Is it a good thing, or a bad thing, that the Leica Q3 43 has firmware after less than a week on sale?

Leica Q3 43.

The Leica Q3 43 has only been out for a week and is already receiving its first firmware update, which fixes an important issue.

Firmware updates are becoming an increasingly important part of owning a mirrorless camera, often fixing issues incurred from previous updates, but sometimes adding new features.

As the Leica Q3 43 has just been released, and is considered one of the best compact cameras available, updating features is the last thing on the docket. Instead, the firmware issues what Leica calls "improvements" that fix bugs and issues found since its release – and the same firmware .

Bug fixes are not the most exciting updates, but more often than not, they are the most necessary. The update notes are as follows:

" Leica Q3 / Q3 43 (Ver.2.0.5)
Improvements
• Implementation of a protective function to prevent the possible overwriting of existing shots
• Bugfixes in the firmware"

It hasn't even been on sale a week, but the Leica Q3 43 already has its first firmware update (Image credit: Leica)

By looking at the notes it appears that both the Leica Q3 and Q3 43 had an issue where they would continue to shoot to a memory card and, instead of stopping when it reached its limit, overwrite captured images.

This is a very important issue and it's no wonder that Leica has been quick off the mark to remedy it. As photographers, we need to rely on our storage to safely protect our images. As Leica users especially will know, it's all about capturing the decisive moments – and they don't come around too often.

There are two options for installing firmware updates, conveniently via the Leica Fotos app or directly via the camera menu. If you are an owner of the Leica Q3, or are one of the lucky few to own a Q3 43, a guide on how to update your camera firmware can be found on the download page linked above.

Much in keeping with Leica's above-and-beyond service, it takes things one step further than most camera manufacturers by issuing a brochure PDF that can be downloaded and read with the full firmware notes and the update guide.

You may be interested in our guides to the best Leica cameras, the best compact cameras, and the best full-frame compact cameras.