Leica Q3 full-frame digital camera brings new speed and sophistication
The new Leica Q3 camera boasts features that pitch it at both photographers and filmmakers

This is the new Leica Q3, the next generation of the iconic optic specialist’s compact full-frame digital camera. The Leica Q family first debuted in 2015 and quickly found favour with both professional and casual photographers as a camera that delivers fast, reliable results thanks to its fixed-focal-length Summilux lens, compact form factor and intuitive controls.
The new Leica Q3 adds the company’s latest BSI-CMOS sensor, as found in its M-series cameras, along with a new macro mode and other features for both photographers and filmmakers. The new sensor offers three resolutions, 60, 36, or 18 MP, with the capability to process jpgs in-camera as well as raw image files. The Leica Summilux 28 mm f/1.7 ASPH lens incorporates a digital zoom – giving you the chance to use focal lengths of 28, 35, 50, 75mm, and 90mm without degrading image quality. There’s also new dynamic range and perspective control modes.
Autofocus has been sped up significantly, and the big news for filmmakers is the addition of a tiltable 3in touchscreen on the rear, transforming the way one interacts with the camera. This is paired with the hi-res OLED viewfinder, which delivers a crisp preview straight to your eyeball.
Capable of shooting 8k film in industry standard codecs, the Q3 can also be hooked up to external sound-recording devices via HDMI (and soon USB-C), further bolstering its on-set credentials. Bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity hook you up to the cloud of Leica’s in-house FOTOS iOS app, which now accepts video import as well.
Further convenience is added via a new handgrip accessory that brings wireless charging to the Q3, via a Qi-compatible Leica Charging Pad that can also be used to charge up your phone. Leica has also branched out into accessories; as well as the leather half case (available in three colours), there are optional lens caps, lens hoods, thumb rests, soft release buttons and flash shoe covers, also available in three colours.
Leica continues to build its cameras in Wetzlar, Germany, and the quality and feel of the Q3 continues the tradition of tactile solidity and perfect balance that defines all the company’s products. In recent years the company has pushed its consumer division into new lines, including the Cine 1 laser TV projector and even timepieces, with the new L1 and L2 watches. There have also been high-profile partnerships, such as the recent Q2 Disney Edition. The Q3 demonstrates that quality cameras are here to stay.
Leica Q3, £5,300, leica-camera.com
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Discover a futuristic bar in Shanghai with mad-scientist energy
Penicillin opens in Shanghai with a clinical steel and concrete design by LC Studio alongside its trailblazing, sustainable cocktails
-
This cardboard and rope chair seeks to redemocratise design with ‘joyful frugality’
Wallpaper* speaks to architect Nipun Prabhakar of Dhammada Collective about the studio’s latest project, ‘Paper Tube, an open-source chair made from discarded cardboard tubes and rope
-
The Sinclair name is back, attached to a pocket-sized games console with an educational edge
Grant Sinclair’s name is freighted with early computing history. Wallpaper* tapped up the British inventor to find out more about his new GamerCard console and other innovation
-
The Sinclair name is back, attached to a pocket-sized games console with an educational edge
Grant Sinclair’s name is freighted with early computing history. Wallpaper* tapped up the British inventor to find out more about his new GamerCard console and other innovation
-
Tuneshine is a new way of bringing back the lost art of the album cover
The compact Tuneshine screen uses LED tech to illuminate the artwork of whatever you’re currently streaming
-
Loewe reaches for the stars with the biggest screen in its history, the Stellar 97 television
German audio specialist Loewe has revealed its new flagship, a 97-inch OLED television that’s a showcase for the company’s crafted approach
-
2025 is Leica 1’s centenary year. The camera manufacturer is celebrating in style
A cavalcade of limited-edition Leica cameras is released to celebrate 100 years of the groundbreaking Leica 1
-
Dyson’s new Cool CF1 fan brings quiet, compact cooling into the home
An evolution of Dyson’s quest to reinvent the humble desk fan, the Cool CF1 is enhanced and updated for a new, smarter generation
-
The new Polaroid Flip unfolds to bring you pin-sharp instant photography
Polaroid announces the Flip, an instant camera that blends its evergreen film technology with better results and more control
-
Could putting pen to reMarkable’s Paper Pro tablet make you more creative and less stressed?
Design Museum director Tim Marlow extols the power of ‘scribbling’, and is backed up by new research from reMarkable on the benefits of its paper tablet
-
Clicks creates keyboard cases for iPhones – now they're also available for three Android flagships
Smartphones get a new lease of life with Clicks, which brings a Blackberry-style keyboard to today’s cutting-edge Apple and Android devices