Memory cards for the M11

[sandro]

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Thanks, I will try this!

Lex

[sandro]

I used that program to format the SD card and it seems to have worked, the M11 makes no problem about the card and works correctly with it.

Lex

[sandro]

In the German forum I read a post with the same problem I had or have. Same message appeared. To be sure I bought a few new SD-cards and the first one could be formatted without problem in the camera, the other one however was not recognized, the same message appeared saying this was not a correct card. I then formatted this card in my computer with the program https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/ and then the M11 recognized the card without problem.

The person in the German forum experienced this problem only after the last firmware update 2.2.1, same in my case, although I can't compare with previous situations because I bought the M11 only some 6 weeks ago and uploaded the firmware update one of two days later.

So could this be a software problem?

Lex

[Velo-city]

On 4/24/2025 at 1:57 PM, sandro said:

In the German forum I read a post with the same problem I had or have. Same message appeared. To be sure I bought a few new SD-cards and the first one could be formatted without problem in the camera, the other one however was not recognized, the same message appeared saying this was not a correct card. I then formatted this card in my computer with the program https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/ and then the M11 recognized the card without problem.

The person in the German forum experienced this problem only after the last firmware update 2.2.1, same in my case, although I can't compare with previous situations because I bought the M11 only some 6 weeks ago and uploaded the firmware update one of two days later.

So could this be a software problem?

Lex

It could be, and most likely is, one or more of a software/hardware/firmware/quality problem with the M11 rather than the SD card. If you sum all the reported issues with M11's, it doesn't t take an AI super-computer to work out that Leica have really dropped the ball in one or all areas on this model more than others.  It's also the main driver for them being available used for less than an M10R, sometimes nearer an M10P or even M10 in rare cases.  Justified IMO.

[colonel]

On 1/16/2022 at 4:35 PM, Herr Barnack said:

I am wondering what memory cards those who have an M11 are using with it.

  I normally use SanDisk memory cards in my ...

 

Lexar are good for M11.

The M9 didnt like certain sandisk cards. The M240 was bullet proof. The M10 didnt seem to have a preference. With the M11 we are back with a preference.

Best Memory Cards Leica M11 - Real Benchmarks | Alik Griffin

[MindsEye]

On 1/16/2022 at 8:35 AM, Herr Barnack said:

I am wondering what memory cards those who have an M11 are using with it.

  I normally use SanDisk memory cards in my M10M, Q2 and MP 240; these work well, unlike Lexar cards which are prone to cause corrupted files and were the bane of my existence till I switched over to SanDisk SDXC cards.

B&H has the ProGrade Digital 256GB UHS-II SDXC Memory Card which they are recommending for use with the M11:  https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1499810-REG/prograde_digital_pgsd256gbckbh_256gb_uhs_ii_v90_sdxc.html

Does anyone have any experience in using this memory card with any digital Leica camera?  If so, does "it work and play well" with Leica's electronics? 

Or should we play i safe and go with what seems to work, the SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC card?  https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1617741-REG/sandisk_sdsdxdk_128g_ancin_128gb_extreme_pro_uhs_ii.html

Any information that anyone can share with the rest of us will be greatly appreciated.

 

Yes, I use the ProGrade cards in my M11 and Q3. I haven't done M11 speed tests yet but I'll tell you what I know from my experiences:

1. First off, I shoot for my living and though I used SanDisk for many years, have found their products to be unreliable in recent years. I have switched to ProGrade as my go-to, at least for Leica. You are not playing it safe using Sandisk. It's the other way around. ProGrade are a better bet. At least in my experience.
2. Leica Service in U.S./New Jersey told me they no longer recommend SanDisk, though this was in reference to trouble I was having with my Q3/Sandisk combination. 
3. Here are some speed tests I did and published on this forum. I haven't done my M11 tests yet but suspect it won't write any faster than the Q3. You may be wasting money to buy the fastest ProGrade unless you are also using them for other cameras with faster write speeds. If I am doing something requiring fast write speeds on the M11, I set it to write to internal memory. Otherwise it is quite slow when writing to the SD card, especially in burst mode.
4. If you have any very fast writing cards, you can test your M11 write speed, which is really the most crucial one. At least if you engage in burst mode or successive rapid firing. I'll post in the forum when I do my M11 tests. I think these ProGrade cards are excellent. I haven't found either my Q3 or M11 to approach the limits of the ProGrade 250/130 (read/write) cards.
5. I haven't had any problems with my Kingston Canvas React Plus cards (faster than top of the line Sandisk Extreme Pro) in the M11 but I don't use them in my Q3.

Hope this helps,
Joel