In Helsinki with the Leica M11-D

The text below is mainly about the Leica M11-D. It may not appeal to those who prioritize a rational approach to photography. Many cameras on the market offer a better price-performance ratio than a Leica rangefinder camera, and this particular model doesn't even have a display. Nonetheless, I have been using cameras from this brand for over ten years and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. There are three main reasons for this:

• the way of photographing focuses me
• the quality of the result is unmatched in this form factor
• Leica lenses combine image look with quality

The Leica M11-D was released just the day before a short private trip to Helsinki. Once again , I had the pleasure of being the first to use a brand new camera model in Hamburg The trip to Helsinki was a perfect choice for a first test. While having used the Leica M11 for a while now, I wasn't anticipating any surprises regarding image quality; I was genuinely intrigued to see how the absence of a display would transform my approach to photography.

And indeed, although I previously thought that I didn't look at the display very often, I quickly caught myself looking at the back of the camera. But there is an ISO dial only.

The operating concept of the Leica M11-D

After unpacking, you can start taking photos as usual. You can set all the necessary settings directly on the camera: the aperture on the lens, the shutter speed on the top dial, and the ISO on the back of the camera. With Leica M cameras, the exposure metering is indicated by arrows and a dot in the viewfinder, showing you how your camera sees the exposure based on the values you have set. Additionally, you can also take photos in aperture priority mode, where you preselect the aperture on the lens, and the camera automatically selects the shutter speed and/or ISO to match. You can set exposure compensation by turning the thumbwheel, and the compensation display can be found in the viewfinder.

The M11's sensor and firmware are so sophisticated that you don't have to expect any surprises. So far, so unspectacular. However, the lack of a display means that some adjustments to the operating concept are necessary, which the Leica user interface team has largely solved with ease.

Function button instead of display

The rangefinder shows you additional information compared to other Leica bodies to keep track of the settings on the Leica M11-D, even without a display. To do this, press the function button at the top right. After each button press, the following information appears continuously:

• – estimated number of remaining images – unfortunately only three digits, which is pointless most of the time due to the 256GB internal memory alone.
• – Battery percentage – the battery life is sensational. I still had 2% remaining capacity after 40 days of intensive use
• – USB mode (Apple MFi – for communication between camera and iOS devices – or PTP – for data transfer to PC or Mac). You can switch between modes by pressing the thumbwheel and turning off the camera
• – Display of the storage mode, i.e. which data ends up on the SD card or on the internal memory. Can only be set in the Leica Photos app on the smartphone.
• – Display whether connectivity mode is active or not (Con)
• – Display whether the Leica Content Credentials are active or not (Cr)
• – Display of the frequency band used by the Wi-Fi mode (5 GHz/2,4 GHz – Con5 or Con24). I haven't found a way to switch this.
• – Shutter speed in automatic mode or exposure balance if a time is set on the shutter speed dial

Functions on the thumbwheel

The thumbwheel also has valuable functions compared to other Ms. If you press the thumbwheel, you can switch the display of the following information in the viewfinder:

• – Shutter speed when the shutter speed dial is set to automatic
• – Exposure compensation value
• – ISO value

If the thumbwheel is turned left or right, the following values ​​can be set.

• – Exposure compensation values
• – ISO values ​​(when ISO setting dial is set to M)
• – Shutter speed (when shutter speed dial is set to B)

Leica Photos App

The app allows you to adjust the camera settings and transfer images from your Leica M11-D to your smartphone. This makes it easy to share pictures quickly with friends or online. A remarkable feature of the M11-D is the ability to use your smartphone as an external display. This allowed me to take the following picture in a crowded plane: I positioned my iPhone on my lap, then extended my arm above the seats with the camera and took the shot.

While I didn't bring a laptop with me on the long weekend, the Leica Photos app struggled to reliably display the gallery of images from the camera on my iPhone. It also had difficulty downloading the desired images. The connection became unstable once I had around 500 photos on the camera. With more than 700 images on the Leica M11-D, downloading became almost impossible. However, the app is constantly being updated, so this may improve in the future. Transferring data from the SD card to the smartphone is also possible using an SD card reader. For images stored on the camera's internal memory, you need a PC or Mac and a PTP-capable program for data transfer.

Leica Content Credentials

One of my reasons for switching from the Leica M11 to the display-less M11-D was the Leica Content Credentials. Leica introduced this new feature on a camera with the M11-P. For this reason, I would like to refer you to the corresponding press release from Adobe from back then. The core of the content credentials is that every image taken is given a digital signature directly in the camera and the authenticity of the images is proven and can be checked .

I appreciate this initiative as it simplifies verifying images' authenticity and copyright. In an era where images are rapidly circulated on the internet without proper attribution to the photographers, and with the advancement of AI technology in generating images, camera content credentials are beneficial.

Unfortunately, very few programs currently process the embedded data. I help myself by saving small JPGs on the internal memory of the Leica M11-D in addition to the large DNGs on the SD card. I transfer the small jpg to Photos on my Mac using a USB-C cable. Photos on the Mac can't read the content credentials either, but this way, I have a backup with all verifiable data at hand — should I ever need it.

Undoubtedly, I look forward to a future where more image processing programs will be able to read the content credentials of the Leica M11-D. I also hope that this option will be integrated into other cameras, opening up new possibilities for the photography community.

