Leica buying advice (M11-p and APO 35mm?)

[Evleos]

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Hi guys,

Need some buying advice. I currently have a GR iiix and a X100VI. I use Lightroom for post-processing with everything in the cloud. With the GR iiix I prefer to use the jpegs, as I find the lens corrections in Lightroom too stark. I only shoot raw with X100VI. 

I’m considering: Leica M11-p with Leica APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. I won't bother with several lenses.

Rationale:

• Family life is next up for me, with much more ‘slow time’ both in the city and at cabins etc.
• I think I’ll enjoy the rangefinder experience, and of course if feels good that the camera and the lens is expert craftmanship.
• I like the toned down look of the M11-p and that it’s a bit less weight than the chrome/brass one.
• I want photos that are, by default, as natural as possible. I really dislike how computationally generated most nowadays images are. Even the GR iiix and X100VI have a lot of corrections.

However, I’m a bit worried about all the discussions on M11 / M11-p being poor at setting the white balance, thus with colors that are off, causing additional time spent in Lightroom to get a natural look. I want to spend as little time in Lightroom as possible, while still having the option to work on the photos in post.

Any advice on workflow, or another camera combination that better suits my needs?

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[Flou]

I have a SL and a M10. When I want to take pictures of my kids, the SL with autofocus lenses (especially the SL APO-Lenses) is hard to beat. I never managed to nail focus wide Open so often with my M10. I took picture with my 75mm SL APO lense wide open of my kids playing and jumping in a pool. Nailing focus perfectly with a 75mm at f2.0 of moving kids would never be possible for me when using my M10. 
 

I also use M-lenses with my SL and it works wonderfully. With the SL-System you are very flexible. Get some autofocus lenses from Sigma or Leica…and some M-lenses from Voigtlander or Leica and you have best of both worlds.

Of course it won‘t replace the rangefinder experience and the portability of the small and lightweight M-Camera. But you can buy a used M-camera later to add it to your system…like I did.

[SiggiGun]

Hello, I have the M11-P and the Apo35M. Certainly one of the best M combos.  I have taken about 2000 pictures with it in the last 3 months. There is nothing to complain about. I also use the 35luxCF (2023).  Also an excellent lens. However, I would also consider the Summilux. It is a good alternative.

[Chris_Jenks]

I’ve had my M11 for around 15 months and have shot over 13,000 images, about 80% of which were with the Summicron 35 F2 ASPH. A great focal length and a wonderful lens. 

[JoshuaR]

I photograph my family (with two small kids) using an M10-R, M10M, and SL2-S. For years I only used the M cameras—I added the SL2-S only for telephoto photography, not autofocus. I think it’s very doable and the M cameras are wonderful for family pictures. They’re small, portable, quiet, and the OVF means that you don’t spend lots of time looking at your family on a screen. If you start with an M now, you’ll have plenty of time to master the rangefinder before the kids start moving fast. My son is six, which means I’m six years into the M system, and I have little need for autofocus, even for sports and other active scenarios.

On workflow, I doubt you’ll have any problems. You’ll eventually develop a Lightroom preset of your own that gets your DNG files into the right ballpark upon import. It might take a little while to dial it in, but once it’s there, you never have to touch it. I don’t spend any more time on post processing than I did when I shot Fuji X-mount. 

One thing I’d consider is that 35mm can be a little wide for the newborn stage. Babies are small! A 35 APO can focus very close, but you’ll end up with perspective distortion. I’d consider getting a 50 or 75 as well. If you buy used lenses, you could easily pick up an excellent 35 / 50 or 35 / 75 pair for the price of the 35 APO. E.g., 35 FLE and 50 Lux ASPH, or 35 Summicron and 50 Summicron. When I look back on the pictures I got of my second child, some of the best were with focal lengths 50mm+.

[Almizilero]

We had a very similar question just the other day, lots of interesting discussion there:

It went of the rails a bit with a lens comparison for lenses the OP didn't even ask about, but still good info.

For your questions:

If you got the money, it doesn't get much better than your choice. The APO is a very versatile lens, especially with the close focus and cropping capabilities of the M11-P.
The WB of the M11 is not to everyones taste, but it is not necessarily off. If you don't compare it to other cameras, you probably won't notice it. If you do, it is easily fixable by two clicks in lightroom for all newly imported images (lower WB and shift tint a bit towards green). Or get an older lens like the Summicron V4, which kinda cancels out the magenta tendencies of the M11.

BUT: If you don't want to bother with several lenses, why not go for a Q?

[pedaes]

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7 hours ago, Evleos said:

being poor at setting the white balance,

If you go ahead try 'Daylight' WB. IF you do need to adjust, literally ten secs in LR.

[JLV]

Hi Evleos,

Great choice!

I have a M11 and also a SL2S but if you do not want to have any issue with WB it is easy.

My personal advice:

ETTR Expose to the Right! If you feed your sensor with light your colours will be amazing.

You can try also spot metering to the part with the most light and  Correction of +1.33.

If you will use the screen, give a try to Shooting with histogram spreading the histogram to full range (left to right).

Your camera screen with JPEGS is lying to you (the RAW's will be really underexposed in comparison with the Jpegs,) so test, try re test and retry and you will get amazing photos.

I am in love with this camera! 

Best,