Leica M11-D Review by Jonathan Slack

[Smudgerer]

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47 minutes ago, jonoslack said:

Well - in your iPad mini you can set the storage management parameters to store to SD card first - then you can use the camera just like you want - remove the SD card, plug it into your Mac and download the files - then reformat the card. . . nothing changes. 

Certainly I never make changes in the field using my phone, and the iPad is a very nice way to do anything fundamental with the camera. 

I hope this helps

Jono

Thank you Jono, it seems that I might have a bit of a learning curve with this camera if / when I get my hands on one.........Not as simple and as straightforward as the departed M10-D...............Not sure if I'll like the further operational complications, but we'll see.

Edited September 17, 2024 by Smudgerer

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[jonoslack]

12 hours ago, Smudgerer said:

Thank you Jono, it seems that I might have a bit of a learning curve with this camera if / when I get my hands on one.........Not as simple and as straightforward as the departed M10-D...............Not sure if I'll like the further operational complications, but we'll see.

Hi There 

I think it really is as straightforward - changing settings in Fotos is really simple, and you only have to do it once!

[Smudgerer]

Just now, jonoslack said:

Hi There 

I think it really is as straightforward - changing settings in Fotos is really simple, and you only have to do it once!

Sure, like I did with the M10-D, set it up once and forgot about it but there's a couple more set-up options though with the M11-D that I will have to figure out when the "trial" 11D arrives this week.

My hope is that this time Leica does not effectively abandon further M11-D firmware "corrections" and enhancements after they deem that the camera and firmware set-up is "ok" as far as they are concerned, they did that with the M10-D whilst promising ongoing updates but there was not a single one or any added functionality after it's release and that was quite disappointing to be honest.

[LocalHero1953]

FWIW I read @jonoslack's comments about WB and metering - it's not something that had occurred to me before. I don't have a digital M to test, but pointed my Q2 at a plain coloured wall indoors in shade but with bright sunlight at the window. I set ISO to 200, aperture to f/5.6, auto shutter speed, then varied WB.

With daylight WB, the metering offered 1/40s, and the same with cloudy and shadowed. With tungsten WB it went to 1/25s. This was repeatable.

I didn't try other settings or scenes, and the metering differences are not large, but it was enough to make me more cautious about using AWB.

Outside and with the Q2 almost anywhere my practice has been AWB. With the SL2-S, I am almost always shooting indoors under very mixed artificial lighting, often stage lighting, and I typically set 3800K or 4100K - if I didn't, I would never be able to remember what shade of green magenta, blue or red the actor was lit with. 

[hdmesa]

2 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

FWIW I read @jonoslack's comments about WB and metering - it's not something that had occurred to me before. I don't have a digital M to test, but pointed my Q2 at a plain coloured wall indoors in shade but with bright sunlight at the window. I set ISO to 200, aperture to f/5.6, auto shutter speed, then varied WB.

With daylight WB, the metering offered 1/40s, and the same with cloudy and shadowed. With tungsten WB it went to 1/25s. This was repeatable.

I didn't try other settings or scenes, and the metering differences are not large, but it was enough to make me more cautious about using AWB.

Outside and with the Q2 almost anywhere my practice has been AWB. With the SL2-S, I am almost always shooting indoors under very mixed artificial lighting, often stage lighting, and I typically set 3800K or 4100K - if I didn't, I would never be able to remember what shade of green magenta, blue or red the actor was lit with. 

For the M11, anything that alters the value of certain hues in an image has the potential to affect the meter because it affects the tones seen by the meter off the live feed from the sensor, even when using the rangefinder. This is not true for digital Ms before the M11 when using the rangefinder because they use a light meter independent from the sensor data.

Edited September 18, 2024 by hdmesa

[jonoslack]

13 hours ago, Giacomo Busoni said:

Had a freeze on the M11-D within the first five photos (in store demo) 🤦‍♂️

I wonder what firmware it had?

if it didn't have one of the more recent ones that might explain it

[M11 for me]

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vor 37 Minuten schrieb jonoslack:

if it didn't have one of the more recent ones that might explain it 

Absolutely. There is no guarantee that the latest version is on the camera. It depends when it was shiped.

The Leica store personell should actually be aware. 

@Giacomo Busoni You posted that incident already in another thread and there was that discussion there about FW version already: It would be nice if you could contribute here and give us that information. In the other thread you claimed that it should not happen regardless of the FW. This statement is wrong: There are bugs of course and they will be fixed by FW updates. So it is most essential which firmware there was on your camera.

