you. The Q3 adds phase-detect pixels on the sensor and subject detection for people and animals. For a street shooter who zone-focuses, it doesn't matter. For a parent, or anyone shooting an event, it's the difference between a camera that keeps up and one that nearly does.
Tilting screen. The Q3's screen tilts up and down. Waist-level shooting, low angles, overhead at a crowd: the Q2 makes you guess, the Q3 lets you see. It's a small thing until you've had it.
USB-C. The Q2 has no USB port at all. You carry the external charger and spare BP-SCL4 batteries, full stop. The Q3 charges in the body over USB-C from a power bank, and the optional grip adds wireless charging. For travel, this is the quality-of-life change people notice most after autofocus.
60MP and the triple-resolution DNGs. The Q3 moves to a 60MP BSI sensor and lets you shoot 36MP or 18MP DNGs downsampled in camera. It also adds a 90mm crop frame line on top of the Q2's 35, 50 and 75. In practice, 47MP already crops to 50mm with plenty left over; 60MP just lets you push to 75 or 90 with files that still hold up. Nice, not essential.
Everything else. A sharper EVF, better video, a faster processor and a snappier menu. These are nice incremental steps, none of which you'd pay a couple of thousand dollars for on their own.
What the Q2 still does better
Price, and simplicity. 47MP files are smaller and faster to edit than 60MP files, and they print enormous. The Q2 had a long run and a lot of owners, so clean used bodies are easy to find and prices are competitive. There's also the Q2 Monochrom, which is a different animal and worth a separate conversation if you shoot black and white.
One more thing worth knowing: Leica also makes the Q3 43, which swaps the 28mm for a 43mm APO-Summicron f/2. If you've always found 28mm too wide, that camera exists, and it's part of why some Q3 owners are now selling. It's a different field of view with a different purpose, so treat it as its own decision rather than a Q3 variant.
Buying used: what to check
On both, check the lens front element and the inside of the hood threads for cleaning marks, and run the macro switch back and forth to confirm it clicks cleanly. Press the focus ring tab and make sure manual focus is smooth with no grit. Check the EVF eyepiece for scratches and the diopter for free movement. On the Q2, confirm the battery door latch is firm and ask how many batteries come with it, since you'll want two. On the Q3, tilt the screen fully and check the ribbon doesn't catch, and make sure USB-C charging actually starts. On either body, shoot a frame at f/1.7 against a bright window and check for haze or decentering across the frame.
Our condition guide explains how sellers on the site grade bodies and lenses, and the mirrorless listings are where Qs show up.
Our take
If you're a stills shooter buying your first Leica, the Q2 is the better value, and it isn't close. You get the identical lens, a sensor nobody has outgrown, and a body that's been proven over six years. If autofocus on moving subjects is central to how you shoot, or if you know USB-C charging and a tilting screen would change your habits, the Q3 is the camera that fixes the Q2's actual annoyances, and it's the one that'll still feel current in five years.
Either way, buy from a photographer who used it, not a flipper. That's what Aperture.market's Leica listings are for: zero commission, and you can meet the seller locally.