Leica Camera and Formula 1 have announced a licensing partnership, and the first thing to come out of it is a camera. The Leica Q3 43 Formula 1 Edition is a special edition of the full frame Q3 43 compact, dressed in handcrafted carbon fiber, grippy Microvelour and official F1 branding. It went on sale October 21 at Leica Stores, in the Leica Online Store and through specialist dealers.
What makes it different
Leica built the edition around two materials borrowed from motorsport. The hand grip, thumb rest and soft release button carry carbon fiber parts that Leica says are specially made in Germany, shaped by hand with a visible weave. Carbon is not a material Leica normally uses on its cameras. The body is wrapped in black Microvelour instead of the usual leatherette, meant to feel like the grip on a racing steering wheel.
The soft release button and the function button in the thumb rest are finished in Formula 1 red. Leica's reasoning comes straight from the cockpit: drivers rely on bright colors on the wheel to find controls out of the corner of their eye, and the red buttons are there so your thumb lands in the right spot while your eyes stay on the subject. The top plate is engraved, the lens cap carries the F1 logo, and the set includes a rope strap with both brands' logos.
There is also a new wireless charging hand grip, made of carbon fiber rather than leatherette. It has an Arca-Swiss mount for fast tripod use, comes off when you want a slimmer camera, and starts charging the camera as soon as it sits on Leica's Drop XL Wireless Charger pad.
A look made for the track
Leica also developed an exclusive Formula 1 Leica Look for this edition. Looks are Leica's built in color profiles, and this one pushes contrast and saturation to capture the feel of the track and paddock. It is loaded onto the camera through the Leica FOTOS app and shows up live in the viewfinder, so you see the effect while you shoot instead of adding it later. It works on JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files, which the same app can send to your phone in seconds.
Same Q3 43 underneath
Under the carbon this is the standard Q3 43, which Leica says keeps the original model's image quality and handling. That means a 60 megapixel full frame CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor with Triple Resolution Technology, which lets you shoot at 60, 36 or 18 megapixels while always using the whole sensor. Processing runs on the Maestro IV chip, video goes up to 8K, and the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) sensitivity range runs from 50 to 100,000.
The lens is the fixed APO-Summicron 43 f/2 ASPH. APO stands for apochromatic, Leica's top level of color correction, and ASPH means it uses aspherical elements, seven aspherical surfaces in this case. A 43mm focal length is close to how the human eye sees a scene, which is the whole pitch for a camera you carry every day. Focus runs from 60cm to infinity, a macro setting gets you down to 26.5cm, and autofocus is a hybrid system that combines contrast measurement, depth mapping and phase detection.
Why Leica did it
On the Leica and Formula 1 partnership page, Leica Camera chief executive Andreas Voll says the sport "thrives on unique moments that can never be repeated," which is exactly what Leica cameras are built to catch. He says the Q3 43 was "an obvious choice" because of its image quality, compact design and simple handling, and that the edition is aimed at photographers, Formula 1 fans and collectors who appreciate craftsmanship and iconic collaborations.
Our call
This one is Surfacing. Brand tie ins on cameras can feel like a sticker job, but Leica changed the materials, the controls and the color science, and the Q3 43 underneath is one of the best everyday full frame cameras you can carry. It is a collector piece first, but it is a real working camera too. You can order it now from Leica's US online store, where it is listed in stock, or try one at a Leica Store.
Want something smaller to carry every day? See our pick of the best compact cameras, the Ricoh GR IV 30th Anniversary Edition kit, and our look at the Leica SL3-P.
Q3 43 Formula 1 Edition at Leica · Leica and Formula 1 · Leica Stores
