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Leica M11, proof of the new lady of photography

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Leica M11, proof of the new lady of photography

Leica, a German manufacturer of high-end cameras, has been selling its famous M series for almost seventy years: they are the rangefinder cameras that they have made the history of reportage, of street photography and have in turn become an icon of style and design. During the twentieth century, photography was the main tool for recounting events large and small, and Leica played a fundamental role.

This M11 has many advantages and also many strange aspects compared to a reflex or a traditional digital compact (or one of the ubiquitous phones with increasingly quality shots). Her peculiarities love or hate each other, especially if you don’t know the philosophy of the Wetzlar company. The important price, however, makes us understand the positioning: the M11 costs 8490 euros (body only), we tested it with a Summicron-M 28mm f / 2 aspherical lens from 4400 euros, for a total that is close to 13 thousand. The M11 was marketed during the pandemic and lockdowns, but by history and vocation it is a device that wants the road: it gives its best in reportage or in any case outside, in the open, not in the studio. We followed his inclination for 3 weeks on the road. And here we see how it went.

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The technical characteristics

Since the early 2000s, Leica has reinvented itself and embarked on a process of digitizing products, adding new ones and making the classics more modern. The M series has arrived at version 11with a construction that Leica defines as “German craftsmanship without compromise.” The machine has a few thousand very small mechanical components, quality materials, light metal shell and body, slim profile, new bottom (with integrated battery), new weather sealing, USB -C and WiFi and Bluetooth connections. The shape and weight are practically the same as the great-grandmother from 1954, the legendary M3: 139 by 38.5 by 80 mm, weighing just over half a kg, including battery.

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The sensor of the M11 is a proprietary CMOS BSI, designed in Europe especially for Leica and optimized for its lenses, with 3 different resolutions (18, 36 and 60 megapixels) and uses a particular technique of pixel binning to change resolution without compression or data loss. The Maestro III processor, also proprietary and made in Europe, is the other half of the electronic part of the machine.

There are dozens of innovations in each of these components, but the underlying philosophy is simple and points against it in our opinion the real opponent of digital cameras, that is, smartphones. While mobile phones have very modest quality optics and use CPU power to make photography computational, Leica uses the highest quality sensor and lenses to obtain images with an extremely high natural resolution, and handles the optimizations afterwards, with a dedicated processor. .

And a little’ the difference between a Marvel movie and the new one Top Gun Maverick by Tom Cruise: the first is shot in a gym with green sheets on the wall and all special effects; the second uses real airplanes that are actually flying with the actors on board, and the scenes are not simulated or computer reconstructed.

Street photography

Shooting with the Leica M11 is a pleasure, but it requires a minimum of knowledge. The machine has all the main functions that can be operated manually with special dials and commands with printed indexes: focus, aperture, shutter speed and ISO adjustment. Yes they can to automatically set all except the focus and aperture, as Leica lenses are manual only and devoid of electronics. The advantage is that you can use all lenses from the 1930s onwards (and many other compatible ones thanks to adapters). But the most interesting part is the focusing: the M series uses a rangefinder, that is, a focus on sight, using a collimation system which, after the first attempts, becomes second nature.

Alternatively, as the old racing cars allowed to do the double in quick change, the Leica M11 allows you to focus in hyperfocal mode, choosing a shallow depth of field and a certain opening and snapping without lifting the camera. In addition, the ergonomics of the lens and camera, which are unchanged and constant in all lenses, allow you to adjust the focus by heart, without having to look. For those who want a different approach, Leica allows you to use the rear screen or to buy an optical add-on that acts as a viewfinder electronic, effectively transforming the M11 into a mirrorless.

The key thing, however, is the shot: we shot on the streets of Milan, Lerici and Barcelona, ​​and took pictures during a couple of public meetings. Thanks to the plush shutter, the shot is practically inaudible (the mechanical lens reaches 1/4000 of a second, the electronic one to 1/16000). Not surprisingly, the M series has always been the perfect camera for stage photographers at the theater or at any event. Today, however, the device is more noticeable than in the past. Also the black model, which is more discreet than the silver one. The M11 attracts attention and we were stopped by some white-haired enthusiast who came to ask if we were really using “an old Leica”. The surprise for them was to discover that it is brand new and perhaps one of the most advanced machines on the market.

