Leica recently announced the M11-D, a unique digital rangefinder that I was lucky enough to use during an afternoon walking around London taking street photography. It follows the Leica M11, M11-P and M11 Monochrom with a trick: it has no screen.
Instead of the rear screen, the expensive M11-D has an ISO dial, which is a throwback to Leica's older analog rangefinder cameras such as the Leica MP. By eliminating the instant feedback that a screen provides, the M11-D is designed to take users back to the basics for that analog-like experience, while having certain digital conveniences hidden inside, like being able to change the ISO for each take.
There will be select people for whom the M11-D makes perfect sense. It is a digital camera designed to provide the closest possible shooting experience to analog, using a 60.4 MP full-frame sensor for superlative image quality, without the ongoing costs of film and developing.
Having recently reviewed the analogue Leica MP, I was in a perfect position to compare and contrast the analogue and digital cameras, both simplified and fully manual. Did Leica's niche, and particularly expensive, M11-D live up to my expectations? Is the absence of a screen just a trick? Keep reading to find out.
No screen, no problem
Before starting with the M11-D, I took some time to familiarize myself with its screenless body. I primarily shoot with a phone or digital camera, and not having a screen to compose shots or indeed view them immediately after capture was an uncomfortable feeling, at least to begin with.
However, once I got over not having a screen, I found it liberating. There are no dense camera menus to get stuck with, although that was unsettling at first because there's literally no way to make changes to certain settings in the camera (I'll get to that later).
Screen-free also means not getting engrossed in playing back images immediately after shooting, instead of simply enjoying the moment. I tend to review images right away to make sure the exposure and composition are good. Didn't you do it right the first time? Well, take another one. There is no risk of developing such indifferent habits with the M11-D.
Without immediate image playback, your personal approach to getting camera settings and technique right increases. That kind of attention to detail extends to photographic practices like taking portraits when you're doubly attentive to the subject's pose, etc.
I should make it clear that the viewfinder on the M11-D is not an EVF like that on the Leica Q3 and other mirrorless cameras (which essentially mimics a screen), but rather an optical rangefinder. A rangefinder has an image field selector to indicate what will be in the shot (pairs of bright line frames for 35/135mm, 50/75mm or 28/90mm lenses; I had the Leica 35mm lens f/2 Summicron-M ASPH), plus an image divided into a central frame that you can align to ensure focus is sharp where you want it. This is a slow process with a steep learning curve.
Yes, the absence of a screen and autofocus turned out to be a real challenge. However, despite having to focus and manually select aperture and shutter speed, the M11-D offers some modern digital conveniences not enjoyed by the analog system, such as automatic ISO (depending on the shutter speed and aperture chosen) and changing ISO for each image. , unlike a roll of film which is limited to one sensitivity.
There are also useful LED overlays on the rangefinder, in addition to the frame lines for the attached lens. For example, an arrow indicates when the exposure is too bright or dark, fed by the camera's exposure meter.
The M11-D's screenless design has other advantages. It's about 20% lighter than its screen-equipped digital alternatives, weighing just 540g for the body alone (the Leica lenses are lightweight too). Battery life is also excellent: 700 shots when using rangefinder mode and increases to 1,700 shots using Leica's “adapted shooting cycle.”
I thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon walking around central London with the Leica M11-D. It took me back to the basics of photography, honed my technique, and ultimately helped me be present in the moment. I've included some of my favorite shots below.
The modern turn
For all its traditional design attributes, the M11-D offers several modern conveniences at your fingertips that don't have to detract from your analog experience. There's a discreet exposure compensation wheel next to the thumb, plus a function button on the top plate that serves several purposes, including displaying battery life and remaining shots on the LED overlay, as well as launching connection to the Leica Photos application.
You have two options for uploading your images: Bluetooth connection to the Leica Photos app on your phone or tablet or, like most digital cameras, uploading the photos from your memory card to your computer the next time you have the chance (the camera also has 256 GB or internal memory). Sending photos to the app isn't the same as sending rolls of film to the lab and waiting days or weeks for scans to arrive, but the delayed gratification of the M11-D is cathartic all the same.
Those who don't mind the modern touch can even view and control the M11-D remotely using the Leica Photos app on a phone or tablet.
Whatever you use Leica Photos for, the initial pairing process is simple, but what impressed me most is how easy it is to re-pair the camera when a connection is interrupted, such as when you turn the camera on and off. To pair it again, you simply need to press the function button for five seconds; A nice touch is that the LED overlay on the rangefinder shows the timer for how long you've pressed the button. This camera-to-phone Bluetooth connection is as seamless and reliable as you've ever experienced.
As I mentioned above, some features cannot be accessed directly through the camera, but are instead found in the camera settings menu in the Leica Photos app. One example is the activation of Content Credentials, which debuted on the M11-P and must be activated through the app.
When reviewing my photos, there were many hits and misses. This comes with using a fully manual camera with moving subjects. However, one thing that is consistent is the gorgeous colors of Leica's unique color profile and universal DNG raw format.
More than the quality of the images, the M11-D turned out to be a dream experience and, to me, makes more sense than any digital Leica. You really feel like you're shooting in analog format, but you also get certain guarantees and advantages that digital camera technology provides, should you need them. For keen photographers, a screenless camera could become a gift that keeps on giving.