Leica M11 - 1st Review(English)

Is a 60-Megapixel, Image Stabilizer-Free Rangefinder Snap-shooter Possible or Not?

日本語記事

There will be many reviews of the Leica M11 around the world, but most of them will be about…

USB-C charging
The first Leica rangefinder without image stabilization to exceed 60 megapixels
The loss of the base plate
The black model is now as light as the M6.
ISO64, shutter speed, etc.
The ability to use ISO64, shutter speed, etc.

This time I would like to focus on the story of the combination M11 with Apo-Summicron-M 1:2/35mm ASPH.

On the lens introduction page of the Leica.com(US) official website, there is an article.

British photographer Huw John found the APO-Summicron-M 35 f/2 ASPH. equally suited to capturing portraits. “It’s amazing how thin the depth of focus is. You get insane focus on the eyelashes, then it drops off. Looking at this 100% crop, I would swear that it could have been taken with a focal length of 85 or even 105 mm!”

leica.com

I felt the same way with the M10-R, especially when it came to cropping. Needless to say, M-type Leica cameras cannot autofocus, nor can they zoom. In such a situation, the best It can do is "snap". The question of "which lens to take out" is a profound and contradictory problem when snapping with the M-type Leica. If you carry a lot of single focal length lenses, the camera-bag will become heavy and the advantages of the M system, such as mobility, will be lost. On the other hand, there is nothing more frustrating in photography than not being able to get the shot you want at the chance.

In this situation, the lightness of carrying only the M10-R + Apo-Summicron-M 1:2/35mm ASPH. was outstanding. However, my feeling was that cropping the M10-R's 40 megapixels from 35mm to 105mm would be good for social networking, but I couldn't get rid of my concerns about printing. Well, I guess it won't be a big problem in practice. ....

Then there is the 60 megapixels of the M11. Even if the focal length is tripled to 105mm, it would be possible to print up to a reasonable size.

To give it a try, compare the original M11 photo taken with 60 megapixels with the cropped photo. The photos were taken with DNG and developed with LightRoom CC.

M11 + Apo-Summicron-M 2/35 ASPH. Original photo.

M11 + Apo-Summicron-M 2/35 ASPH. Cropping from 35mm to 105mm.

What do you think? I apologize for the Out of focus "HARIO" lettering, but I was in a hurry, so please forgive me.

The Apo35M can get as close as 30cm without a ring, so it can be used like a 105mm half macro.

I think it would not be a bad idea to propose such a life with an M-type Leica and a super high quality lens. It is a small camera weighing only about 1 kg that can shoot from 35mm to 105mm and can get close. In addition, the ultra high image quality makes it suitable for snapshots.

So, is a 60-megapixel Snap-shooter a good idea or not? The answer is "yes" or "no". The answer to this question was given by Leica itself with the advance release of the Apo-Summicron-M 2/35 ASPH.

The my next desire is the M11-R with 80 megapixels and the Apo-Summicron-M f2/28mm ASPH. The shortest distance is 20cm.

If you like, please check out my photo collection taken mainly with Leica M10.
THE TIME TRAVELER Shinya Takei Photo Collection - Amazon Japan