I tested the Leica Q3 Monochrom – it's a top digital camera for black-and-white photography purists

TechRadar Verdict

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

• -As niche a digital camera as they come
• -Limited customization for its standard color profiles
• -Pricier than the Q3
• -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.

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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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