Leica M11 supplies mono magic
Posted on May 21, 2023
The new Leica M11 Monochrom and Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH promise to elevate digital black & white photograph
Leica recently released the M11 Monochrom, its fourth-generation monochrome camera. Developed exclusively for black-and-white photography, the M11 encourages users to focus on composition and light rather than colour. Leica also announced the Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH, a standard prime lens promising high image quality in a compact build.
The M11 Monochrom boasts a full-format, multi-resolution sensor that can create Raw DNG and JPEG images in 60, 36 or 18 megapixels. With an ISO range of 125 to 200,000 it can handle most light conditions and promises low noise even in the upper ISO limits.
The 50mm f/1.4 lets in even more light, with 11 aperture blades designed to create a pronounced bokeh. This is a versatile lens, with an extended close-focusing distance of 45cm. It’s available for cameras across Leica’s M-series as well as the SL2 and SL2-S via the M-Adapter-L.
The M11 offers 265GB of internal memory, with a USB-C port and Bluetooth connectivity to the Leica Fotos app. The camera is housed in an all-metal body with an aluminium top-plate, a sapphire-glass display and a leather cover with scratch-resistant finish. The lens weighs 337g and comes in either black or silver.
The Monochrom and Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 cost £8300 and £4000 respectively. Both are available at Leica’s stores and website, as well as from authorised resellers.
Originally published in Issue 107 of Photography News.
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