Leica M11
There’s something very special about Leica’s M-series rangefinders. They’re the last surviving example of a camera type that was long ago made almost completely redundant by SLRs, but which still offers characteristics that some photographers find highly desirable. So whenever a new-generation model appears, it’s something of an event.
While the 60MP Leica M11 arrived just seven months after the 40MP M10-R, it marks the first major redesign since the original M10 appeared, five years ago. But you wouldn’t know it from the outside, as the two cameras look very similar. One button has moved from the front to the top, and the styling has sharpened up a little, but that’s about it.
Inside, though, things have changed significantly. Aside from the 50% resolution hike, the metering system has been completely redesigned. Yet this comes for a relatively small premium of £400 over the M10-R’s launch price.
Features
Like its predecessors, the M11 is a stripped-back, minimalist tool that’s likely to appeal most to purist photographers. Focusing is manual-only, via a rangefinder patch in the centre of the viewfinder, and the aperture has to be set manually on the lens, so only aperture-priority and fully manual exposure are available. It’s also one of just a few cameras on the market that doesn’t record video.
However, while the M11 may look much like the M10 and every other M model that came before it, the innards have been substantially revised. Most obviously, it’s built around a 60MP full-frame sensor which employs a back-side illuminated architecture
