Leica Q3 full-frame compact camera said to get fourth model soon

Leica recently confirmed that the Leica Q3 is the company’s best-selling camera, with over two-thirds of buyers opting for the model with a 28 mm lens and the rest choosing the Leica Q3 with a 43 mm focal length. According to LeicaRumors, Leica will launch another variant of the coveted full-frame compact camera this fall: the Leica Q3 43 Monochrom.

Details regarding the exact launch date or the camera’s specifications are not yet known. However, Leica already offers the Q3 with a 28 mm lens as a Monochrom version ($7,675 on Amazon), so the Leica Q3 43 Monochrom is likely to feature similar modifications. In addition to a design that completely omits the red Leica logo and colored lettering on the lens and shutter speed dial, the biggest difference from the standard Leica Q3 is that the camera does not have the Bayer color filter array in front of the sensor. As a result, Leica’s monochrome models can only capture black-and-white photos.

While this makes the camera less versatile, it offers three significant advantages for photographers. First, a sensor without a Bayer filter performs better at high ISO settings, meaning photos taken at night have less image noise, and the maximum ISO sensitivity is doubled to ISO 200,000. Second, omitting the color filter results in slightly sharper photos. And third, it’s possible to use color filters in front of the lens, as is common with black-and-white film.