Are you bored with the predictability of nailing perfect exposures on your digital camera? Fed up with the convenience of previewing everything in your viewfinder, tweaking your exposure down to a third of a stop and obsessing over the perfect peaks of your histogram, all the while glancing simultaneously at a stunning sunset over gloriously rolling hills that taper smoothly into a glistening windswept sea? "Yes... yes... another immaculate exposure" you maniacally mutter to yourself under your breath.
Or... do you long for that 'mystery feeling' that only shooting on film can deliver? That feeling, or 'hope' that your exposure meter is actually working? That feeling of anticipation of getting your film back from the lab to find out if everything went right?
Well long no longer!
Leica has released the M11-D digital rangefinder camera that HAS NO SCREEN.
Leica is no stranger to the concept of stripping a digital camera down to its essentials. The M11-D marks their fourth screenless digital rangefinder, following the release of the Leica M10-D in 2018.
In regards to the guts of the camera, the M11-D is basically the 60 megapixel M11-P ($15,490 body only), minus the screen. In fact, you are actually paying more for no screen, though the logic for this is that the M11-P has less internal storage (256GB vs 64GB).
Interestingly, the way that you can access the myriad of usual digital camera settings such as noise reduction, shutter type, drive mode etc – is though the Leica app on your phone. Of course, you can also access all your images through your phone, or on your computer.
The advantages for going screenless is best explained on the Leica website: "The Leica M11-D merges the feeling of analogue photography with the versatility of the digital world. Its design and technology focus exclusively on complimenting the photographic process. Without a display or other distractions, the user can fully concentrate on the fundamentals of photography: composition, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The mechanical ISO setting dial on the back of the camera enhances the analogue experience."
The M11-D with Leica phone app. Image: Leica
So there you go – it's about living in the moment. It's about simplicity. It's about not worrying about if the image is perfect – especially when that moment is already gone. It's also about the strange joy of anticipation of seeing if your photos actually worked out.
For personal work, or even documentary work, this can make sense. Though unpredictability in the commercial photography realm – is pretty much a non-starter.
So, bravo to Leica for bringing this camera to the market. Like their monochrome only cameras (such as the current Lecia Monochrom M11), this camera does make you look at your photography differently and enjoy it in a different way.
Now if only the majority of us could afford that feeling of analogue photography. But wait – we can!
Instead of forking out nearly $16,000 for the (body only) M11-D, you could pick up a classic second-hand Leica M6 for around $3,700 – $4,000. Which means, you can now afford to spend the remaining $12,000 on film and processing costs.
Both the M11 and and M6 series cameras share the same M-lens mount.
The M11-D is ready for pre-order for $15,990 (body only) though is listed as being on backorder at time of writing.
An accompanying M-series standard lens will set you back between $4,650 (Summicron-M 50 mm f/2) though you could fork out up to $21,890 for the ultimate in fast lenses – the Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH.
You can find out more about the Leica M11-D on the Leica Australia website.
Technical Specs
Dimensions: 139 X 38.5 x 80mm
Weight: 539g with battery
Sensor: Full frame 60.3 MP BSI CMOS
Lens mount: Leica M bayonet with 6-bit encoding
File formats: DNG + JPG
Colour Depth: 14-bit DNG (RAW)
Viewfinder magnification: 0.73x
Shutter: Mech 60 min to 1/4000, elec to 1/16,000
Flash sync: 1/180
Drive: 4.5fps
ISO: 64 to 50,000 ISO
Battery: approx 700 shots