Moments, just as your eye sees them.
The Leica Q3 43 brings new dimensions to the world of Q photography, thanks to its specially engineered APO lens. With its 43mm focal length, it captures images and videos with a strikingly natural perspective, all in the exceptional quality you expect from Leica. This compact and stylish full-frame camera seamlessly fits into your creative workflow and connects effortlessly to the world around you. By blending cutting-edge technology with authentic emotion, the Q3 43 creates a perfect synergy between camera, lens and photographer, ensuring that every moment is captured with pure joy and precision.43mm. A unique addition to the Leica lineup.
Leica is introducing new facets to Q photography with its versatile 43mm standard focal length and a digital frame selection ranging from 43mm to 150mm. The 43mm focal length closely mimics human vision, allowing for subjects to be captured with a true-to-life and natural perspective. This makes the Leica Q3 43 perfect for expressive portraits, as well as street, travel and event photography. Learn more about the 43mm focal length and what makes it so special.
The ideal focal length for truly natural portraits
The 43mm focal length of the Leica Q3 43 makes it the perfect choice for professional quality portraits. The images are distortion-free and (at wide apertures) beautifully separate your subject from the background, thanks to its shallow depth of field. With a soft bokeh and targeted focus on the eyes, the camera delivers striking portraits with natural skin tones. Its compact and discreet size also helps to create authentic, spontaneous moments by encouraging a more natural interaction between the photographer and subject.
Fast Leica APO lens
Crafted specifically for the Leica Q3 43, the APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH. is an optical masterpiece. Like all Leica APO lenses, it delivers outstanding image quality, offering incredibly sharp and high-contrast shots in any lighting condition. It effortlessly joins the ranks of Leica’s legendary APO lenses, renowned as some of the best in the world.
With its wide f/2 aperture, the Q3 43 lens produces a beautifully smooth bokeh, isolating your subject from the background even in low-light situations. The integrated macro mode captures stunningly detailed close-ups. Despite the intricate design of this apochromatic lens with seven aspherical elements, the compact size the Leica Q series is known for remains intact.
“Leica Looks” image styles for creative photography
With Leica Looks, you can instantly capture beautiful photos – with no post-processing needed. With the growing range of Leica Looks, you can expand your creative horizons through a variety of image styles that can easily be imported to your Leica Q3 43 via the Leica FOTOS App. Once installed on your camera, the preset effects are ready to use, allowing you to apply them during any shoot while preserving the original DNG files.
Full-frame sensor with Triple Resolution Technology
The Leica Q3 43 offers unprecedented flexibility with its full-frame sensor and Triple Resolution Technology, allowing you to shoot at 60, 36 or 18 MP. All three options are available for both JPEG and DNG formats. Regardless of the resolution you choose, the camera uses the entire sensor, with an ISO range of 50 to 100,000 for exceptional low-light performance. Powered by the Maestro IV processor with L technology, the Q3 43 is fast and reliable even at the highest resolutions, for both photography and video.
Absolutely authentic videos
Equipped with the same advanced video capabilities as the Leica Q3, the Q3 43 supports video recording in resolutions of up to 8K and offers a variety of video codecs, including the highly efficient .h265 and ProRes 422 HQ, with frame rates of up to 60fps in 1080p. The 43mm focal length captures scenes with a natural, distortion-free perspective, ensuring a true-to-life look. The ability to connect gimbals, external microphones (function available end of October), power banks and external display recorders via USB-C and HDMI further enhances the camera’s flexibility for producing professional video content.
Stay connected wherever you are
The Leica Q3 43’s reliable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ensures fast connectivity and an effortless digital workflow. Advanced Wi-Fi technology ensures a stable connection to the Leica FOTOS App as well as fast image and video transfers. For content creators, external microphones can be connected via USB-C, enabling a professional setup. The USB-C connection also supports tethered shooting with Capture One or Adobe Lightroom Classic.
