What’s Changed? The Leica M11-D blends analog photography form factors with the versatility of digital capture. This is especially true of this model, which has omitted a rear LCD monitor in favor of a simple ISO dial. It is otherwise identical to the Leica M11-P. By removing the LCD altogether, shooters can focus entirely on the fundamentals of composition and exposure.

Leica Content Credentials. The M11-D is the first camera, along with the M11-P, to incorporate Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) technology, which is a collaboration between Adobe and Leica, The New York Times, and other organizations that’s intended to develop a digital content-attribution standard. Leica Content Credentials, Leica’s version of this tech, uses a secure processing chip to encrypt your image metadata and digitally sign your files at the point of capture, instantly providing provenance. This means people can independently verify your images’ authenticity. You can also append images using compatible applications, such as Photoshop.

60MP CMOS Sensor and Maestro III Processor. The back-illuminated, full-frame 60MP CMOS sensor pairs with the Maestro III image processor to produce an impressive dynamic range that takes full advantage of the best of the Leica M-mount lenses. You get greatly improved sensitivity from ISO 64-50,000 for stellar performance in a range of lighting conditions. The M11-D shoots up to 4.5 fps in continuous mode, with a 3GB built-in RAM buffer enabling up to 15 consecutive frames in a burst. It records images in 14-bit DNG files or 8-bit JPEGs.

Triple Resolution Technology. The M11-D’s unique pixel-binning process lets photographers select 60MP, 36MP, or 18MP output, with each resolution using the full sensor area and providing vibrant 14-bit color. Because Triple Resolution Technology uses pixel-binning instead of cropping, even lower resolutions have an impressive dynamic range and low noise levels. The 60MP setting gives you 14 stops of dynamic range and the highest resolution, the 36MP setting gives you 15 stops of dynamic range and the best noise-resolution balance, and the 18MP setting also gives you 15 stops of dynamic range with the lowest noise levels.

Advanced Imaging Capabilities. The M11-D is still a manual photo-only camera, but it carries over the improvements first seen in the standard M11 – but with the added analogue-style feature of not having an LCD. An electronic shutter function lets you shoot at speeds up to 1/16000 sec, letting you work with faster f/0.95 lenses without an ND filter. A mechanical shutter still gives you shutter-speed support up to 1/4000 sec and flash sync at 1/180 sec. Two digital zoom steps simulate working with longer focal-length lenses by slightly cropping the image at either 1.3x / 39MP or 1.8x / 18MP level. If you’re recording a DNG, these crops are reversible. If you’re shooting straight to JPG, they’re not. Finally, a multi-field exposure metering feature reduces the need to meter and recompose before shooting, while an optional long-exposure noise-reduction feature can help reduce the appearance of noise in your shots.

Optical Viewfinder and Rangefinder. The large, bright-line rangefinder-coupled viewfinder provides 0.73x magnification with automatic parallax compensation and bright-line frame lines, which match the image sensor’s size at a 6.6-foot focusing distance. A viewfinder frame selector on the front of the camera lets you manually change the apparent image field to help you visualize your shot at different focal lengths. The rangefinder mechanism displays split or superimposed bright field images in the center of the viewfinder to help you achieve accurate manual focusing.

Body Design. The M11-D uses the BP-SCL7 battery, which is rated at 700 shots per charge, or roughly 1700 shots per charge if you only use the optical viewfinder. There’s a single UHS-II SD-card slot inside the battery compartment, but you also get 256GB of internal memory. Unlike many of its M-series predecessors, the M11-D doesn’t have a removable baseplate. Instead, you insert the battery directly into the camera body’s base. You can also use the USB Type-C port for in-camera battery charging.

Wireless and Wired Connectivity. You can use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth in conjunction with the Leica FOTOS app to share images directly to linked Android and iOS devices, to remotely adjust camera options and control the shutter, and use geotagging on your shots. You can also use the USB Type-C port and a separately available Leica FOTOS cable to connect this camera to an Android or iOS device for file management and sharing via the FOTOS app.

Q & A