Leica M11 Comparison Review

The Leica M11 (Typ 2416) is a rangefinder-focusing mirrorless camera that was revealed to the public in January 2022 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 60.3 megapixel.

Is the Leica M11 a good camera? The M11 has a Camera Elo of 2816. This rating puts the M11 among the top 10 percent of all rangefinder cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the M11 ranks among the top 40 percent.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Leica M11 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Leica M11 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Leica M11	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	640 g	700	Y	Jan 2022	EUR 8 349	amazon.com
2.		Hasselblad X1D	150 mm	98 mm	71 mm	725 g	..	Y	Jun 2016	EUR 9 399	ebay.com
3.		Leica M Typ 240	139 mm	80 mm	42 mm	680 g	500	Y	Sep 2012	EUR 6 199	ebay.com
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	139 mm	80 mm	42 mm	680 g	500	Y	Jun 2019	EUR 3 949	ebay.com
5.		Leica M Typ 262	139 mm	80 mm	42 mm	680 g	400	Y	Nov 2015	EUR 5 499	ebay.com
6.		Leica M9	139 mm	80 mm	37 mm	585 g	550	n	Sep 2009	EUR 5 499	ebay.com
7.		Leica M10	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	660 g	210	Y	Jan 2017	EUR 6 499	ebay.com
8.		Leica M10-P	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	660 g	210	Y	Aug 2018	EUR 7 499	ebay.com
9.		Leica M10-R	139 mm	80 mm	39 mm	660 g	210	Y	Jul 2020	EUR 7 999	ebay.com
10.		Leica Q2	130 mm	80 mm	92 mm	718 g	370	Y	Mar 2019	EUR 4 799	amazon.com
11.		Leica Q3	130 mm	80 mm	93 mm	743 g	350	Y	May 2023	EUR 5 999	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Leica M11 was launched in the US market at a price of $8,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check M11 price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Leica M11 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Leica M11 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Leica M11	Full Frame	60.3	9528	6328	none	26.3	14.8	3376	100
2.		Hasselblad X1D	Medium Format	51.3	8272	6200	1080/25p	26.2	14.8	4489	102
3.		Leica M Typ 240	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	1080/25p	24.0	13.3	1860	84
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	1080/25p	25.2	14.2	2821	94
5.		Leica M Typ 262	Full Frame	23.7	5952	3976	none	24.8	13.7	2478	90
6.		Leica M9	Full Frame	18.1	5212	3472	none	22.5	11.7	884	69
7.		Leica M10	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	24.4	13.2	2133	86
8.		Leica M10-P	Full Frame	23.8	5952	3992	none	25.1	14.1	2739	93
9.		Leica M10-R	Full Frame	40.9	7864	5200	none	25.3	14.3	2924	95
10.		Leica Q2	Full Frame	46.7	8368	5584	4K/30p	26.4	13.5	2491	96
11.		Leica Q3	Full Frame	60.3	9528	6328	8K/30p	25.4	14.7	3216	96
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the M11 does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the M11 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.73x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Leica M11 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Leica M11	optical	n	3.0 / 2333	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
2.		Hasselblad X1D	2360	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	Y	1/2000s	2.3/s	n	n
3.		Leica M Typ 240	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
5.		Leica M Typ 262	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
6.		Leica M9	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.0/s	n	n
7.		Leica M10	optical	n	3.0 / 1037	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	n	n
8.		Leica M10-P	optical	n	3.0 / 1037	fixed	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	n	n
9.		Leica M10-R	optical	n	3.0 / 1037	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
10.		Leica Q2	3680	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	n	Y
11.		Leica Q3	5760	n	3.0 / 1840	tilting	Y	1/2000s	15.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

It is worthwhile pointing out that the M11 has a touchscreen. Touch control can be particularly helpful, for example, when trying to adjust the focus point.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Leica M11 (Typ 2416) and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Leica M11	Y	- / -	-	-	-	3.2	Y	-	Y
2.		Hasselblad X1D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	-	-
3.		Leica M Typ 240	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	Y	mono / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Leica M Typ 262	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Leica M9	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Leica M10	Y	- / -	-	-	-	-	Y	-	-
8.		Leica M10-P	Y	- / -	-	-	-	-	Y	-	-
9.		Leica M10-R	Y	- / -	-	-	-	-	Y	-	-
10.		Leica Q2	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	-	-	Y	-	Y
11.		Leica Q3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y

It is notable that the M11 offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

Further information on the features and operation of the M11 can be found in the free online Leica M11 Manual or on the Leica support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the M11 handle or perform in practice. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Leica M11	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2022	EUR 8 349	amazon.com
2.		Hasselblad X1D	..	o	..	81/100	..	4/5	Jun 2016	EUR 9 399	ebay.com
3.		Leica M Typ 240	4/5	..	..	..	4/5	..	Sep 2012	EUR 6 199	ebay.com
4.		Leica M-E Typ 240	..	..	..	..	..	..	Jun 2019	EUR 3 949	ebay.com
5.		Leica M Typ 262	..	..	..	..	..	..	Nov 2015	EUR 5 499	ebay.com
6.		Leica M9	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	..	Sep 2009	EUR 5 499	ebay.com
7.		Leica M10	4.5/5	..	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	EUR 6 499	ebay.com
8.		Leica M10-P	..	..	3/5	..	..	4/5	Aug 2018	EUR 7 499	ebay.com
9.		Leica M10-R	4.5/5	..	4/5	..	..	4/5	Jul 2020	EUR 7 999	ebay.com
10.		Leica Q2	..	..	4.5/5	84/100	4.5/5	4/5	Mar 2019	EUR 4 799	amazon.com
11.		Leica Q3	5/5	..	4.5/5	..	..	4.5/5	May 2023	EUR 5 999	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check M11 price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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