Leica M 11 Glossy black paint.

[hdmesa]

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57 minutes ago, JimmyCheng said:

I don't think the reissue m6 uses the same paint as on m11. Not only is the paint much less adhesive, but also quite a bit smoother than the very "rough" matte black paint aluminum m11. If you get a chance to feel the two side by side, you can immediately tell the difference in smoothness. Unless the metal underneath is affecting that as well, but I doubt it.

It’s less adhesive to the 2022 M6 reissue because of the underlying material. Google “paint adherence to brass versus aluminum”. Paint adherence to brass is quite poor.

And Leica applies the same matte black paint differently to each model resulting in slightly different textures.

My M11-D was much smoother than my M11s and felt much like the M6 reissue I owned. My M11M was somewhere in between.

There’s even a big difference between the black paint smoothness between my early M11 spare battery (very rough) and the one that came with my M11-D (very smooth).

If you go strictly on the texture of the matte black paint to call it a different paint between M11 and M6 reissue, then it’s also a different paint used on the M11M and another paint on the M11-D. But I don’t think that’s the case. 

[JimmyCheng]

45 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

It’s less adhesive to the 2022 M6 reissue because of the underlying material. Google “paint adherence to brass versus aluminum”. Paint adherence to brass is quite poor.

And Leica applies the same matte black paint differently to each model resulting in slightly different textures.

My M11-D was much smoother than my M11s and felt much like the M6 reissue I owned. My M11M was somewhere in between.

There’s even a big difference between the black paint smoothness between my early M11 spare battery (very rough) and the one that came with my M11-D (very smooth).

If you go strictly on the texture of the matte black paint to call it a different paint between M11 and M6 reissue, then it’s also a different paint used on the M11M and another paint on the M11-D. But I don’t think that’s the case. 

Hmm interesting, I didn’t expect such variance in smoothness in between m11 models. I can only speak for m11 vs m6 right now, but I’ll get my hand on the m11-d very soon and if it’s the smoother version like you said, I’d be thrilled. As I found the paint on m11 to be a bit too rough to my taste while it’s perfect on the m6 reissue.

[username]

Thanks @JimmyCheng and @aficionados for the pictures, and your elaborations, it's appreciated! ✌️

[hdmesa]

7 hours ago, JimmyCheng said:

Hmm interesting, I didn’t expect such variance in smoothness in between m11 models. I can only speak for m11 vs m6 right now, but I’ll get my hand on the m11-d very soon and if it’s the smoother version like you said, I’d be thrilled. As I found the paint on m11 to be a bit too rough to my taste while it’s perfect on the m6 reissue.

I think you'll like the texture on the M11-D. It's not quite as nice as the M6, but it's much better than the original M11, which I agree is quite aggressive in texture. Could be some batch variance in the paint application process, too, since my M6 reissue didn't seem to wear like as easily as yours has.

It would have been nice if they had offered matte black on brass as an option for the M11 or at least the M11-P.

[hdmesa]

9 hours ago, setuporg said:

Let's just all agree that the name glossy black paint is rather idiotic.  It used to be just BP, or black paint, that was always glossy.  The matte non-silver version was simply black.  Straightforward usage of "BP" is yet another unfortunate loss inflicted by the M11. 

We may have lost the simple "BP", but we gained the more regal "GBP" 🫣

[setuporg]

4 hours ago, hdmesa said:

We may have lost the simple "BP", but we gained the more regal "GBP" 🫣

Splendid!:)

[tobiasfjp]

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On 11/23/2024 at 2:13 PM, Loop Skywalker said:

Leica does not produce black chrome cameras anymore.

What about the M-A? Did they switch that from black chrome to matte black paint at some point?

[hdmesa]

7 hours ago, tobiasfjp said:

What about the M-A? Did they switch that from black chrome to matte black paint at some point?

The M-A is still black chrome. Either they still have a large supply of the already black chromed parts or it's the exception.

[o2mpx]

It seems interesting that Leica is producing 3 different finishes and none would be in limited quantities for a single model M11 - has this happened before? And the GBP is being added relatively late in the model’s cycle. 

[username]

12 minutes ago, o2mpx said:

seems interesting that Leica is producing 3 different finishes and none would be in limited quantities

..probably safe to say there will be some kind of centennial edition in 2025 🙂

[o2mpx]

Have thought about selling the M10-R in Black Chrome and acquiring a M10-R BP but from a practical perspective, likely better to get a M11 GBP to satisfy lust for the finish, and take advantage of the newer sensor. 

