Exploring tokyo with the leica q3 43 | borisk.photos

So, I took the Leica Q3 43 to Tokyo.

It was my first time in Japan, and naturally, I obsessively checked the weather forecast beforehand. When I saw a few days of rain lined up, I decided to not bring my beloved Leica M with the Voigtländer 35mm Ultron II. Why? Because, well… I have trust issues—and if my M decided to die on me in Tokyo, I would absolutely spiral.

Instead, I went with the Q3 43. I threw the Moment CineBloom Diffusion filter on it, or another one from PolarPro (Shortstache Filter | Everyday). A little extra glass never hurt anyone—except maybe image sharpness, which, trust me, this camera has plenty of.

I tried prepping—Googling what I might shoot, planning a few locations—but it’s Tokyo. A city so big it makes every other place feel like a charming little village. I underestimated just how massive it is. I did worry a bit about committing to a fixed-lens camera for the entire trip, but given the Q3’s absurd resolution, cropping in was always an option. Going wider? Not so much.

So, how did the camera do?

First off, surprise: it barely rained. One rainy night, tops. Which makes me mildly sad I didn’t bring the M after all—but still, no regrets. The Q3 delivered. Especially during daylight, it shined. I shot mostly during the day anyway (jet lag had me struggling by nightfall).

The Q3 43 weighs 772 grams, which is totally manageable. And for that weight, you get a full-frame 61MP sensor paired with an apochromatic 43mm lens that is… well, stupidly sharp. Honestly, I’m glad I had the mist filter on. Without it, the files are almost too perfect. Like, clinically clean. Not my vibe.

Stabilization?

No IBIS, but the optical stabilization in the lens is legit. I was comfortably shooting at 1/8s handheld. Pretty impressive. My only gripe is the lens does stick out a bit more than I’d like—makes the camera slightly chunkier. But weirdly, it helps with grip, especially if you shoot vertical, and since I hate adding accessories (like thumb-grip), I just rolled with it.

Battery life & everyday use

Battery life? Solid. I shot around 1200 photos over the course of a 7-day trip. I charged the battery once per day, sometimes less, using an Anker power bank while out and about. Most nights, I’d get back to the hotel with 60–70% battery still left.

Leaf shutter? Amazing. It makes the camera basically silent. And combined with the stabilization, it lets you shoot creatively at slow shutter speeds without drawing any attention.

Weather sealing came in handy too. There’s this one shot I took near a shop selling fish, my camera got properly wet, sticking out from under my umbrella, but didn’t even flinch.

The EVF love/hate saga

Okay, the EVF. It’s big, bright, and gorgeous—until you start focusing. The moment you half-press the shutter or the camera engages autofocus, the EVF turns into a soft mess. It’s especially frustrating on bright days when you notice the drop in clarity. I love it. I hate it.

Low light? Same deal. When ISO gets pushed up and shutter speeds get longer, the EVF starts lagging. Like… noticeably. I wouldn’t call it unusable, but it’s far from pleasant. Autofocus was generally fine—even at night, Tokyo is lit like a video game—but it would occasionally hunt in weird moments.

Thankfully, manual focus is amazing on this lens. Probably the best I’ve used on a digital camera. Just push the little tab and you’re in manual mode—easy. Coming from an M, this was second nature. When the EVF got too laggy, I’d just MF and keep shooting.

Would I take it again?

Honestly, yes—but maybe not this exact model.

After this trip, I started thinking: maybe the Q3 28 makes more sense for travel. Looking back, I had plenty of shots at 43mm, a few crops at 60mm or 90mm (thanks to the resolution), but there were moments I really wished for 28mm. Wider would’ve been more useful than longer.

That said, 40–43mm has become “normal” to me. I started with 50mm, moved to 28mm, then landed on 35mm for a long time. But everything changed when I got the Nikon Zf with the 40mm f/2. I use it constantly now, and it feels right. So the Q3 43 felt familiar—and natural.

I even have the Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 on my Leica CL, which is probably my favorite film camera ever. So maybe I’m just in a 40mm phase. We’ll see.

Anyway, enough words. Time for some photos from the trip. I hope you enjoy them. 😎

exploring tokyo