Jesse Marlow seen holding the Leica Q. Picture shot on the Leica Q at f/1.7
Prior to the launch of the new Leica Q (Typ 116), professional documentary and street photographer Jesse Marlow of the esteemed In-Public group spent some time shooting with the new, much-anticipated Leica camera. Here is the video made by Leica Camera Australia, with samples photos below. Special thanks to Jesse for quick Q&A, and supplying the images for this blog post.
KD - What were your first thoughts when you were given the new Leica Q?
JM - It felt like an M, which instantly I knew I’d be comfortable using being an M user for the last 16 years.
KD - What did you find most useful about the Leica Q when shooting?
JM- It’s a very simple camera to use. For me that’s what it's all about, as I don’t like to be bogged down with instruction manuals. It’s got to feel right and the Q felt right from the moment it was handed to me. The autofocus took me back to a way of shooting I’d moved away from by using the M, which is completely manual focus. I was shooting more pictures and in a faster manner with continuous 10fps, allowing me greater freedom to experiment.
KD - What was your favourite feature on the Leica Q?
JM - At first it was the fast and accurate focus, but after shooting for a few days I began embracing the electronic frame selector, which at first was something I hadn’t really considered using. It felt like I was carrying three lenses on me, and the ability to switch between them suits the way I work on the street.
KD - What impressed you most about the Leica Q image quality?
JM - The sharpness, honesty of colour and lack of distortion were the three key areas I appreciated the most.
KD - How did you find the 28mm focal length for street use?
JM - Having not been much of a 28mm user in the past, I found it a little surprising that I didn’t notice much of a difference, other than having to get a little closer to my subjects, which took me back to some of my earlier documentary work - working on 'Centre Bounce’ project with indegionous communities.
KD- Who would you recommend the Leica Q to?
JM - I recommend it to anyone who likes to shoot a variety of things including street and travel, for those who care about image quality and carrying it all in a very compact kit – all the power of a great camera in a very simple, light and compact package.
Thank you Jesse!