The M11 is actually a great camera!

[S Maclean]

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I love the M11, have never had any issues that made me not like it.  I also have the SL3, which just gives me a perfect shot all the time…. But that’s because it assists me in overcoming my shortcomings, not because it’s a better camera.

I have both the x2d and the 907x and, sorry, but pound for pound, they do have better IQ. Is the difference between them always noticeable? No, it depends on the output and the style of photography. But, let’s not be blind to the simple fact that a 100 pm MF sensor on the hands of a manufacturer like Hasselblad is going to hit a very high bar.  When Leica re issues a MF camera with high pixel count I am sure they will match that.

For me, my best pics on Leica are as good as my best pics on Hasselblad or my best pics on iPhone.  If I’m focused on the capture and not on IQ, then I adapt to whatever I’m using. Hell, a Polaroid image can end up in MOMA, and a large format image on the trash bin. I guess it just depends on what you value in an image.

i just pulled the trigger and got the M11 m, selling the x2d and keeping the 907x.

 I am a  little afraid, but eager of the monochrome only sensor. 80% of my captures are monochrome, but I am so used to converting with channels that I am honestly anxious about not having them. But I like the challenge and like the response other photographers I admire have towards the mono series.

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[SrMi]

14 minutes ago, S Maclean said:

For me, my best pics on Leica are as good as my best pics on Hasselblad or my best pics on iPhone. 

IMO:

Yes, for Leica and Hasselblad, but no for iPhone. iPhone is excellent for interesting framing and trying different things composition-wise, but the IQ, especially when using Apple's heavy-handed processing, is not satisfactory. However, it may look more "spectacular" than unprocessed Leica or Hasselblad output. Of course, IQ is not everything, and an iPhone image with better framing can be better than a Leica or Hasselblad with worse framing.

Edited June 14 by SrMi

[S Maclean]

53 minutes ago, SrMi said:

IMO:

Yes, for Leica and Hasselblad, but no for iPhone. iPhone is excellent for interesting framing and trying different things composition-wise, but the IQ, especially when using Apple's heavy-handed processing, is not satisfactory. However, it may look more "spectacular" than unprocessed Leica or Hasselblad output. Of course, IQ is not everything, and an iPhone image with better framing can be better than a Leica or Hasselblad with worse framing.

Yes, perhaps a little over ambitious on my statement. 
 

As the saying goes though, the best camera is always the one you have in hand. You may get a limited technical shot, but an incredible photograph.

[steve edmunds]

hopefully future M models will not need a thread saying how great a camera it is

[Kiwimac]

The X2D really is a fantastically good camera. In many ways, I wish I had sufficient cash to run both that and the M11-P. 
 

Neither really replaces the other as they both have different strengths and weaknesses. In straight out image quality, the Hasselblad is certainly the winner. The colour is amazing. 
 

I found that during the 6 or 7 months I owned it, I just missed the M system more than I loved the Hasselblad system. I’ve shot the M since the late 90’s and I guess it’s become so much part of my creative landscape that it is a bit like trying to go cold turkey off prescription pain medication!

 

The M is far from perfect. It suffers somewhat because the user base expects it to be a very specific size and shape so quite rigid restraints are imposed on the engineers and designers when creating a new M. The X2D on the other hand has zero such restrictions and thus its ergonomics are just about perfect. 
 

However, like a wayward child, we still love the M despite any shortcomings. 

[SrMi]

7 hours ago, steve edmunds said:

hopefully future M models will not need a thread saying how great a camera it is

We know that future models will have many threads saying how bad the new model is. The number of threads saying how good the camera is will always be smaller.

[costa43]

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8 hours ago, steve edmunds said:

hopefully future M models will not need a thread saying how great a camera it is

One thing for sure is that the M11 sensor will be very filmic once the M12 is released.

[Tseg]

Yes, 4 years into the M12 release we will learn the M11 renders colors much better… something special annd unique to Leica about the color cast of the M11.

[pedaes]

14 hours ago, steve edmunds said:

hopefully future M models will not need a thread saying how great a camera it is

It will be a first! This is not a digital thing - look at the film M threads.

[nthomas]

I have the similar thought as yours. Never regret purchasing the M11 on the first day when it was available on shelf in my country. 

Great IQ output with fabulous color and micro-contrast, with incredible dynamic range and pop-up effect. Fortunately, I've never encountered the frozen issue.

[Smogg]

All my M11/M11-p (4 pieces) had and have various problems. That's why I tried a lot of cameras, including medium format. But no other camera gives the ease and creativity that a rangefinder with its OVF and manual focus gives. Recently, I was about to sell my last M11-p in a fit of emotion, but I changed my mind in time. Until the M12 comes out, the M11 is irreplaceable and shooting with it gives more satisfaction than disappointment.

[JNK100]

2 hours ago, Smogg said:

All my M11/M11-p (4 pieces) had and have various problems. That's why I tried a lot of cameras, including medium format. But no other camera gives the ease and creativity that a rangefinder with its OVF and manual focus gives. Recently, I was about to sell my last M11-p in a fit of emotion, but I changed my mind in time. Until the M12 comes out, the M11 is irreplaceable and shooting with it gives more satisfaction than disappointment.

On have only regretted selling one camera all my life .

That camera was an M9. I now have an M11 with no plans to sell it.......

[Jamie Roberts]

FWIW, I love mine too--it's my go-to for image making, and I have lots of other choices.

I do wish it was easier to keep in mechanical calibration, but that's partly an issue with where I live (there's no service in Canada right now). Still, being able to properly adjust the RF when I inevitably do something stupid when carrying the camera--without sending it overseas--is something I'd like to see in M cameras, though I won't hold my breath. And yes, I know how to adjust infinity horizontal RF etc... But it's a PITA if you don't have the equipment. 

[Derbyshire Man]

1 hour ago, Jamie Roberts said:

FWIW, I love mine too--it's my go-to for image making, and I have lots of other choices.

I do wish it was easier to keep in mechanical calibration, but that's partly an issue with where I live (there's no service in Canada right now). Still, being able to properly adjust the RF when I inevitably do something stupid when carrying the camera--without sending it overseas--is something I'd like to see in M cameras, though I won't hold my breath. And yes, I know how to adjust infinity horizontal RF etc... But it's a PITA if you don't have the equipment. 

Yes, I wish they'd sell the tooling to remove the screws on the P and D versions without risk of marring the paint. The adjustment is pretty straightforward, the damage risk is the issue. If I go on a big trip I take the relevant allen key and a shaped spudger made of hard plastic. I don't know what Leica use but I'd very much like one!

[Derbyshire Man]

Just to repeat though, I too have plenty of choices but unless there's a specific reason why I need a billion auto focussed frames per second I'm picking up one of the M11's.