Leica’s M11 is a kind of cameras that makes you concentrate on how and why you shoot. It pushes you to decelerate, discover the small print, and actually work a scene as an alternative of blasting by frames. In a world the place you’re flooded with choices, it’s good to know what a digicam like this does in a different way and what it asks of you.
Coming to you from Mike Chudley, this considerate video takes you alongside the coast of Essex with the Leica M11 in hand. Chudley decides to experiment with capturing JPEGs as an alternative of sticking solely with uncooked information, which is uncommon for him. He units the digicam to vivid mode, goes utterly handbook with publicity, and even tweaks issues like noise discount and dynamic vary. The purpose isn’t to argue JPEG versus uncooked, however to indicate how the M11 handles straight-out-of-camera photos and whether or not they can stand on their very own. You get to see how small changes to in-camera processing have an effect on the look of a photograph in real-world capturing.
The essential takeaway isn’t simply whether or not the M11’s JPEGs are usable. It’s how committing to a handbook workflow can change the way in which you have interaction with scenes. Chudley factors out that in a yr and a half of proudly owning the M11, he virtually by no means touched JPEGs, and but right here he finds himself questioning if there’s extra worth in them than anticipated. He additionally highlights how even minor settings, like sharpness or saturation, subtly shift the texture of a photograph. That’s helpful if you happen to ever need a streamlined course of with out relying an excessive amount of on enhancing later.
Key Specs
Sensor: 60.3 MP full body CMOS (9,528 x 6,328)
ISO: 64–50,000
Shutter Speeds: 1/16,000 to 60 s (digital), 1/4,000 to 60 s (mechanical)
Steady Taking pictures: As much as 4.5 fps
Show: 2.95″ fastened touchscreen LCD, 2,332,800 dots
Storage: Single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) plus 64 GB inside reminiscence
Battery: BP-SCL7, approx. 700 photographs
Connectivity: USB-C, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2
Physique: Magnesium alloy, 1.2 lb (physique solely)
What stands out within the video is how the M11 encourages a stability between technical management and inventive play. Chudley takes you thru quiet coastal scenes, working with mild because it shifts, and exhibiting how the digicam’s JPEGs deal with refined variations. You see how altering shutter velocity or aperture on the fly creates completely different moods, and the way the information maintain up even with out edits. The method is about exploration as a lot as outcomes, and it offers you a way of how the M11 behaves once you belief the digicam’s inside processing. Take a look at the video above for the complete rundown from Chudley.
