considering buying M11M and trading in my M10

[Alexander108]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

If I were you, instead of trading the M10 for a M11M I'd go for a preowned M10M and keep the M10.

I got my first Leica M, an M10 Monochrom a few weeks ago and I am so impressed with the image quality and going to ISO 25000 no issue.

I did not have any M lenses so I spent the amount I paid for the M10M for three used lenses and one new lens. I now have a Summicron 35 and 50, the Elmarit 24 and the new Voigtländer 15 f/4.5 (amazing). I also own a Q3 since 1.5y. I now miss a color M. It's not the latest but c'mon 42MP is great and, again, the IQ is just amazing. Because I don't have unlimited financial resources I may go for a preowned M10 as a color camera. This way I could use my Visoflex (the round one) for both.

Just a thought.

[LeAlain]

5 minutes ago, Alexander108 said:

If I were you, instead of trading the M10 for a M11M I'd go for a preowned M10M and keep the M10.

I got my first Leica M, an M10 Monochrom a few weeks ago and I am so impressed with the image quality and going to ISO 25000 no issue.

I did not have any M lenses so I spent the amount I paid for the M10M for three used lenses and one new lens. I now have a Summicron 35 and 50, the Elmarit 24 and the new Voigtländer 15 f/4.5 (amazing). I also own a Q3 since 1.5y. I now miss a color M. It's not the latest but c'mon 42MP is great and, again, the IQ is just amazing. Because I don't have unlimited financial resources I may go for a preowned M10 as a color camera. This way I could use my Visoflex (the round one) for both.

Just a thought.

Well, your thoughts are kinda similar, I tend to go that way. If I do get the M11M I would have to sell the M10 for financial reasons, the M10M is slightly cheaper.

 

Edited September 16 by LeAlain

[S Maclean]

The M11, Q3(28 or 43) and SL3 will all give you incredible conversions to B&W, so it is worth considering getting any of those to have more flexibility.  This said, I got the M11M and the images are clearly superior.  

Yes, it take a small minute to change both the shooring style and the deelopment priocess with a monochrome, but once you "get it" the images are without par. BUT, the conversions of any of the color cameras will give you equally incredible images (just not quite the same).

I struggled justifying getting a monochrome, it seemed like an indulgence when so many of my conversions from my M11 etc where so darn good....and then I got the M11M and now thinking n getting a Q2M to complement (waiting to see if some version of the q3 comes on monochrome.

I find focusing with an M actually can often be faster than AF, specially at events, street etc, where the AF can get a little confused between subjects. That being said; when a Q or SL auto focus well, the images are crisp as hell. And under challenging situations like shooting one handed at open apertures they can make a big difference.

I took this and a few other portraits on the M11M at a funeral in NYC. Natural light, indoors and outdoors, fast and unplanned.  A few of them where awarded by LFI, and all of them are some of the best portraits I've ever made. All with 50 Lux.  I had the M11 (non M) setup with a 28 for group shots. Almost none good.  This camera just "synched" with my intention and vision 100%. And it was the first time I used it on an actually demanding environment.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[S Maclean]

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

[LeAlain]

22 minutes ago, S Maclean said:

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Sergio,

 

Thank you for your more than interesting and warm communication.   It makes the choices even harder. Coming from the film age, the one day test of a M11M last year, somewhat reminded name of 120 film, little similar, it is also what I see in your portraits.

 

 

I took this and a few other portraits on the M11M at a funeral in NYC. Natural light, indoors and outdoors, fast and unplanned.  A few of them where awarded by LFI, and all of them are some of the best portraits I've ever made. All with 50 Lux.  I had the M11 (non M) setup with a 28 for group shots. Almost none good.  This camera just "synched" with my intention and vision 100%. And it was the first time I used it on an actually demanding environment.

I didn't get what you meant by 'the camera just synced'.

 

Love the way you take your portraits, inspires me to do it even more often.