Specifications
| Designation | Leica Q3 43 |
| Camera type | Digital 35 mm compact camera |
| Dimensions | 130 x 80,3 x 97,6 mm |
| Weight | Approx. 772g/688 g (with/without battery) |
| Material | Full metal housing: magnesium die-cast, leather covering, protection type IP52 |
| Buffer memory | 8 GB |
| Sensor size | CMOS-Sensor, 62,39 MP/60,3 MP (total/effective) |
| Storage medium | UHS-II (recommended), UHS-I, SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card |
| Operating conditions | 0 °C to +40 °C |
| Interfaces | ISO accessory shoe with additional control contacts for Leica flash units, HDMI jack Type D, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C up to 10 Gbps |
| Tripod thread | A 1/4 DIN 4503 (1/4”) with stainless steel in the basen |
| Processor | Leica Maestro series (Maestro IV) |
| Filter | RGB color filter, UV/IR filter, no low-pass filter |
| File formats | Photo: DNG™ (raw data), DNG + JPG, JPG (DCF 2.0, Exif 2.31) Video: MOV |
| Image resolution | DNG™ 9520 x 6336 Pixel (60,3 MP) 7404 x 4928 Pixel (36,5 MP) 5288 x 3518 Pixel (18,6 MP) JPG |
| File size | DNG™: approx. 70 MB, depending on resolution and image content JPG: depending on resolution and image content Video: max. length: 29 min |
| Color depth | DNG™: 14 Bit JPG: 8 Bit |
| Color space | Foto: sRGB |
| Video Resolution | C8K (17:9) 8192 x 4320 8K (16:9) C4K (17:9) 4K (16:9) Full HD (16:9) |
| Video frame rate/bit rate | MOV C8K (recording to SD) 29,97 fps C8K 4:2:0 / 10 Bit h.265 L-GOP 300 Mbps 25,00 fps C8K 4:2:0 / 10 Bit h.265 L-GOP 300 Mbps 24,00 fps C8K 4:2:0 / 10 Bit h.265 L-GOP 300 Mbps 23,98 fps C8K 4:2:0 / 10 Bit h.265 L-GOP 300 Mbps MOV C8K (HDMI output without HLG/L-Log and without recording to SD) MOV C8K (HDMI output with HLG/L-Log or during recording to SD) MOV 8K (recording to SD) MOV 8K (HDMI output without HLG/L-Log and without recording to SD) MOV 8K (HDMI output with HLG/L-Log or during recording to SD) MOV C4K MOV 4K MOV FHD MOV FHD Slow Motion MOV FHD ProRes MP4 8K MP4 4K MP4 FHD |
| Lens | |
| Designation | Leica APO-Summicron 43 f/2 ASPH., 11 lenses in 8 segments, 7 aspherical lens areas |
| Lens filter thread | E49 |
| Digital zoom | Optionally approx. 1.4x (equivalent to 60 mm), approx. 1.7x (equivalent to 75 mm), approx. 2.0x (equivalent to 90 mm), approx. 2.8x (equivalent to 120 mm), or approx. 3.5x (equivalent to 150 mm) |
| Image stabilization | Visual compensation system for photos and video recordings |
| Aperture range | F2 to F16 in 1⁄3 EV increments |
| Viewfinder/LCD panel | |
| Viewfinder (EVF) | Resolution: 5,760,000 dots, 120 fps, magnification: 0.79x at aspect ratio: 4:3 / 0.76x at aspect ratio: 3:2, frame coverage: 100%, exit pupil position: 20.75 mm, setting range -4/+2 dpt, with eye sensor for automatic switchover between viewfinder and LCD panel, time delay 0.005 s |
| LCD panel | 3” TFT LCD, approx. 1,843,200 dots, 384 ppi, aspect ratio 3:2, touch panel |
| Shutter | |
| Shutter type | Mechanical central shutter or optional electronic shutter |
| Shutter speeds | Mech. shutter: 120 s to 1⁄2000 s Electro. shutter function: 1 s to 1⁄16000 s Flash Synchronization: up to 1⁄2000 s |
| Shutter button | Two-stage (1st stage: Activation of the camera electronics including autofocus and exposure metering, 2nd stage: Taking the picture) |
| Self-timer | Delay time: 2 s or 12 s |
| Drive Mode | Single, Interval Shooting, Exposure Bracketing
Continuous shooting: Continuous - 7 fps / 14 bit, Continuous - 9 fps / 12 bit, Continuous - 15 fps / 12 bit: |
| Focusing | |
| Focus range | 60 cm to ∞ Macro setting: 26.5 cm to 60 cm |
| Focus mode | Automatic or manual With manual setting: optional magnifying glass function (Auto Magnification) and edge marking (Focus Peaking) available as focus assist |
