Baby Q continued…

The Last Friday Article : Baby Q vs Full Frame – an almost real-time story

Unlike most reviews or articles I write, where weeks or even months can pass between purchasing a camera or lens and publishing my thoughts, last Friday’s article about the “Baby Q” was written almost live. Everything unfolded in less than 72 hours, making it a unique and fast-paced experience.

Here’s what happened: after purchasing the camera, there was a brief delay while the seller verified their account. This is quite normal. For instance, on platforms like eBay, payments are processed immediately, and items are usually shipped within 48 hours. However, this transaction didn’t follow that pattern.

At one point, the seller contacted me directly to inform me of an issue: while packing the camera, they discovered that the lens no longer fully extended—a classic problem I always warn others about! And yet, here it was, happening again. The camera, previously owned by a professional photographer, had been serviced by a specialized company in Limburg, Belgium. Perhaps the cleaning caused the issue, or maybe it was just bad luck. Either way, the camera was defective, and the seller refunded my money.

Motorized zoom lenses are a notorious weak spot. Millions of cameras with these mechanisms were manufactured in the past, and I’ve owned a few myself, like the Samsung WB750 and WB850F. Both eventually failed because of lens problems. That said, I also own a Fuji AV100 from 2010 with a motorized zoom, and one of my grandsons still happily uses it today. So, while it’s an exaggeration to claim that all motorized zooms will fail, it’s definitely something to be cautious about.

The story didn’t end there. Later that same Friday evening, I came across another listing, this time on eBay Germany: a Leica D-Lux Type 109 from 2018. The first “Baby Q” was from 2015, so I thought, perhaps a newer model might be in better condition—wishful thinking, I know! Nonetheless, I decided to take the plunge … again.

As a result, “Baby Q II” is now on its way, and if all goes well, I should receive it by the end of this week.

And so, the story continues…