Take photos at will

The shot produces files with 14-bit color depth and variable resolutions thanks to pixel binning, a technology borrowed from mobile devices that aggregates the sensor’s receptors. This choice has a number of advantages: we have shot in DMG format (in RAW) at low resolution (18 MP) which allows you to capture much more light on the sensor surface by reducing digital noise. This makes the camera even faster and the buffer of shots practically infinite. In practice, it’s like shooting very good Jpegs that can be processed in posts much more. In addition, this shooting mode allowed us to use two old Leica lenses from the 1960s, which have a lower optical resolving power and which have performed well here. The base ISO of 64 is a very low value and with very little noise. There dynamic range reaches up to 50 thousand ISOwith the highest level of sensor amplification, and are definitely usable.

Instead, bringing the resolution to the highest level (60 MP), not only the machine produces important images, but also allows, using a fixed 28mm lens, to crop directly in the camera and have a field of view equivalent to a 35mm lens or 50, with very little loss of resolution. Since we have always used the M11 on the road or at events and very little in contexts where you need to get more resolution, that is, in the studio or to shoot landscapes, the choice for us was to use 18 MP. Which, among other things, are perfect for connecting with the smartphone.

The hi-tech side

In this regard, the quality of the smartphone app should be emphasized. Leica has done a lot of work on improving the Fotos app: the iPhone version we used deserves a mention apart because, together with the internal memory of the 64 GB camera, it allowed us to work whole days without using the SD Card, except at the beginning as a backup of the photos in the camera. It is a truly remarkable convenience, which has practically eliminated the advantage of mobile phones when taking pictures on the go, that is, wanting to take and immediately share on social networks. With M11 and Leica Fotos it is very easy: you shoot, turn on the mobile phone and load the image with the app, which allows you to add it to the roll and share it in a few moments on your favorite social network or send it to friends. From a professional point of view, it allowed us to immediately send the shots taken by skipping a step (the cable transfer) and using the phone instead of a tablet or laptop.

Again: the addition of the USB-C socket, which allows both charging and data transfer (faster if there are many photos at 60 MP), brings out even more the travel nature of the M11. There car bag it can contain only one cable and then you use the phone and tablet charger. Another touch of minimalism made in Germany that reduces the clutter in the backpack even more. In our test the 1800 mAh battery (which is 64% larger than the previous generation, and not compatible) allows you to easily take a day of shots. If you use it with the display off, using only the optical viewfinder, the battery makes it even more effective.

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Our conclusions

The Leica M series is a fair buy. These are premium cameras both in the previous film incarnation (which Leica still sells) and in this digital one. M11 is the culmination of this work: it recovers the size and weight of the old M3 and at the same time brings with it important innovations, such as a very bright and multi-resolution sensor of the latest generation, a brilliant processor, USB-C connections and very fast WiFi.

If you acquire the taste for slow and silent shooting, for a different way of understanding photography compared to the bursts of mirrorless and traditional SLRs, the M11 is a champion. But it’s like driving a gritty vintage convertible with a powerful and modern engine: you need to know it and know what you want to be able to tame it. Using Live View or the additional viewfinder can sweeten the learning curve a bit for those unfamiliar with it. Our feeling was that of getting back to a thoroughbred horse, nervous and snappy, capable of images extraordinary with a unique optical signature, softened by greater availability to digital (thanks to the Leica Fotos app and the possibility of having a digital zoom of 1.3 or 1.8x).

What we liked about the Leica M11

  • The new sensor it is a prodigy with very low base ISO and incredible range

  • L’app Leica Focus it is very well done and makes the M11 flexible

  • Il software system is minimalist and very easy to set up

  • It’s the ultimate upgrade for those who already love the M series

What we didn’t like

  • Anything autofocus (60 MP unforgiving mistakes)

  • There is not stabilization image

  • Maybe it goes too far (and won’t win over new users)

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