Leica M11 Review by Jono Slack

[Olaf_ZG]

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Thank you for the review Jono.

 

I enjoy long exposures and the 10r maxed out at 16 minutes. According Leica, now 60 minutes is possible.

 

Did you try this? Any comments regarding long exposure? Thanks in advance.

[digitalfx]

Beautiful review as usual Jono...thanks very much!

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[Guest BlackBarn]

The lasting impression I always have when absorbing one of your  reviews is that we are seeing photos (Art)  of great sensitivity and technical competence but discussing the white noise of paint brushes, easels and paint boxes.

Sure I understand why,  however its never clear - in this case with the M11 - what it contributes to improving the final image - the difference  when compared to any of the M range cameras if put  in you hands and the techniques of post processing.

I may have misunderstood or is it being suggested that the photos presented could only have been possible by using a M11?

 

[jonoslack]

57 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Do you have any insight into what the start up issue is about? What particular process element takes time?
My recollection (from too many years ago now) is that it wasn't a problem with the M9, but became one with the M240 (there were long threads in the forum about it.........). 

I really don't have an insight, but I'm very well aware they're trying to deal with it, but as I say, the long battery life and the ability to turn of power saving is a deal maker for me!

 

[jonoslack]

53 minutes ago, Distagon said:

Thanks Jono, that was a really helpful and well-written review.

Words aside, though, your photos are just breathtaking.  They say just about everything that needs to be said, and a few of them I would happily frame for my wall.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much

This stuff is a lot of work, but if you like the snaps it's all worthwhile!

all the best

[jonoslack]

37 minutes ago, yeahyoung said:

Amazing review with amazing images. The colour looks stunning. How did you process the photos? 

Hi there

First of all I very rarely fiddle with the colour - in daylight I shoot 'Sunny' rather than Auto White balance, Then I import the DNG files into Lightroom and mostly just do a little contrast and exposure compensation (with a little of the guilty pleasure of clarity) 

All the best

[jonoslack]

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29 minutes ago, adli said:

 

I love the look from it (the Super Angulon), but because of the post processing need, I am often tempted to bring the 21 Elmarit instead.

 

Stick to the Super Angulon! ('cos you have it)

[jonoslack]

25 minutes ago, didier said:

Thank you very much Jono for the well-written and informative read, and as always, great shots to go with this excellent Read !

The camera is tempting.

Being a long time M6 user, metering with the off the shutter curtain has become completely second nature, and I am more concerned with a new metering system than by the lack of bottom plate

I didn’t expect the electronic shutter and the idea of opening - shutting -reopening the shutter to take a pic leaves a bit worried. Confirming there is not more shutter lag is very precious, but I don’t think I’ll go for the camera as long as I haven’t shot a few pics to get a feel on this (and on the rest of the camera) !

In the end, the camera seems to be a very nice move from Leica !

Thanks a lot for the great review !

 

Didier

Hi Didier

I was good at shutter curtain metering too, and to be honest I would have been happy if they'd kept it as a sort of 'High speed metering mode'. But it is what it is, and there really isn't a sacrifice to be made. 

I think that it takes a few shots to get used to the shutter - but after that it's fine, and doesn't have any gotchas

best

[jonoslack]

27 minutes ago, Olaf_ZG said:

Thank you for the review Jono.

 

I enjoy long exposures and the 10r maxed out at 16 minutes. According Leica, now 60 minutes is possible.

 

Did you try this? Any comments regarding long exposure? Thanks in advance.

I'm really sorry

I've never taken exposure more than 1/2 second, so I'm really not the guy to test this stuff!

[ELAN]

Hello Jono,

Thanks for a wonderful review, as always.

Your photos are stunning and answer many of my questions.  The new sensor looks terrific and pairs really nicely with the 35 APO.  And it looks like you are eating well

I particularly like the shadow detail and luminosity in many of the shots.  Do you tweak the shadows much in LR?

Which 35 Summilux lens are you using?  The FLE?  On the M11 DNGs does the lens model number appear in LR?  (Since I regularly use three generations of the 35 lux knowing the model number would be very useful when browsing my archive).

Noticed you shot almost entirely at 60 MP.  Did you also try 36 MP?  Can you see any improvement in DR at 36 MP as the spec suggests?

Sorry for all the questions - I know you had a busy day!  Take care.

 

[jmm1]

Lovely article and great photos, Jono!

Keen to hear more about tethering with the FOTOS app - is remote control available yet?

If so - the port would have been better placed on the side - although I understand that may have detracted from its aesthetics.

...and this brings up the question if Leica is now MFi certified can we see cable tethering on the SL2 anytime soon with a simple firmware update?

John

 

[LocalHero1953]

6 minutes ago, jonoslack said:

Hi Didier

I was good at shutter curtain metering too, and to be honest I would have been happy if they'd kept it as a sort of 'High speed metering mode'. But it is what it is, and there really isn't a sacrifice to be made. 

I think that it takes a few shots to get used to the shutter - but after that it's fine, and doesn't have any gotchas

best

I can perhaps understand why they dispensed with that metering, if it eliminated a sensor that occupied valuable space, but I'm surprised there isn't an option for a traditional all-manual shooting mode, starting with a closed shutter - for those who worry about shutter lag. You could call it the Sunny 16 mode.

Edited January 13, 2022 by LocalHero1953

[jonoslack]

13 minutes ago, BlackBarn said:

The lasting impression I always have when absorbing one of your  reviews is that we are seeing photos (Art)  of great sensitivity and technical competence but discussing the white noise of paint brushes, easels and paint boxes.

