
The Leica M11 Mirrorless Camera Review
Updated on Aug 3, 2022
Leica delivers quality excellence for professional photographers. Read more for a deep dive perspective on the M11 after several months of use.
Make your images true to life with the help of triple resolution technology for incredible file output versatility and unmatched image quality with M-lenses.
With a native ISO of 64 and up to 15 stops of dynamic range you can be confident in getting that shot even in difficult lighting conditions.
The Maestro III processor gives you high-speed image processing. It's partnered with 64 GB of internal memory so you are not restricted by the card you have in the camera. It also enables parallel image storage and on-camera backup. For external image storage, the M11 is equipped with UHS-II SD card compatibility and a 3GB buffer enabling a flawless image transfer from the sensor to the storage media.
The best button layout is the one you create! With three customizable function buttons, you'll have quick access to almost any menu setting in the camera.
Actually being able to view the image that you've just taken is something truly essential. The new 2.3 megapixel touch screen display on the M11 with up to 800 nits of brightness, will easily display the image even during daytime shoots with sunny conditions.
The Leica M11 is a “Made for iPhone and iPad” certified product allowing for reliable data transfer to Leica FOTOS via the included USB-C to Lightning cable
Does a camera need to be all black and serious? The M11 can be that. Wanting a lighter color scheme with silver accents? The M11 can be that too. The choice is yours.
The Leica M and its lenses have been making history for decades. Long before sustainability became a familiar expression, the M Bayonet created a timeless standard, allowing lenses and cameras to be passed down from generation to generation. The new Leica M11 is just that; compatible with almost every M Lens ever produced and a true epitome of enduring value. Merging state-of-the-art technology with an outstanding tradition, the new Leica M11 represents a peak of German engineering, while setting a new benchmark in rangefinder photography for years to come.
Updated on Aug 3, 2022
Leica delivers quality excellence for professional photographers. Read more for a deep dive perspective on the M11 after several months of use.
Updated on Jun 7, 2023
A personal chronicle of embracing rangefinder cameras and refining my photographic journey with the Leica M6.
Camera type: Digital camera system with rangefinder
Buffer: Memory 3 GB | DNG™: 15 recordings | JPG: > 100 recordings
Storage Medium: UHS-II (recommended), UHS-I, SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card (SDXC cards up to 2 TB), internal memory 64 GB
Material: Black: full-metal housing made of magnesium and aluminum, leatherette cover Silver: full-metal housing made of magnesium and brass, leatherette cover
Lens mount: Leica M bayonet with additional sensor for 6-bit encoding
Operating conditions: +0 to +40°C
Interfaces: ISO accessory shoe with additional control contacts for Leica flash units and Leica Visoflex 2 viewfinder (optional accessory), USB 3.1 Gen1 Typ-C
Tripod thread: A 1⁄4 DIN 4503 (1⁄4”) with stainless steel in the base
Dimensions: 139 x 38.5 x 80mm
Weight: Black - approx. 530 g/455 g (with/without battery) | Silver - approx. 640 g/565 g (with/without battery)
Sensor size: CMOS sensor, pixel pitch: 3.76 μm, 35 mm: 9528 x 6328 pixels (60.3 MP) Processor Leica Maestro series (Maestro III)
Filter: RGB color filter, UV/IR filter, no low-pass filter
File formats: DNG™ (raw data, loss-free compression), DNG + JPG, JPG (DCF, Exif 2.30)
Image resolution:
The entire sensor surface will always be used irrespective of format and resolution. Digital Zoom 1.3x and 1.8x available (always based on L-DNG or L-JPG)
File size:
Color depth: DNG™: 14 Bit, JPG: 8 Bit
Color space sRGB
Viewfinder: Large, bright-line rangefinder with automatic parallax compensation, suitable for -0.5 dpt; optional corrective lenses available: -3 to +3 dpt