Bugs of the Leica M11-D

The firmware 2.1.2 works flawlessly on the M11 and M11-P cameras but has a few differences when compared to the M11-D. The user manual repeatedly mentions the need to format the storage media occasionally. However, it's only on page 53 that I found the crucial note that formatting requires a PC. It's not possible to format the storage media directly in the camera. While it's easy to format the SD card by inserting it into a computer, the same cannot be done for the internal memory.

Opportunities for improvement

You need to pay close attention to a few other points if you don't want to experience any unpleasant effects with the Leica M11-D. For example, after several failed attempts to connect the camera to the smartphone, the app will prompt you to press the thumbwheel for 12 seconds and then check - or set - the connection settings in the viewfinder. If you now press the function button on top of the camera instead, you reset the date and delete the content credentials settings. Don't ask me how I know that 😉 However, the manual only says that this is how to set the date - you won't find the note about the content credentials there.

Just a heads up, the date setting is totally unnecessary. The camera should automatically get the date, time, and GPS coordinates from your smartphone when it's nearby. This should work even if the data transfer to the smartphone isn't working. It would have been more practical to have a formatting option on the function button. When you activate the function, you can use the thumbwheel to select the storage medium to be formatted, and pressing the thumbwheel confirms the selection. Just a thought, Leica...

Charger not included

I find it frustrating that the Leica M11-D does not come with a charger; this was also the case with the M11-P. Many manufacturers are adopting this approach to protect the environment. I can understand this for smartphones, as they are frequently replaced, chargers are inexpensive, and many USB-C charging options are available. However, with a Leica purchased less often, you rely on buying the charger from Leica. The charging cradle costs one hundred and seventy-five euros, which is at least twenty-five euros cheaper than a second battery. Getting worked up about the price of the second Leica battery is like driving a Porsche and complaining about the high tyre cost.

At least charging the Leica with the iPhone charger via USB-C works reliably. But be careful: the M11-D must be switched off. Otherwise, nothing will happen to the battery, but the camera will get hot. A look at the status LED on the bottom of the camera will prevent unpleasant surprises.

What am I missing on the Leica M11-D?

Leica advertises the camera with the slogan "Digital heart. Analogue soul." I can understand this, but I don't know why I don't have more precise options to adjust the JPGs with the Leica M11-D. For me, Leica missed the opportunity to make the feeling of taking photos with the camera "even more analogue". I would be happy if I could get the JPGs with an even more excellent look directly from the body. Unfortunately, the film looks provided by Leica are reserved for the SL3 and Q3, although the sensor is the same in all three cameras. In my opinion, Panasonic makes the best JPG adjustment on the S5II(x) with real-time LUTs. Even the little Sigma fp from 2018 is a marvel of JPG setting options. But that's just a side note...

The photography experience with the Leica M11-D

And what is it like to take photos without a display? When assessing this question, it is helpful that I had already been taking pictures with the M11 for three years. That is why I know how reliable the camera is. The exposure metering is trustworthy, with the slightly misleading “highlight-weighted” method, and the 60-megapixel sensor can be easily corrected even with slight overexposure. So, I just started with great confidence in the technology.

I quickly got used to the lack of a display. I know the camera well enough to know when something might go wrong, and then I use the Leica Photos app to check whether and how I need to intervene quickly.

I can rely on the image effect of my Leica lenses and enjoy the moment created in front of my camera. The Leica M11-D is the most consistent rangefinder camera from Leica: without a display, it comes closest to the analogue photography experience but still has many of the advantages of digital cameras. I enjoy using this camera.

Pictures from Helsinki with the Leica M11-D

So what was Helsinki like?

More than two full days are required to fully experience the city. We felt very comfortable. With the Helsinki Card, you can get into many museums at reduced prices or even for free. If you speak English, it is easy to communicate in Helsinki. If you like good food, you will get your money's worth in the city. It feels like there are more Michelin stars than in Hamburg. You can quickly explore Helsinki's touristy but lovely areas on foot. The city, with roughly a third of the population of Hamburg, has many areas that invite you to linger. You don't notice that the population density is higher than in Hamburg. The few cars are striking. Overall, we also felt that the city was quieter than Hamburg. I imagine that we will go there again. We liked it better in Helsinki than in Oslo .

Another example of Leica's lens quality

At the beginning of the article, I talked about the quality of the Leica lenses used in the Leica M11-D. That's why I would like to show another relevant picture here, even though it has nothing to do with Helsinki. Oladapo Afolayan leaves the pitch after the FC St. Pauli match against Leipzig. I took the photo with the Summilux-M 75mm at an open aperture of 1.4. The glass has not been manufactured at all for almost 20 years.

The lens was designed in 1980 by Dr. Walter Mandler and was not created with digital light paths and high-resolution sensors in mind. But it still works. The Summilux-M 75mm is not my oldest lens. I still have a Summicron-M 35mm from 1963. I took all the images in the gallery above at night with this beautiful 35mm with 8 elements.

This option of being able to use older lenses on modern bodies is one of the reasons why I like to photograph with Leica. There is an insane abundance of good lenses that can cover many areas of application and image looks.

The Leica M11-D ensures you will not be distracted from enjoying the moment while capturing the images you love.