When I first laid my hands on the Leica Q3, I was enamoured with the camera. The craftsmanship, the precision, and the iconic aesthetics, the enjoyment of the photography experience – it was everything I could dream of. For those unfamiliar, the Leica Q3 boasts a 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens that promises unparalleled sharpness and clarity. But like every great journey, this one, too, had its unexpected turns. Despite the fact that I had written previously that the Leica Q3 could be the only camera a traveller needs, I soon found myself eyeing up other gear, and not simply because of gear acquisition syndrome, but because practically I did not need everything the Q3 had to offer, and the Q3 also lacked some things which I would have liked.

As a travel photographer, my camera is my constant companion, documenting fleeting moments in vivid detail. The Leica Q3, with its impeccable build, quickly became a favourite. The fixed 28 mm lens was notably sharp, revealing intricate details I would often have overlooked in other cameras and lenses. From sweeping landscapes to detailed macro shots which brought out the textures in engravings, the Leica Q3 had been my trusty ally for around two years.

However, despite the fact that I think prime lenses are amazing in that it makes the photographer move around which may result in finding new perspectives, the Leica Q3’s prime lens was fixed at 28 mm. I had no option to swap to another prime lens even though the Q3 had in-built digital zoom with frame lines for the perspective of other lenses. The 61-megapixel sensor allows for some impressive cropping, but there were times when I would have preferred to have a longer lens in order to get my shot rather than crop in too much. While most of my lenses are actually prime lenses, the fixed focal length of the Q3 sometimes did feel like a it restricted my options. For example, sure I was able to crop in and still get a usable photo of a whale diving back into the water in Iceland, but I was not able to produce a large print from because it was a highly cropped.

The legendary sharpness of the Q3’s Summilux lens was both a blessing and, at times, a curse. While landscapes and architectural marvels benefited from this feature, portraits posed a different challenge. The stark clarity sometimes stripped away the soft allure and subtlety that portraits demand – I often found myself having to soften photos of people as the Q3’s Summilux lens was able to seemingly render every pore and wrinkle in detail, even when shot wide open at f/1.7. As some of you know, I much prefer a glowing old-school look for portraits, and I did find on some trips I would bring both the Q3 and my Leica M-P (Typ 240) paired with the Light Lens Lab 50 mm f/2 Speed Panchro II, adding to the weight of my bag.

While Leica’s reputation is synonymous with optical quality and robust build, the Q3’s current price tag of £5,550 can make it a questionable purchase when considering price-to-features ratio. Its autofocus system is nowhere near as accurate or advanced as Sony’s market-leading autofocus systems. Having said that, the beauty of the Q3 was actually not the plethora of features in the camera, but more the lack of features and the simplicity of the camera and the ability to bring the photographer back to simply enjoying the art of photography. Admittedly, you do not buy Leica cameras for the plethora of features, but for the simplicity of their cameras and menu systems – this is why I still have two Leica M cameras in my collection.

In the end, parting with the Leica Q3 wasn’t an easy decision. It was like saying good bye to an old friend, one who was there through countless adventures and memorable stories. I cherish the journey we had, the images captured, and the moments frozen in time. But with the amount of money I was able to get for it selling it to MPB, it allowed me to plan for new adventures with gear which was not an overkill – do I need 61-megapixels? Do I need RAW files over 100 MB? Selling the Q3 gave me flexibility; while I didn’t opt to purchase two OM-1 Mark II bodies (even though the money I received from selling the Q3 could have stretched that far), I saw the potential to invest in gear that is not an overkill.

The Leica Q3 is undoubtedly an extraordinary camera, yet, upon reflecting on my photography style and needs, I realised it was not the right piece of kit to keep in my collection. Parting with the Q3 was bittersweet, but it has paved the way for new opportunities and perspectives with a different gear setup for my upcoming adventures.