Meet the new Leica Camera M11-D. (All photographs courtesy of Leica Camera)
Finally, a manufacturer who is willing to upset the apple cart and explore inventive new interpretations in camera design. That company is Leica Camera and that camera is the Leica M11-D (you can buy one for one Kidney). So, what’s so “revolutionary” about the new Leica M11-D? Well, three things really, but one of them is, dare I say, heresy to digital camera display peepers.
Sure, right, Leica, the original stodgy camera company, is going to push the design envelope? How? Gulp, they deleted the LCD screen on the back of the M11-D. Say what? Yup, taking the place of that former display real estate along with all of its associated pushbuttons, wheels, and toggles is a large singular mechanical dial for setting the camera ISO.
Oh no, who stole the LCD? In a brave move, Leica Camera shuns the ubiquitous LCD.
Now that’s a breath of fresh air, isn’t it? Well, not so fast Henri Cartier-Bresson. A French camera manufacturer named Pixii beat Leica Camera to the punch years ago with its awesome rangefinder, the eponymous, Pixii. Both this OG LCD-less rangefinder and the newbie Leica M11-D rely on a wirelessly-coupled smart device for acting as a surrogate to an onboard LCD.
The new Leica M11-D external LCD screen.
In the words of Pixii, “When everyone has a screen right now, why bother with a lesser version on the camera? The best screen is already in your pocket”. Amen, brother. Dual-tasking with existing technology is a boon to minimizing landfill techno-waste. Although, Olympus Corporation attempted a similar hardware multi-tasking with the futuristic, Olympus A0-1 Air camera (Please note: even mega-giant Sony tried to push the smartphone-as-screen concept with the QX-30) that failed to attract any photographer interest.
Armed with your new Leica Camera M11-D plus a tag-along smart device, you’ll also notice the second major design choice for this camera. There isn’t a Leica red logo emboldened on the faceplate of the camera. In fact, the entire camera is devoid of any coloration, except for some modest white lettering on the top and back. Well, actually, there are two very small spots of red on the M11-D. There is a red letter “A” on the shutter speed dial that is stationed adjacent to the top mounted hot shoe. Plus, there is another red letter “A” on the aforementioned rear-mounted ISO dial. Hmm, there is a classic literature reference to wearing a red letter “A.” Hopefully, the M11-D doesn’t suffer a fate similar to that of Hester Prynne!
The sole spots of color on the new Leica Camera M11-D are two red letter “As.”
Finally, the last extraordinary design trait of this 60-megapixel rangefinder is that it has undergone a significant weight loss program. By dumping that LCD and its associated controls, the M11-D has slimmed down to a svelte 540g of photographic greatness. Oh, and that includes the battery. That’s less than carrying two Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max smartphones in your pocket. Oh, snap, you DO have to carrying your smartphone with you AND the Leica Camera M11-D. So much for saving excess weight.
By eliminating the rear LCD from the M11-D, Leica Camera has significantly reduced the overall weight of the camera.
Regardless, the all-metal Leica M11-D comes equipped with 256GB worth of internal storage, so you won’t need to carry any digital storage media with you. As an aside, the previously cited Pixii rangefinder also features fixed internal storage. The new Leica Camera M11-D retails for $9,395 and you can, remarkably, join a waitlist for its debut