 

 

[S Maclean]

8 minutes ago, LeAlain said:

I didn't get what you meant by 'the camera just synced'.

Not a technical term, I meant it just alligned with me in a very organic way.  The shots I envisioned, the intention I wanted to convey, immediately trasnalted into a capture. And about 90% of the captures where good.

This is clearly a personal thing though, but, as many have said before, in a world full of excellent and incredible technical equipment the question is not so much "what is best, or better" but rather, what inspires you, or "synchs" with you so that your images are better, not becasue the camera is better, but because you;re better with it.

There's a great photogrpaher (in my opinion) Paul Reid. He shoots almost exclusively, and quite successfully, with a Q2 Monochrome, and before that with a series of Q's.  He publicly chose to switch to the M11M to expand on his lens choices, and to get a "lighter" setup. He "upgraded". It did not work for him, it just didn't. He documented everything on his channel and explains his reasons to switch to one, and then back to the other.  In short, he went back to a smaller sensor, an older system, a more limited setup becasue that system just "worked" for him. (worth seeing some of his videos, it may help with your choices)

So, all you choices are good, all will allow you to get great images, Images you can hang in a gallery, win awards with, publish or simply enjoy your time with...just need to find what works for you and not worry too much about what works for others.

[Eoin]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Best advice I can offer is... try to keep the M10 for "colour needed" moments, then add a M10M. If you still had funds to spare, upgrade the M10 to a M10R, job done!.

I say that as a M10R/M11M user, less deep shadow noise and smoother files at the same ISO and of course extended battery life are the M11M's slight advantage. But a M10R & M10M would be a matched pair for life, nothing more needed. 

[Olaf_ZG]

20 minutes ago, Eoin said:

But a M10R & M10M would be a matched pair for life, nothing more needed. 

Needed not, but all too many times more is wanted 😇

[eaharman]

I'm a relative Leica newbie and bought my M11P almost 1y ago and am amazed at the image quality, and in particular the amount of latitude there is in the shadow areas allowing a finer balance of contrast to be achieved particularly when the lighting conditions aren't ideal.

For portraiture I tend to shoot with either a 90 or 50mm lens and find focussing the former challenging without a 1.4 mag dioptre however good results can be obtained using EVF, and I too like the flexibility of colour converting to B&W albeit I've not shot an M11M for comparison.

Here are a couple of shots with both -

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/328239-the-leica-m11-images-thread/?do=findComment&comment=5819274

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/328239-the-leica-m11-images-thread/?do=findComment&comment=5863858

 

[kiwidad]

On 9/15/2025 at 9:06 AM, LeAlain said:

Dear Friends,

 

I was a new Leica user end of last year, after having worked for more then 30 years as a prof. photographer.

I did buy the M10, after I was a bit disappointed in the shots I made with a borrowed M11M. But after some postproduction and thoughts and experience with the M10, I come to my conclusion:

I need shorter shutter speeds on the M11M, due to the smaller pixels/60MP. so auto-ISO and say 1/500 Shutter priority will do the rest. Anyway I tend to work with wide open lenses, so I should be happy with this new M11M.

(and yes, allways on Mechanical shutter)

Any thoughts from you guys and girls and others?

Technique is everything with the m11 and slow handheld shuttter speeds.

The more you fill the frame the less off an issue it is.

if you pixel peep get a camera with ibis.

what focal length are you shootings?

[LeAlain]

I did buy my M10M and I am in love with it, I keep the M10 so I can shoot 75 & 35 without having to swap lenses all of the time.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[Ne314satel]

On 9/16/2025 at 5:23 PM, S Maclean said:

I took this and a few other portraits on the M11M at a funeral in NYC.

You know how to have fun in NYC, even at a funeral!)) 
Seriously, great photos!
I took the M11M out for a day or two and compared it to my M11. Yes, it's sharper, and there's less noise, especially at night. But the rendering is the same—it's definitely not the M9M. And the M11's black-and-white processing capabilities are much better. I'm not saying the M11M is bad, I'm saying I feel more comfortable with the M11, although I do convert 90 percent of my photos to black-and-white later. It's a personal choice.

