Leica M11 Monochrom vs Sigma sd Quattro H

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica M11 Monochrom and the Sigma sd Quattro H, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Leica M11 Monochrom was introduced in April 2023 and Sigma sd Quattro H was introduced in February 2016. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica M11 Monochrom over Sigma sd Quattro H.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sigma sd Quattro H over Leica M11 Monochrom.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Leica M11 Monochrom and Sigma sd Quattro H have 3.0" Fixed screens with 2,333k dot and 1,620k dot resolutions respectively. Leica M11 Monochrom also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment

Viewfinder

Leica M11 Monochrom has a built-in Optical (rangefinder) viewfinderSigma sd Quattro H has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

Leica M11 Monochrom features a 60.3 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.8 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 855.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 50,000. Sigma sd Quattro H features a 44.8 megapixel APS-H CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor with dimensions of 26.6 x 17.9 mm and a total area of 320.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400.

Leica M11 Monochrom has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Leica M11 Monochrom is equipped with Maestro III processor and can take pictures up to 9528 x 6328 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like (M) 7413 x 4928, (S) 5272 x 3498 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Sigma sd Quattro H is equipped with Dual TRUE III processor and can take pictures up to 6200 x 4152 resolution.

Lens Mount

Leica M11 Monochrom has Leica M lens mount and Sigma sd Quattro H has Sigma SA lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Leica M11 Monochrom its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to APS-H sensor in Sigma sd Quattro H its crop factor is equal to 1.3x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.3.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sigma sd Quattro H

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sigma sd Quattro H. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Leica M11 Monochrom it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sigma sd Quattro H nothing can be done. On Sigma sd Quattro H it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Leica M11 Monochrom nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Leica M11 Monochrom

Leica M11 Monochrom has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Leica M11 Monochrom

Leica M11 Monochrom has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.2) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Leica M11 Monochrom comes with BC-SCL7 battery pack with battery life of 700 shots and Sigma sd Quattro H comes with BP-61 battery pack.

External Storage Slots

Leica M11 Monochrom has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) [2 TB Maximum] card slot. Sigma sd Quattro H has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Leica M11 Monochrom has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica M11 Monochrom, and up to 1/4000 sec on Sigma sd Quattro H. Leica M11 Monochrom can shoot continuously up to 4.5 fps. Sigma sd Quattro H can shoot continuously up to 3.8 fps.

Focusing

Leica M11 Monochrom has Sigma sd Quattro H has 9 focusing points. Sigma sd Quattro H has detection range from -1 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sigma sd Quattro H ranges from 0 to +17 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Leica M11 Monochrom and ±5 EV range on Sigma sd Quattro H. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Leica M11 Monochrom and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sigma sd Quattro H.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe to Leica M11 Monochrom and via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Sigma sd Quattro H. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on both cameras.

Leica M11 Monochrom body has dimensions of 139 x 39 x 80 mm (5.47 x 1.54 x 3.15") and Sigma sd Quattro H body has dimensions of 147 x 95 x 91 mm (5.79 x 3.74 x 3.58"). Leica M11 Monochrom weighs 640 g (1.41 lb / 22.58 oz) and Sigma sd Quattro H weighs 635 g (1.40 lb / 22.4 oz).

Leica M11 Monochrom

Sigma sd Quattro H

139 mm

39 mm

147 mm

95 mm

39 mm

95 mm

80 mm

91 mm