Edited September 19, 2024 by M11 for me

[Mahesh]

Why wouldn't M11-D have the latest firmware? After all, Leica delayed the release until they were sure freezing issues were resolved.  Also I think, Leica could have said confidently that with this release of M11-D, we confirm there was issue xyz and we have fixed it. 

I am still sitting on the fence and tempted to get one or wait for some more time.

Edited September 19, 2024 by Mahesh

[elmars]

The M11-D was shipped at least partially when the freeze optimized firmware was not ready. So there might be some M11-D with a too old firmware. 

[charlesphoto99]

5 hours ago, Mahesh said:

 

I am still sitting on the fence and tempted to get one or wait for some more time.

You do realize that the M12D will be along in three to four years. I wish more people would just use what they have and get off of this want to always have the latest greatest. Same with phones. I'm still in awe of the user here who says they have four M11 bodies already and looking forward to adding the M11D, because they are 'retired.' I know very few, if any at all, working pros who have (or even need) $50k worth of bodies. I find it entirely obnoxious, especially with the M10 battery situation, that Leica's have become disposable luxury items. 

That said, if I didn't already have an M10R, M10M and M9, I do think it's beautiful camera (if it doesn't freeze). 

[andybarton]

Thanks for the reports about the troll, everyone. He was a previously banned returnee.

He has now been dealt with. 

[Mahesh]

5 hours ago, charlesphoto99 said:

You do realize that the M12D will be along in three to four years. I wish more people would just use what they have and get off of this want to always have the latest greatest. Same with phones. I'm still in awe of the user here who says they have four M11 bodies already and looking forward to adding the M11D, because they are 'retired.' I know very few, if any at all, working pros who have (or even need) $50k worth of bodies. I find it entirely obnoxious, especially with the M10 battery situation, that Leica's have become disposable luxury items. 

That said, if I didn't already have an M10R, M10M and M9, I do think it's beautiful camera (if it doesn't freeze). 

Of course, it is crazy when someone has 4 cameras.... In my case, I don't have any Leica bodies, or any bodies at all at the moment. I sold my M10-R (grave mistake) hoping to get an M11. I am mainly attracted to it because of the reduced weight of the black model. It is significant particularly when one has some physical constraints. M11 came and so the freezing problems, magenta tint, etc. I thought I will wait for M11-P and by then it will be all sorted. Clearly it wasn't.

Now that M11-D is here, I really fancy that, the idea of not having distractions of chimping, multiple buttons, etc. In fact, I plan to use the App only to start with if I want to change any settings. I plan to transfer my photos using the SD card, in the old fashioned way. Format in my Mac, insert, take pictures, remove, put in the mac and download. For me the only two issues are 1) a bit of worry if I come across freezing (worse still it is bricked) but that hasn't stopped people from taking pictures using M11 / M11-P. 2) WB cannot be manually set on M11-D and I would have preferred that. That way, with some pictures, I could even use jpegs, do quick edits and use. 

[Photoworks]

18 hours ago, Mahesh said:

Of course, it is crazy when someone has 4 cameras.... In my case, I don't have any Leica bodies, or any bodies at all at the moment. I sold my M10-R (grave mistake) hoping to get an M11. I am mainly attracted to it because of the reduced weight of the black model. It is significant particularly when one has some physical constraints. M11 came and so the freezing problems, magenta tint, etc. I thought I will wait for M11-P and by then it will be all sorted. Clearly it wasn't.

Now that M11-D is here, I really fancy that, the idea of not having distractions of chimping, multiple buttons, etc. In fact, I plan to use the App only to start with if I want to change any settings. I plan to transfer my photos using the SD card, in the old fashioned way. Format in my Mac, insert, take pictures, remove, put in the mac and download. For me the only two issues are 1) a bit of worry if I come across freezing (worse still it is bricked) but that hasn't stopped people from taking pictures using M11 / M11-P. 2) WB cannot be manually set on M11-D and I would have preferred that. That way, with some pictures, I could even use jpegs, do quick edits and use. 

some people have been using it for 6 months, and M11-D didn't report freezing issue.

AWB is the best setting on the M11 in order not to get Cast.

[Syrjames]

On 9/13/2024 at 5:11 PM, elmars said:

Same starting time. 