Sure I understand why,  however its never clear - in this case with the M11 - what it contributes to improving the final image - the difference  when compared to any of the M range cameras if put  in you hands and the techniques of post processing.

I may have misunderstood or is it being suggested that the photos presented could only have been possible by using a M11?

 

Hi there

Excellent points . .  and very perceptive! I guess there really is a disconnect between the images and the words. I think there is a long discussion here to be had (preferably in a good pub with some beer). I think I consider the articles (they really aren't reviews) to be a complete piece (of art or not as you choose). The idea is to 1. Entertain and to 2. Convey information. Does that make sense?

[_Michael]

Jono, as others have said thank you for the extensive review and thoughts around the new body. I too appreciate the time taken to put this together with the content supported by a wide range of images. 

A small side note...I got a smile when looking at the opening image in full resolution. To your previous point about the sensor being dirty...yeah, it was. But while looking it over a couple of those "spots" turned out to be birds that I never noticed in the header image before clicking. Seems to show the power of resolution quite well. 

Cheers

[skanga]

2 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I can perhaps understand why they dispensed with that metering, if it eliminated a sensor that occupied valuable space, but I'm surprised there isn't an option for a traditional all-manual shooting mode, starting with a closed shutter - for those who worry about shutter lag. You could call it the Sunny 16 mode.

Thanks LocalHero1953, that's exactly the question/concern I have. I have used film Leicas for many years and was concerned to read that there is shutter lag. Does anyone with an M10 (or  tested an M11) who also has film Leicas give us an idea of the shutter lag? Perhaps it's negligible. Thanks 

[LocalHero1953]

1 minute ago, skanga said:

Thanks LocalHero1953, that's exactly the question/concern I have. I have used film Leicas for many years and was concerned to read that there is shutter lag. Does anyone with an M10 (or  tested an M11) who also has film Leicas give us an idea of the shutter lag? Perhaps it's negligible. Thanks 

I only had a M up to M240 and noticed no lag (M3, M2 and M9 before that; M4 now).

[-ph-]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb hdmesa:

BSI technology doesn't have the narrow wells that FSI has, which would block light coming in from too much of an angle. In theory. It's just with other brand's BSI sensors, I've never seen a single person demonstrate reduced vignetting. So the fact that the M11 actually does may mean Leica did some extra work in this department – or perhaps M lenses uniquely benefit from the more shallow wells of BSI.

You have to distinguish between the usual optical vignetting, where a lens produces a different brightness across the frame and the vignetting that happens because of the angular distribution of the pixel sensitivity. The first one depends only on the lens and is independant from the sensor. With the latter - as M lenses tend to hit the sensor with light from more than an angle compared to "modern digital" lenses - the sensor tech should make a significant difference.

With classical sensors, the wiring of the pixels is positioned at the top of the surface and creates frames around the light sensitive areas. Besides reducing the sensitive surface area, the wires shade light rays which are way off the the vertical axis to the sensor surface. BSI removes the shading wires. Once light hits the silicon surface, they should be bent pretty vertical in any case, as silicon has a much higher index of refraction than glass (n > 3).

[jonoslack]

9 minutes ago, ELAN said:

Hello Jono,

Thanks for a wonderful review, as always.

Your photos are stunning and answer many of my questions.  The new sensor looks terrific and pairs really nicely with the 35 APO.  And it looks like you are eating well

I particularly like the shadow detail and luminosity in many of the shots.  Do you tweak the shadows much in LR?

Which 35 Summilux lens are you using?  The FLE?  On the M11 DNGs does the lens model number appear in LR?  (Since I regularly use three generations of the 35 lux knowing the model number would be very useful when browsing my archive).

Noticed you shot almost entirely at 60 MP.  Did you also try 36 MP?  Can you see any improvement in DR at 36 MP as the spec suggests?

Sorry for all the questions - I know you had a busy day!  Take care.

 

Busy day 😂

Happy New Year to you both - it's been too long and would be lovely to meet up again

But worthwhile, and it's nice to get so many kind and interesting comments / questions. 

I do tweak the shadows in lightroom  - but only to taste and not too much

There is a problem with lenses - I've been using two uncoded lenses, a 90 elmarit M, and a summilux V1, and I'm terribly bad at remembering to change the manual lens selection . . . I don't think the lens model shows in the metadata (but I'm not certain). 

I did always shoot at 60mp. But I also did a lot of testing, and I'm sure there is a small dynamic range improvement at 36mp, but like most photographers, the first thing I do in PP is to reduce the dynamic range! (increase contrast, clarity, snap), .

So there didn't seem much point in limiting my resolution for uncertain returns (and I don't have a problem with the disk space because I only take two good snaps a month!)

[vikasmg]

6 hours ago, Yarosuav said:

Thank you Jono! You’re class act - as always! 

Now just waiting for my silver chrome pre-order to come in… 

 

For the first time I decided to go with a black M.  That weight saving was just too attractive.

Edited January 13, 2022 by vikasmg

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[jonoslack]

11 minutes ago, skanga said:

Thanks LocalHero1953, that's exactly the question/concern I have. I have used film Leicas for many years and was concerned to read that there is shutter lag. Does anyone with an M10 (or  tested an M11) who also has film Leicas give us an idea of the shutter lag? Perhaps it's negligible. Thanks 

There is always shutter lag - even with a film camera. I spent hours and hours on this, and as far as I can tell, the shutter lag on both the M10 and M11 is about 5 hundredths of a second (a third of a blink) - I don't know what it is on an M6, but probably about the same. Catching the decisive moment is about practice / anticipation / experience. I don't believe that the shutter lag on the M11 is ever going to be the cause of missing a picture (it certainly hasn't been for me)

All the best