I tested the Leica Q3 Monochrom – it's a top digital camera for black-and-white photography purists
SOURCE:TechRadar|BY: Timothy Coleman
Leica's third premium compact Q3 model – the new Q3 Monochrom – follows the original Q3 and the Q3 43, ditching the sensor's color array filter in favor of optimized black and white-only images.
The Leica Q3 Monochrom is a top digital camera for black-and-white photography purists, delivering some of the sharpest and cleanest monochrome images I've ever seen, thanks to its 61MP full-frame sensor design which has no optical low pass or color filters. Highlight clipping is an issue with this type of monochrome-only camera, but the Q3 Monochrom produces better quality black-and-white images than the Leica Q3 – which is a premium compact camera I already adore, and which is otherwise identical. Niche? Yes. An extravagance? Definitely.
Pros
Same superb design and lens quality as the Q3
The purest experience from a digital camera for black and white photography fans
High-resolution full-frame sensor
Cons
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As niche a digital camera as they come
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Limited customization for its standard color profiles
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Pricier than the Q3
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As with the Q3, stabilization is only okay, battery life is average, tilt screen is awkward
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Leica Q3 Monochrom: two-minute review
Money no object, I'd probably pick the Leica Q3 as my favorite compact camera. It's a fabulous 61MP full-frame camera with an extremely sharp, fixed 28mm f/1.7 wide-angle lens, and the ultimate everyday carry.
I'm also partial to black-and-white photography, especially on sunny days when light and shade are the stars of the show. So it was a delight to kick off 2026 by getting out and about on frosty mornings in the UK, with the low-lying sun illuminating my surroundings and the Leica Q3 Monochrom in my hand – it's identical to the original Q3 in practically every way, except that it only shoots in monochrome.
This camera is as niche as they come, and for many it also begs the question: why would you pick a camera that only takes black-and-white images when you can simply select a black-and-white color profile in a regular camera, like the original Q3, which also shoots in color when you want to? Why restrict yourself? That was the focus of my testing over the course of three weeks with the Q3 Monochrom.
For me, the reasons I would opt for a camera like this are twofold – one technical, and one creative. The creative reason is simple: its restricted parameters. I can't switch to color. I'm seeing the real-time image in black and white, and it helps me to truly appreciate light and shade, form and composition.
Shooting in black-and-white can be a great exercise to help you elevate the quality of your photography in general, should you bring color into the equation at other times. You can, however, get this experience with a 'regular' camera by using a black-and-white color profile, so that by itself is not enough reason. The second technical reason is, though – and that's increased light sensitivity.
In simple terms, all sensors in digital cameras see in black and white. To produce color images, a color filter array is placed in front of the sensor, the most common of which is the Bayer pattern with red, green and blue pixels (RGB – with twice the number of green pixels).
The drawback is that a color filter array reduces light sensitivity, leading to an increase in noise and decreased sharpness. In short, it reduces image quality by a small amount, which is seen more clearly in challenging light conditions.
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So – and particularly if you mostly like to shoot black-and-white images anyway – a color filter is more of a hinderance than a help. With those image quality drawbacks, it's like watering down juice when you could otherwise enjoy the full flavor straight from the source.
A monochrome-only digital camera offers the purest form of black-and-white photography you'll get from a digital camera; and from my experience with the Q3 Monochrom, there's something a little extra about the quality of the black-and-white images it produces. A subtle improvement, a pleasing grain rather than noise, and filmic quality. Highlight clipping is, however, a major drawback to this kind of sensor.
Yes, the Leica Q3 monochrom is as niche as they come, and it costs a pretty penny too at $7,790 / £5,800 / AU$12,090. But, if you love black-and-white photography, it's the ultimate everyday carry, and one of the best compact cameras around.
(Image credit: Tim Coleman)
Leica Q3 Monochrom: price and availability
Announced on November 20, 2025 and available now
Priced from $7,790 / £5,800 / AU$12,090
Leica unveiled the Q3 Monochrom in November 2025 and it went on sale immediately, costing $7,790 / £5,800 / AU$12,090. That's a mark-up of about 5% over the Q3, which was launched in 2023.
The Q3-series models use the same BP-SCL6 battery, while Leica sells a variety of accessories at its online store, including a leather half case, thumb supports, and carrying straps.
Leica Q3 Monochrom: specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Leica Q3 Monochrom Specs
Sensor
Stabilized, full-frame
Resolution
61MP
Video
8K
Lens
28mm f/2.8-16
Screen
3.0-inch, 1.84m-dot tilt
Viewfinder
5.76m-dot
Dimensions
130 x 80.3 x 92.6mm
Weight
746g / 662g (with / without battery)
Battery life
300 shots (approx)
Memory
SD (UHS-II)
Leica Q3 Monochrom: design
Same design as the Q3, save for Monochrom logo
Divine lens quality and handling
Awkward tilt touchscreen
The Q3 Monochrom essentially has the same premium, minimalist design as the original Q3, save for its suitably monochromatic logo. That means it operates in exactly the same way as the original model, for good and for bad.
The 28mm lens is the star of the show, not only in terms of the images it produces, but because of how it handles; it's equipped with decent autofocus, but is designed in a way to please manual-focus fans, with autofocus activated via a well-hidden button on the manual-focus ring.
It also looks just like a manual-focus-only lens. There are focus distance markings, and a macro mode that's activated by turning a dial which reveals new focus distance markings – a design masterstroke.