Thank you for this review!

Mr Jono and Mr Elmars…

So how is the benefit of the off-metering? This is probably a key feature for me. I do not like the noise, feel and lag of the shutter opening to allow the metering. 
how does it work?

Thank you!

[elmars]

What do You mean with off metering?

[M Street Photographer]

When using the Visoflex 2, focus peaking is always activated. Did I miss it or is it not possible to deactivate it? Personally, the automatic magnifying glass when focusing is enough for me, the red marking bothers me a little.

I have downloaded the detailed operating instructions. Here too, it seems there is still room for improvement. For example, the explanation of symbols in the Visoflex display. What confuses me is that 2 K is displayed at the bottom right, I'm somehow confused as to what this means.

I would be grateful for an answer to my questions.

Edited September 22, 2024 by M Street Photographer

[Derbyshire Man]

I've got my head around doing most of the settings using the app. Looking at the console style multi button presses to change settings and view (unchangeable) settings got me thinking about what are the key settings I'd like to be able to change in camera as they are my commonest actions and reasons to reach for the menu;

• Shutter speed
• aperture
• ISO
• Exposure compensation
• metering spot <> highlight weighted (tricky lighting)
• motor mode single/multi slow/multi fast (portraits vs groups)
• White balance daylight/tungsten/auto/user preset (tricky lighting)
• shutter mode mechanical/electronic/hybrid (need for silence in church or similar)

Obviously the top 4 are present but it would be optimal if the remainder were doable.

Knowing remaining photos/wifi mode/credentials/USB mode/etc in camera seems pretty much pointless. Would seem that an option to press function button to call up tiny nested menu of the above items is more than doable with control delivered by combo of function button and thumbwheel.

Appreciate never a good idea to wish something was something else or believe it will ever become something else! I also realise that the reductionists would see all of that as an abomination! I can see they aren't essential and would drive risk of complexity.

Edited September 22, 2024 by Derbyshire Man

[Derbyshire Man]

On 9/19/2024 at 4:55 PM, charlesphoto99 said:

You do realize that the M12D will be along in three to four years. I wish more people would just use what they have and get off of this want to always have the latest greatest. Same with phones. I'm still in awe of the user here who says they have four M11 bodies already and looking forward to adding the M11D, because they are 'retired.' I know very few, if any at all, working pros who have (or even need) $50k worth of bodies. I find it entirely obnoxious, especially with the M10 battery situation, that Leica's have become disposable luxury items. 

That said, if I didn't already have an M10R, M10M and M9, I do think it's beautiful camera (if it doesn't freeze). 

Man with three cameras criticises man with four 🤣

I do know what you mean though always worth keeping in mind.

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Hallo,

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[maxpower]

I'm not Leica but I think they might make people happy if they do one thing, well technically two; enable a few more settings/options in the FOTOS app that people are missing, but most important.. bring back the user profiles (managed in the app) and a way to switch between user profiles without the app, so some kind of button/dial combination. I'm not sure what the best combination would be, my first thought would be press function button and scroll the dial at the same time but I'm sure it's not as simple as that. 

---

I've finally played with the M11-D myself in the store, and hope to get my own copy somewhere next week (unfortunately not guaranteed, but they had high hopes). Coming from brass bodies the weight difference feels huge, it almost feels like a toy (a very well built toy, of course). I'll admit that when taking test photos I did immediately wanted to look and delete the photo, but of course couldn't. it made me realise that these demo models will probably end up being full of test photos, I'd be quite interested to see what's on there after a few weeks of people coming in and testing it. One thing that I'm wondering is about the ISO dial though, what material is it made of? It kind of felt like plastic to me, but could not find any specifications on that and they didn't seem to know either.

As I'm preparing ownership I'm mostly thinking to myself, I don't want to use the app all the time so which settings will I choose. I've not been the greatest fan of the AWB and usually switch between presets on my "regular" M (mostly Daylight and Tungsten), but since we can't do that without the app I feel like I need to commit to one, since I mostly shoot during daytime I'm thinking just Daylight. The other thing is the metering mode, I'm mostly used to center weighed metering so probably that. Of course these are just things I will play with at first and figure out as I go along, that's part of the fun! I'm excited! 

[Derbyshire Man]

That would be an elegant way to do it! And yes, I suspect I'd leave it on daylight like I did when using film!

I think the dial is aluminium.