STRAIGHT SHOOTER

On the eve of the Leica Q3's launch, Augustman sat down with Product Manager Peter Kruschewski to talk about the blurring of lines between professional and compact cameras and how Wetzlar's latest offering manages both

- JONATHAN HO

LEICA CAMERA AG HAS BEEN AROUND for more than 150 years; indisputably, it’s not only a behemoth in photography and imaging but also a pioneer. Each iteration of a Leica collection ‒ be it an M, S, SL or Q ‒ has brought something new to the table. The latest Leica Q3 is no different. It’s a camera for the masses but one that still meets the growing demand for high-level connectivity and communication, without compromising the photographic and cinematic imaging performance of a premium compact camera.

In the Age of Content Creation, where every conceivable facet of your life is a potentially documentable moment, the new tiltable, swivelling three-inch high-resolution touchscreen adds new possibilities to your street photography. At the heart of the Q3 is the new BSI-CMOS sensor with Triple Resolution Technology. With a resolution of either 60, 36 or 18 MP, raw images can be created using the DNG format or processed JPEG files with a perfect look, straight out of the camera. When shooting with 60 MP, even the finest details and structures are captured.

Furthermore, thanks to its ability to record video at 8K resolution and highly efficient codecs such as H.265 and Apple’s ProRes, the Leica Q3 now meets everyone’s needs. In an exclusive interview, Product Manager Peter Kruschewski discusses with Augustman the future of photography as smartphones continue to close the gap.

In that time while managing the compact camera segment, Leica has been quite immune to the changes in the imaging landscape like smart phones starting to encroach upon that territory. Was there at all any concern for your product portfolio?