Leica Q3 BASEplate _ 001

This new version for the Q3 builds on learnings from the Q2 Baseplate. Additional design refinements and details have been added to further improve the use and in concert with some of the changes that have been introduced on the new Leica Q3.

– The baseplate still maintains full access to the battery and SD card
– There is now a more noticeable sculpting and chamfering around the battery release lever
– The SD card access relief/cutout now has an additional scallop to make it easier to lift the new flip-screen
– And the secondary 1/4"-20 mounting point is now a stainless-steel insert
– The Q3 baseplate design has internal material removed for a roughly 15% weight savings compared our the Q2 baseplate

Like the Q2, the Q3 baseplate was designed and created to honor Leica's lineage of beautiful, durable, and resolute photographic tools that unite object and creative intent.

Our baseplate augments the Q3's capabilities while enhancing its aesthetic and physical proportions. It protects and adds a balanced stability to the Q3. The warmth of the brass finish brings tactility and depth to the more reserved Q3 series. As the baseplate develops patina through use, the coherent character of camera and baseplate will mature further into a unified—and distinctly personal—whole.

Tools amplify abilities. The best hand tools easily amplify our natural abilities while remaining desirable objects. We use them because they serve a purpose and because we want to

Manifesting this idea that truly functional tools are both highly useful and beautiful, this brass baseplate for the Q3 is an elegant Arca-Swiss Quick Release dovetail that you'll never want or need to remove from your camera.

Our baseplate supports the camera whether or not it's mounted to a tripod or other accessory. It sits flush on flat surfaces, stable both side-to-side and front-to-back. Cutouts permit full access to the battery and memory card. All the supporting hardware is made from stainless steel. This includes the second 1/4"-20 mount, which is a stainless-steel insert for increase strength and durability when attaching other accessories or mounting on non-arch-Swiss platforms like a gimbal.

The 360 brass alloy used in our CNC-machined baseplate, made primarily of copper and zinc, is dense, strong, ductile, and easy to work with. It interfaces smoothly with other metals and resists seizing or corrosion. It can be recycled over and over again. And it has so much personality.

Leica's tradition of using brass in its cameras and lenses was born partly from these practicalities. Our all-brass baseplate directly connects to this history, albeit with a more progressive than nostalgic approach: Brass is simply the most beautiful and practical material for this purpose.

Aesthetically, the bright warmth of our Raw Machined Brass baseplate complements the Q. Even rare special editions of the Q are elevated by our brass baseplate.

Most importantly, as your baseplate ages, its patina will belong to you alone.

Our initial production run is finished in Raw Machined Brass, which highlights the material characteristics of our baseplate. Gleaming straight out of the box, gradually oxidizing and taking on surface wear, your Raw Machined Brass baseplate will become a physical record of your experiences with your Q3.

Like the Q2 Baseplate, future production runs will also include a black finish. Over time, this surface treatment will gracefully reveal the baseplate's brass underlayer, recalling the weathered brassing of countless well-worn, brass-bodied M cameras.

There will be more exciting materials and variations coming for the Q3 Baseplates in the future. Tests have already started on a titanium version, and some other unexpected materials are in the works.

All baseplates are machine-engraved with our branding and product codes to clearly indicate your baseplate's version, production year, material, and finish.