Q3 43vs A7C
Leica
Q3 43 (2024)
Starting from £6995 new
Best for Documentary, portrait & reportage photography
View Q3 43
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Compact Travel & Content Creation — A7C (2020): The A7C proves full-frame doesn't have to be bulky. Excellent battery life, reliable Eye AF and a vari-angle screen in a pocketable body is a compelling combination for travel and content creators. The A7C II improved on it, but the original remains a strong value buy.
Who should buy what
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
A7C (2020)
- Travel photographers who want full-frame in the smallest possible body
- Content creators who need a flip screen and reliable Eye AF
- Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want to keep a compact kit
- Vloggers who need 4K and great battery life on the road
Quick take: The q3 43 has the highest resolution at 60mp; the a7c is the most affordable; only the q3 43 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Q3 43 (2024) | A7C (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,995 | £1,299 |
| Sensor | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/60p 10-bit — L-Log | 4K/30p (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion, S-Log2/S-Log3 |
| Autofocus | Phase-detect AF with face and eye detection | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | 8-stop IBIS (combined with OIS) | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 15fps electronic | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~350 shots (CIPA) | ~740 shots (CIPA) — outstanding for a Sony mirrorless |
| Weight | 743g body only | 509g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.1mm | 124.0 × 71.1 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | EVF 0.79× 5.76M-dot OLED | None built-in — use rear screen or accessory EVF |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.84M dots | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Fixed Summicron-M 43mm f/2 ASPH (43mm — closest to human field of view) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single UHS-II SD slot | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Q3 43 | A7C |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Street | ||
| Travel | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Video | — |
More comparisons with Q3 43
Camera family history