MP 0.72vs Q3 43
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
Leica
Q3 43 (2024)
Starting from £6995 new
Best for Documentary, portrait & reportage photography
View Q3 43
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography — MP 0.72 (2003): The purist's Leica — a fully mechanical 35mm rangefinder with no electronics bar the meter. Still built by hand in Wetzlar. The most honest camera ever made.
Documentary, Portrait & Reportage Photography — Q3 43 (2024): The Q3 with the most human lens — 43mm, 60MP, and Leica rendering at its most natural and versatile.
Who should buy what
MP 0.72 (2003)
- Serious film photographers who want the finest rangefinder ever made
- Street and documentary photographers who shoot Kodak Tri-X or HP5
- Leica M-mount collectors and long-term lens owners
- Photographers who value mechanical precision over electronic convenience
Q3 43 (2024)
- Portrait and documentary photographers who find 28mm too wide and 50mm too tight
- Q3 owners who prefer a natural 43mm perspective over the iconic 28mm Summilux
- Reportage photographers who want the discreet Q3 form factor with a more intimate focal length
- Leica system users who want a fixed-lens body that excels across multiple genres
Quick take: The mp 0.72 is the most affordable; only the q3 43 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | MP 0.72 (2003) | Q3 43 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,850 | £6,995 |
| Sensor | 35mm film | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 60.0MP |
| Video | — | 8K/30p, 4K/60p 10-bit — L-Log |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder | Phase-detect AF with face and eye detection |
| Stabilisation | — | 8-stop IBIS (combined with OIS) |
| Burst Rate | ~1fps (manual film advance) | 15fps electronic |
| Battery Life | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only | ~350 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 600g (body only) | 743g body only |
| Dimensions | 138 × 77 × 38mm | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.1mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines | EVF 0.79× 5.76M-dot OLED |
| Screen | None | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.84M dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Fixed Summicron-M 43mm f/2 ASPH (43mm — closest to human field of view) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) | Single UHS-II SD slot |
| Connectivity | None | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | MP 0.72 | Q3 43 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with MP 0.72
Camera family history