Display: Four-digit digital display with items show on the top and bottom, Image field limiter: two lit frames: 35 mm + 135 mm, 28 mm + 90 mm, 50 mm + 75 mm (automatic switchover when lens is attached)
Parallax compensation: The horizontal and vertical difference between viewfinder and lens is compensated automatically in line with the relevant focus setting. Congruence of viewfinder and actual image. The size of the bright-line frame matches the distance:
Viewfinder magnification: x0.73 (all lenses)
Large-base rangefinder: Split or superimposed image rangefinder shown as a bright field at the center of the viewfinder image
LCD panel: 2.95” (Active Matrix TFT), Gorilla Glass 5 cover glass, 2,332,800 dots, format 3:2, touch control available
Shutter type: Electronically controlled focal-plane shutter and electronic shutter function
Shutter speeds:
Shutter button: Two-stage (1st stage: activation of the camera electronics including exposure metering and metering memory lock, 2nd stage: taking the picture)
Self-timer: Delay time: 2 s or 12 s
Image Capture:
Focus range: 70 cm to ∞
Focus mode: Manual (focus assist functions Magnification and Focus Peaking available) Exposure metering TTL (exposure metering through the lens)
Metering principle: Exposure metering is done by the image sensor for all exposure metering methods (in Live View mode and in rangefinder mode)
Exposure metering: Spot, Center-Weighted, Multi-Field
Exposure modes: Aperture priority mode (A): Automatic shutter speed control with manual aperture preselection Manual (M): manual setting for shutter speed and aperture
Exposure compensation: ±3 EV in 1⁄3 EV increments
Automatic bracketing: 3 or 5 shots, graduations between shoots up to 3 EV, in 1⁄3 EV increments, additional optional exposure compensation: up to ±3 EV
ISO sensitivity range: Auto ISO: IS0 64 (native) to ISO 50 000, also available in flash mode Manual: ISO 64 to ISO 50,000
White balance: Automatic (Auto), Default (Daylight - 5200 K, Cloudy - 6100 K, Shadow - 6600 K, Tungsten - 2950 K, HMI - 5700 K, Fluorescent (warm) - 3650 K, Fluorescent (cool) - 5800 K, Flash - 6600 K), manual metering (Gray card), manual color temperature setting (Color Temperature, 2000 K to 11,500 K)
Flash sync time: 1⁄180s, slower shutter speeds available, automatic switchover to TTL linear flash mode with HSS-compatible Leica system flash units if sync time is undercut
Flash exposure metering: Using center-weighted TTL pre-flash metering with Leica flash units (SF 26, SF 40, SF 58, SF 60, SF 64) or with system-compatible flash units, remote controlled flash SF C1
Flash exposure: SF 40: ±2 EV in 1⁄2 EV increments
Compensation: SF 60: ±2 EV in 1⁄3 EV increments Other: ±3 EV in 1⁄3 EV increments
Displays in flash mode: Flash icon: Connection of an external flash unit
Equipment The Leica FOTOS app is required to use the WLAN function. The Leica app is WLAN available from the Apple App Store™ or the Google
Play Store™. 2.4 GHz/5 GHz* dual band IEEE802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wave2 WLAN
(standard WLAN protocol), encryption method: WLAN-compatible WPA™/WPA2™,
access method: infrastructure mode
Bluetooth: Bluetooth v4.2 BR/EDR/LE, BR/DR-channel 1-79, LE-channel 0-39 (2402–2480 MHz)
GPS: Geotagging via Leica FOTOS app using Bluetooth. Available after Firmware Update during second half of 2022
Menu languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Portuguese
Rechargeable battery: Li-Ion (Lithium-Polymer) rechargeable battery, rated voltage: 7.4 V / (Leica BP-SCL7) capacity: 1800 mAh, Charging voltage/current: DC 1000 mAh, 7.4 V, operating conditions: +10°C to +35°C (charging) / +0°C to +40°C (discharged) Approx. 700 shots (in accordance with CIPA Standard) up to approx. 1700 shots (Leica adapted shooting cycle)
Charger (Leica BC-SCL7): Input: USB-C DC 5 V, 2 A, output: DC 8.4 V, 1 A, operating conditions: +10°C to +35°C
Powerpack: Input: AC 110 V - 240 V ~ 50/60 Hz, 0.3 A, output: DC 5 V, 2 A, operating (Leica ACA-SCL7) conditions: +10°C to +35°C
USB Power supply: When in standby mode or Off: USB charging function. When On: USB power supply and intermittent charging