Yesterday, Leica released the M11, a premium, full-frame digital camera and the latest addition to the Leica rangefinder lineup.
Like most Leica rangefinder models, the M11 is designed for pro-level street, travel, and documentary photography; the body is compact, lightweight, highly portable, unobtrusive, and perfect for inconspicuous shooting. View the camera from the front, and you’ll instantly be impressed by the sleek Leica look:
But don’t be fooled by the pared-down, travel-ready design. The M11 offers unrivaled image quality, thanks to a high-level, Triple-Resolution-packing BSI sensor, which allows the user to select from three full-frame settings: 60 MP, 36 MP, and 18 MP.
Want to capture outstanding detail for wall-sized prints or commercial work? Set the M11 to its 60 MP mode and snap away. Prefer to capture bursts of photos with manageable file sizes (e.g., when shooting moments on the street)? The 18 MP mode has you covered.
Leica promises 15 stops of dynamic range, on par with class-leading full-frame models, plus an ISO range stretching to 50000 for nighttime and other low-light shooting scenarios. And for photographers who prefer a wide-aperture look, the M11’s shutter reaches speeds of 1/16000s, so you can work at f/1.8 and beyond, even in harsh sun.
As Leica notes, the M11 features a “carefully optimized design…focused on efficiency and ergonomics.” The classic Leica layout is there, including an ISO and shutter speed dial for an outstanding tactile shooting experience, but you also get plenty of modern features: a top-of-the-line, 2.3 MP touchscreen, 64 GB of built-in storage, as well as an optional electronic viewfinder, which you can attach to the M11 for a live feed to the camera sensor.
Leica cameras don’t come cheap, and you can currently preorder the M11 for a whopping $8995, body only. But while the price is undoubtedly prohibitive for 99% of photographers – including plenty of professionals – if you do have $9000 to spare and you want one of the best cameras on the market, the Leica M11 is certainly worth a look.
Now over to you:
What do you think of the Leica M11? Would you ever consider buying it? What would you use it for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