Perhaps best to wait a bit and see what might come up for centennial in 2025, which seems awfully close to update cycle with a M12 in early 2026?

Edited December 24, 2024 by o2mpx

[JimmyCheng]

On 12/19/2024 at 7:05 AM, hdmesa said:

I think you'll like the texture on the M11-D. It's not quite as nice as the M6, but it's much better than the original M11, which I agree is quite aggressive in texture. Could be some batch variance in the paint application process, too, since my M6 reissue didn't seem to wear like as easily as yours has.

It would have been nice if they had offered matte black on brass as an option for the M11 or at least the M11-P.

Just to report back in case anybody read this comment and thought otherwise. I have my M11-D now and I can confirm its texture is exactly the same as my M11 early batch. There is no difference at all.

[Stevejack]

How grippy is the glossy black paint on the M11 versus the standard black paint? I find I don't need an additional thumb support with the M11 black paint but I'm not sure if this is because of the texture of the paint, or because of the lighter camera versus the M10 series. 

Can anyone who has owned both the standard M11 or M11M in black paint offer a comparison as to how easy it is to grip and hold the M11 glossy black camera? Did you need an additional thumb support to comfortably hold the glossy M11?

[hdmesa]

13 hours ago, JimmyCheng said:

Just to report back in case anybody read this comment and thought otherwise. I have my M11-D now and I can confirm its texture is exactly the same as my M11 early batch. There is no difference at all.

There must be a high degree of variability in the paint application process then. My early M11 was very rough texture, and my D was very smooth.

[RobW0]

11 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

There must be a high degree of variability in the paint application process then. My early M11 was very rough texture, and my D was very smooth.

I don't see or feel much of a difference between my M11-P, M11-M and M11-D. The only difference I can see is that the M11-P has a different texture to the body covering.  Can not comment on what the straight M11 is like. 

[hdmesa]

5 hours ago, RobW0 said:

I don't see or feel much of a difference between my M11-P, M11-M and M11-D. The only difference I can see is that the M11-P has a different texture to the body covering.  Can not comment on what the straight M11 is like. 

Interesting. I can only share my own experience, which are different levels of texture from heavy to smoother: M11 (early) > M11M/M11 (late) > M11-D.

My M11-D was actually smoother than its own battery cover (!) and almost as smooth as an anodized SL2/3.

[graphlex]

Was?

[jakontil]

On 1/19/2025 at 1:41 AM, hdmesa said:

There must be a high degree of variability in the paint application process then. My early M11 was very rough texture, and my D was very smooth.

I concur to this.. at least in april of the year it was released, i used the m11 black paint for a short period of time and it’s definitely rougher than the M11D today

[Stevejack]

1 hour ago, jakontil said:

I concur to this.. at least in april of the year it was released, i used the m11 black paint for a short period of time and it’s definitely rougher than the M11D today

Interesting, I haven't noticed much difference. I had a launch day M11 and didn't notice it being too different to the M11M which came about a year after but maybe I wasn't paying enough attention.  The M11-D I held felt just like my M11M to me, but I don't doubt there are differences that some would feel. 

I've just ordered the glossy black M11 and I'm concerned whether it will be difficult to grip... being heavier and less textured. I couldn't demo one in person unfortunately so I've ordered blind.  I couldn't use the black chrome M10s without a thumbie but I'm not sure if it's the lighter weight or the texture on the M11 but they are really easy to hold in comparison. Here's hoping the glossy black is grippy enough... 

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[jakontil]

6 hours ago, Stevejack said:

Interesting, I haven't noticed much difference. I had a launch day M11 and didn't notice it being too different to the M11M which came about a year after but maybe I wasn't paying enough attention.  The M11-D I held felt just like my M11M to me, but I don't doubt there are differences that some would feel. 

I've just ordered the glossy black M11 and I'm concerned whether it will be difficult to grip... being heavier and less textured. I couldn't demo one in person unfortunately so I've ordered blind.  I couldn't use the black chrome M10s without a thumbie but I'm not sure if it's the lighter weight or the texture on the M11 but they are really easy to hold in comparison. Here's hoping the glossy black is grippy enough... 

the m11d definitely feels more like the m11 monochrome, but not so with the early M11 black i had 

I try to keep the m11 glossy as simple without using thumbs up like my m10 bp used to… but im still considering the grip, more as a baseplate addition, as an extra protection to the base lol