| Autofocus system | Hybrid-AF due to combination of contrast metering, depth mapping, and phase comparison metering with AF metering points in the sensor. |
| Autofocus modes | Intelligent AF (autonomously selects AFs and AFc), AFs, AFc, AF setting can be saved, optional Touch AF |
| Autofocus metering methods | Spot (can be shifted), Field (can be shifted and scaled), Multi-Field, Zone (can be shifted), Eye/Face/Body Detection, Eye/Face/Body + Animal Detection, Tracking |
| Autofocus metering fields | 315 |
| Exposure | |
| Exposure metering | TTL (exposure metering through the lens), with working aperture |
| Metering principle | Exposure metering is done by the image sensor for all exposure metering methods (in Live View mode and in rangefinder mode) |
| Exposure metering methods | Spot, Center-Weighted, Highlight-Weighted, Multi-Field |
| Exposure modes | Program AE mode (P) Aperture-priority mode (A): manual aperture setting Shutter-priority mode (S): manual shutter-speed setting Manual (M): manual setting for shutter speed and aperture Various fully automated variants (Scene Mode): AUTO, Sport, Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Snow/Beach, Fireworks, Candlelight, Sunset, Digiscoping |
| Exposure compensation | ±3 EV in 1/3 EV increments |
| Automatic bracketing | 3 or 5 frames, graduations between shoots up to 3 EV, in 1/3 EV increments additional optional exposure compensation: up to ±3 EV |
| ISO sensitivity range | Photo: Auto ISO 100 to ISO 100 000 Manual ISO 50 to ISO 100 000 Video: |
| White balance | Automatic (Auto), default (Daylight, Cloudy, Shadow, Tungsten, Flash), manual metering (Gray card), manual color temperature settings (Color Temperature, 2000 K to 11500 K) |
| Flash | |
| Flash unit connector | Via the accessory shoe |
| Flash sync time | 1/2000 s, slower shutter speeds available, automatic changeover to TTL linear flash mode with HSS-compatible Leica system flash units if sync time is undercut |
| Flash exposure metering | Using center-weighted TTL pre-flash metering with Leica flash units (SF 26, SF 40, SF 58, SF 60, SF 64) or with system compatible flash units, remote controlled flash SF C1 |
| Flash exposure compensation | SF 40: ±2 EV in 1/2 EV increments SF 60: ±2 EV in 1/3 EV increments |
| Equipment | |
| Microphone | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono |
| WLAN | WLAN function for connecting to the Leica FOTOS app. The Leica app is available from the Apple App Store™ or the Google Play Store™. EU/US/CN: 2,4 GHz 5 GHz Access point + client mode: JP: 5 GHz Client mode: Maximum output (e.i.r.p.): <14 dBm, encryption method: WLAN-compatible WPA™/WPA2™/WPA3™ |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 LE: Channel 0–39 (2402–2480 MHz), maximum output (e.i.r.p.): 10 dBm |
| GPS | Not available everywhere due to country-specific legislation; can be added via the Leica FOTOS app. Data is written to Exif header of the picture files. |
| Menu languages | English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean |
| Power supply | |
| Rechargeable battery (Leica BP-SCL6) | Lithium-ion rechargeable battery, rated voltage: 7.2 V (DC); capacity: 2200 mAh (min.), 350 shots (based on CIPA standard, with All Displays Auto Off = 5 s); manufacturer: Panasonic Energy (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Made in China |
| Charger (Leica BC-SCL4) | Input: AC 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz, 0.25 A, automatic switchover; output: DC 8.4 V 0.85 A; manufacturer: Salom Electric (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., Made in China |
| Charging via USB | During operation: 9 V/3 A (min. 27 W) With camera switched off: 5 V/1500 mA (2.5 W or greater) |
| Wireless Charging | Optimal performance with 9 V chargers (10 W Charging Pad required) |
| Rated values for input voltage/power | 7.2 V 2.3 A (battery), 5 V 3.0 A / 9 V 2.5 A (USB) |