Leica, a German company largely known for its optical equipment, has recently launched its latest monochrome camera dubbed the Q2 Monochrom as a variant of the standard Q2 camera launched last year.
Sensors
The camera features a specially designed 47.3 MP full-frame monochrome sensor, which works in combination with the Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH in the standard Q2 camera. Since the sensor is fixed, it limits the flexibility of the device. However, to cater to this, the company has added crop modes to zoom into subjects. Of course, this is done at the loss of some resolution.
Thanks to the new monochrome sensor, the camera is capable of capturing 100,000 IS and has a faster autofocus system that can lock in 0.15 seconds.
Resolution
The Leica Q2 Monochrom is equipped to capture 10fps burst capture at full resolution. It can also shoot monochrome videos with 4k resolution in 24 and 30fps and 1080p in 24, 30, 60, and 120fps.
Other features
The company has removed all the menu and settings options irrelevant to a monochrome camera. The device does not come with a headphone or a microphone jack, either. Moreover, it features three color filters suitable for black and white photography, including blue, sepia, and selenium. Other features are similar to the standard Q2.
Pricing and availability
The camera is currently available for $5995. This is $1000 more than the standard Q2 launched last year. Hence, the main question is whether a $6000 camera that cannot capture colors is worth it?