[Kiwimac]

I’m not sure when the M12 is predicted to appear but I guess next year is a possibility. 
 

When the M11M launched, there was a single M10M in stock at the distributors. I was offered that unit with 25% off. I didn’t buy it. 
 

However once the 12 appears, the GAS will hit the rich dentists and pre-owned 11 series units will increase in availability. 
 

Unless you feel you need the mono now for a reason, waiting a bit might get you a less expensive one. 

[MarkP]

On 9/17/2025 at 3:23 AM, Eoin said:

But a M10R & M10M would be a matched pair for life, nothing more needed. 

Agreed. Exactly what I have and am very happy with this combination.

However, nothing quite matches the imaging of my long gone M9M 😔.

Edited October 10 by MarkP

[Steadimann]

Hey, 

to chime in with my story...

Started my Leica life with Q2M - monochrome in general is fabulous - it makes you think different way, you can shoot whatever iso you want, it makes your life easier in post when you don't have to try and find which colour balance you like most... Having said that when I went M route, I thought it simply does not make much sense limiting myself and having no option of coulour for the future, especially when conversions are really good, I wouldn't say there is any reasonable differences apart shooting extreme low light.

So I did go for M11P and I enjoy it. But guess what, I did get M11M too. Not because it does something better, because it makes me think, shoot and thus feel different. Knowing you're shooting BW make things different.. and to me that is the biggest difference - not IQ, but the mindset. If you shoot both - colour and BW, get M11P it's perfect. But everytime I shoot colour, look at pictures, I ask myself, what do colours give to me looking at this particlar photo? And usually the answer is - nothing  

M11M photo

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[S Maclean]

12 hours ago, Ne314satel said:

You know how to have fun in NYC, even at a funeral!)) 
Seriously, great photos!
I took the M11M out for a day or two and compared it to my M11. Yes, it's sharper, and there's less noise, especially at night. But the rendering is the same—it's definitely not the M9M. And the M11's black-and-white processing capabilities are much better. I'm not saying the M11M is bad, I'm saying I feel more comfortable with the M11, although I do convert 90 percent of my photos to black-and-white later. It's a personal choice.

I have the M11, and I agree with you in that B&W conversions are really good, rendering is pretty much the same AND you have color for those shots that benefit from it (like you most of my sooting is B&W, regadless of Camera). Plus you can use the color channels in conversion (I seldom do, but you can)

As @Steadimann commented above, there is something that simply resonates better with me on the MM cameras.  I didn't think it would, and it took my a while to buy the Monochrome, but I just take better pictures with it. It's not becasue of the IQ, which is great in both cameras and in many many others. Not the form factor, which is identical, or the lenses, which I can use either way....but i kind of have to force myself to take the M11 out and always grab the Monochrome.

I am seriously thinking oif selling the M11 as I have a Q43 and an SL3 and I can always pair the SL with M lenses.

[kiwidad]

On 10/9/2025 at 12:01 PM, LeAlain said:

I did buy my M10M and I am in love with it, I keep the M10 so I can shoot 75 & 35 without having to swap lenses all of the time.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

I find the 35 (pre fle)and 75 lux are matches made in heaven with the m10m , nice picture.. I mostly use the m10m in dark jazz clubs shooting artists! That high iso noise is special!

[Jeff S]

On 10/10/2025 at 2:55 AM, MarkP said:

Agreed. Exactly what I have and am very happy with this combination.

However, nothing quite matches the imaging of my long gone M9M 😔.

My three current M bodies are the M10M, M10-R (BP) and M9M. But only the M10M gets regular use, along with an SL2, while the other two Ms sit mostly idle. I’ll likely part with both, even though very capable cameras.