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Other design features are the same, too. We have a decent 5.76m-dot viewfinder, plus a crisp 1.84m-dot tilt touchscreen. I'm not a fan of the tilt design, though – it protrudes from the back of the camera and it's awkward to grip and pull out for waist-level shooting. For the next Q installment, Leica should take notes from Fujifilm and others.
Every touch screams premium quality, from the knurled control dials with just the right amount of resistance, to the pop-out battery and the viewfinder's pop-out diopter adjustment. The memory card door design could do with a little tweaking because it feels like one weak point, but quality-wise I can't otherwise fault the Q3 Monochrom.
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For a deeper dive into the design of the Leica Q3 Monochrom, check out my Leica Q3 review.
Leica Q3 Monochrom: features and performance
High-resolution 61MP sensor with digital crop modes
Reasonable autofocus performance and precise manual focus
Average battery life
There's no change from the original Q3 regarding features or performance, either, save for the monochrome-only images, which is what I'll double down on in this section.
To summarize the other aspects first, the Q3 Monochrom's startup time is rapid, battery life is average at best, autofocus accuracy and speed are good, while in-body image stabilization performance is only okay, but certainly welcome in a camera capable of capturing such high-resolution photos.
And with 61MP to play with there's huge scope for cropping into images to emulate the look of tighter lenses – a feature that can be accessed directly using one of the two buttons above the LCD screen (the gallery below shows a selection of digitally cropped images using the maximum in-camera crop setting, then the full un-cropped version for comparison). The other button above the LCD switches from stills to video, with 8K video recording once again present.
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The macro setting of the lens reduces its close-focusing distance, making it possible to capture flowers and other small subjects in exquisite detail – that's another string to the bow of the Q3 series (see the gallery directly below).
I also love how the maximum aperture of the lens is nice and bright at f/1.7. Pair that with the image stabilization, and Q3 cameras feel more versatile overall than the stunning Fujifilm GFX100RF, even if that camera has an even sharper lens – check out my Q3 vs GFX100RF real-world test to see how those premium compacts compare.
The 28mm lens also produces some of the crispest sunstars I've seen (check out the backlit tree image two galleries down); again, for more details, check out the Q3 review.
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Now, let's get on to black-and-white image quality. Firstly, there are three main monotone profiles to choose from: natural (which is the profile I used for most of this review), plus a sepia and a blue-tone look.
I was surprised and disappointed to see how limited the customization options are for these profiles, though. For example, contrast can be tweaked for these presets, but you can't apply a filter effect, as you can to, say, Fujifilm and Ricoh alternatives.
That said, it's possible to upload LUT profiles to the camera from the Leica app for other creative styles, or of course attach a physical filter to the 28mm lens. I like using an orange filter to create dramatic skies with an infrared-type look, while a green filter can emphasize skin tones.
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I've taken photos with the Q3 Monochrom in a wide range of scenarios, shooting all images in RAW (DNG) and JPEG. When comparing the two, the natural profile brightens shadows, at the cost of rich contrast.
In all images detail is seriously sharp, with a pleasing fine grain – kind of like an ISO 50 film photography feel.
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Sadly, I didn't have the original Q3 at the same time as the Q3 Monochrom to make direct comparisons. However, I have prior experience for such comparisons, and so I know that images shot in black-and-white on a color camera have more pronounced noise, and detail is slightly softer.
His video also hammers home a major warning for using a monochrome-only digital camera: highlight clipping is unforgiving. If you were to overexpose an image – that is, with highlights blown out – you wouldn't be able to recover this detail to nearly the same extent as with a color model, like the original Q3.
Already knowing this, I factored in underexposing when shooting with the Q3 Monochrom. To a degree, this approach can offset the image-quality benefits of its better light sensitivity, but the fact remains that its images are sharper and cleaner than the Q3's when viewed closely. If you're into black-and-white photography, with a good handle on exposure, the Q3 Monochrom's black-and-white image quality exceeds the Q3's.
Should I buy the Leica Q3 Monochrom?
(Image credit: Tim Coleman)
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
Also consider
Leica Q3
If you're not all-in for black-and-white photography, the image-quality improvements the Q3 Monohcrom delivers are hardly justifiable when you consider the greater versatility of the Leica Q3, which also shoots in color, has a greater ceiling for highlight recovery, and costs less.
I used it as my everyday carry, shooting images in a variety of scenarios
I shot all images in RAW and JPEG, and used the macro setting and all focus modes
I spent three weeks using the Leica Q3 Monochrom as my primary camera, shooting all photos in RAW and JPEG. I've used the macro setting for close-up photography, tested the digital crop mode, and swapped between manual and autofocus modes.
When editing, I've looked at shadow and highlight recovery, and taken a close look at the quality of detail, especially in low-light photos where this type of sensor excels.
First reviewed January 2026
Tim is the Cameras editor at TechRadar. He has enjoyed more than 15 years in the photo video industry with most of those in the world of tech journalism. During his time as Deputy Technical Editor with Amateur Photographer, as a freelancer and consequently editor at Tech Radar, Tim has developed a deeply technical knowledge and practical experience with cameras, educating others through news, reviews and features. He’s also worked in video production for Studio 44 with clients including Canon, and volunteers his spare time to consult a non-profit, diverse stories team based in Nairobi. Tim is curious, a keen creative, avid footballer and runner, and moderate flat white drinker who has lived in Kenya and believes we have much to enjoy and learn from each other.
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