Leica Club

Leica Club Welcome Pack – Digital Leica Q Series Cameras

Hello and welcome to the Leica Club! To help you enjoy your new purchase I’ve listed some information below to get you started and answer some of the common questions I receive.

Pack Includes:

  • Leica Q camera accessories – Top 10
  • 11 tips for using your camera
  • Leica Q series camera YouTube videos
  • Join a Leica community
  • Photo editing tips
  • Remote Leica support
  • Leica photowalks
  • Master your Leica

Leica Q series camera accessories – Top 10

After buying your Leica camera there are certain accessories you may want to get. Here are my top 10 –

1. Spare Battery

This is a must have. You can use Leica branded batteries or 3rd party batteries. I use both types.

2. LCD Screen Protector

A simple plastic matte finish screen protector transforms the camera. No more annoying finger prints! For more protection you can get glass screen protectors. Check eBay UK or eBay COM.

3. Soft Release Shutter Button

An affordable way to customise your Leica camera is with a custom shutter release button. I have red buttons on some of my Leica cameras.

4. Strap (Neck Strap and/or Wrist Strap) – See on YouTube

Your Leica camera is supplied with a neck strap. A new strap is another easy way to customise your camera. I use wrist straps for street photography and a neck strap for events. Peak Design products are a popular quick release camera strap system if you use multiple cameras. There are lots of nice luxury cameras straps available too.

5. Thumbs Up Grip Support

Do you need a thumbs up grip support for your Leica? If you use on camera flash or triggers on the hotshoe then I would avoid the thumbs up grip as it blocks the hotshoe. If you use larger heavier lenses then it definitely adds comfort and helps balance the camera.

6. Camera Hand Grip

Leica M cameras are not really designed to fit the hand. If you want a more secure grip and/ or use larger heavier lenses a grip adds comfort and helps balance the camera.

7. Half Case or Camera Bag – See on YouTube

As with camera straps half cases and camera bags are a personal choice. Ona and Billingham are popular brands. This is what I use –

8. UV Filter

Protect your lens with a high quality UV filter –

9. Mist Filter

If you want as less digital look and more halation/ blooming around points of light (such as for night photography) try mist filters. There are various option – Pro Mist, Black Mist and Glimmer Glass. The Glimmer Glass filter seems to strike the best balance between retaining image quality and adding some artistic glow to the photos.

10. SD Memory Cards

My preferred memory card brand is SanDisk and that is all i’ve used for the last 5-7 years.

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11 Tips for using your Leica Q series camera

In addition to carrying a spare battery here are some tips you might find useful –

  1. To see light better I set the camera to B&W JPEG mode giving a B&W preview (even if capturing DNG only colour files)
  2. Turn power saving mode on, with auto power off, auto LCD off, for longer battery life (+ autofocus light off, auto review 1sec)
  3. Find extended shutter speeds up to 1/16000 using the thumbwheel and the top dial set to 1/2000
  4. Avoid using macro mode in dusty conditions to minimise the risk of transporting dust onto the sensor from the lens barrel
  5. Tape up your camera red dot logo for a more stealthy street photography setup (Some tape up the speaker and mic ports too for dust)
  6. Use P-A-S mode to see in the dark, use P-A-S-M mode to preview the correct exposure (P-A-S is good when using flash)
  7. Turn on your grid in photo live view setup to aid composition
  8. Turn on your level gauge in photo live view to help ensure your horizon is level
  9. Setup your favourites menu and FN favourite button with the menu features you use the most
  10. For precise focusing use 1-point not multi-point and AFs not AFc for static subjects (Half press, then full press to focus)
  11. Set the diopter for your eyesight. If your vision looks slightly soft focus check the viewfinder diopter dial as it can be knocked easily

Leica Q series camera YouTube videos

If you want to see Leica YouTube reviews from other photographers see the Leica YouTubers directory.

Watch my Leica Q cameras YouTube playlist here –

Join a Leica Community

If you are new to Leica you might want to find a friendly Leica community. You can find Leica groups on Facebook and you can also join our Patreon group where we have a private Facebook group and 2 monthly Zoom calls.

Photo Editing Tips

If you don’t enjoy editing I recommend setting your camera to JPEG mode. JPEG can be posted and shred without any editing. To capture more detail set the camera to DNG. To use DNG files you will first need to process the files via software such as Adobe Lightroom. If you use Lightroom, give your DNG files a finished look in as little as 1-click by applying MrLeica LR Presets (colour and B&W).

Remote Leica Support

Struggling with your new Leica camera? Use my Leica support service to quickly resolve the issue. See the Zoom testimonials section.

Leica Photowalks

Join a small group of fellow Leica photographers for a photowalk workshop with MrLeica.Com.

Master your Leica

To get the most from your Leica camera book a 1:1 workshop with a Leica expert. Teaching Leica workshops worldwide since 2014. See the workshop testimonials.

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