Leica FOTOS 1.2: And the Leica Q2
Today, we are releasing Leica FOTOS 1.2 for iOS & Android. It includes support for the all new Leica Q2. It has been a long journey of more than two years from the idea to where we are now. We announced Leica FOTOS at Photokina 2018 and launched it with the Leica M10-D on the 24th of October 2018. Since the launch, more than 100k people used Leica FOTOS and transferred more than 2.5M photos from Leica cameras to mobile devices. Additionally, we got over 1k feature requests — thank you all for the support. The Leica FOTOS team is committed to make the app experience even better!
The Vision of Leica FOTOS
Since day one, it was our vision to create a companion app that incorporates the level of detail customers love about Leica products. To bring it into the mobile world we designed the app with the best user experience in mind. Together with our customers we learned that the most important thing a camera companion app can deliver is access to the photos taken.
When you launch Leica FOTOS, the first thing you see is the Leica Gallery holding all your amazing photos which you already transferred from your Leica cameras to your mobile device. Similarly, after you connected to a Leica camera the photos you took are directly shown. That way Leica FOTOS, keeps your photos as the essential part of the app experience and claims to be
“The gallery in your pocket”.
To make it easier to distinguish, we created a branded monochrome visual language incorporating two worlds. Whenever you see your photos on a black background, they are on your Leica camera. On the contrary, white background symbolizes that you downloaded those photos already. This design paradigm is used across Leica FOTOS to help guide users through the five core experiences:
- Transfer on the Go: Decide to download photos in DNG or JPG.
- Immersive Viewing: Access exposure data and zoom-in to 100%.
- Capture the Moment: Remotely control your camera with live view.
- Easy Access: Change camera settings easy and comfortably.
- Share and Edit: Do all your editing in raw on your mobile device.
Leica FOTOS and the Leica Q2
The Leica Q2 is an amazing camera. With its special weather sealing, the newly developed 47.3 megapixel full frame sensor and its extremely fast optically stabilized Summilux 1:1.7/28 ASPH. prime lens, it is made for a modern world. And from today on, Leica FOTOS is fully supporting the Leica Q2 with the following three main features:
- Easy Connect: Connect Leica FOTOS to your Leica Q2 via Bluetooth.
- Remote Wakeup: Connect to your Leica Q2 even if it is not at your hand.
- Auto Clock Set: Your camera’s date & time are always up-to-date.
To do the one-time pairing start by setting your Leica Camera into pairing mode. On your mobile device, pick Leica Q2 to start the pairing process. Now let Leica FOTOS do some magic, setting up the Bluetooth & Wi-Fi connection. On iOS, make sure to confirm the Join Wi-Fi dialog in order to finish the pairing process.
Once you have paired a Leica Q2 it will show up in the list of added cameras. If the Leica Q2 is nearby, it will show red to inform you that the camera is found. Even more conveniently, with Remote Wakeup enabled on the Leica Q2, you can connect when the camera is turned off. Just tap on a Leica Q2 in Leica FOTOS and the app will execute the following steps to establish the connection:
- Looking for camera…
- Waking up camera…
- Start camera Wi-Fi…
- Join camera Wi-Fi…
- Connect to camera…
On iOS, you just need to confirm the Join Wi-Fi dialog and the connection is there. It is as simple as that! However, be aware that in case of Remote Wakeup the connecting process might take a while as your camera needs to start first. Once you are finished with transferring your images or taking some remote shots, you can disconnect the camera in Leica FOTOS or by simply switching of your camera.
Tips and Tricks
You liked the features of Leica FOTOS so far? Here are some tips and tricks when using it with the Leica Q2 to make your experience more comfy:
- Due to the amazing 47.3 megapixel full frame sensor, the raw photos are nearly 100 megabytes in size. Make sure to shoot DNG+JPG to be able to transfer smaller JPGs. If you want an even faster transfer, you can set a lower JPG resolution on your Leica Q2.
- Auto Power Off is a powerful function which can help saving your battery, especially if you use Remote Wakeup. It will turn off the camera once the camera is disconnected from Leica FOTOS. Hint: to give you an uninterrupted user experience, as long as Leica FOTOS is connected to your camera Auto Power Off is disabled— so make sure to disconnect.
- The Leica Q2 is great for selfies as well. Just connect to the Leica Q2 with Leica FOTOS and go to the Remote. When launching the Remote, Leica FOTOS will always put your camera into smartest mode. For Leica Q2 it is the face detection mode so you only need to frame your shot and tap the shutter button.
Last but not least, a tip for photo enthusiasts using both Leica FOTOS and Lightroom CC on iOS & Android. You can share raw photos directly from your Leica camera to Lightroom without saving them to your native photos library. Just share a photo as DNG from your Leica camera with Copy to Lightroom CC. They are added to your Lightroom CC library and will be uploaded next time you have a fast internet connection. When you are finished with your edits, save the photo to your Leica album in your photo library on your mobile device and they will appear in Leica FOTOS on your Leica Gallery.
- Leica Q2 tip: You can share raw photos taken with the digital zoom feature (28/35/50/75) and adjust the crop in Lightroom CC on your mobile device while you are on the go.
We are excited to bring even more amazing experiences to life in 2019! Stay tuned for the next updates of Leica FOTOS that will bring major performance improvements as well as new features.
Leica FOTOS is made by a very committed team at Leica Camera with support of Little Voice (design) and grandcentrix (development). All photos were taken on a trip to Paris end of February with the Leica Q2!