Leica M11 vs Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica M11 and the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D, 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 was introduced in January 2022 and Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D was introduced in January 2005. 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 over Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D over Leica M11.

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 has a 3.0" screen with 2,333k dot resolution and Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has a 2.5" screen with 207k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Leica M11 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment

Viewfinder

Leica M11 has a built-in Optical (rangefinder) viewfinderKonica Minolta Maxxum 7D has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. Leica M11 has 100% coverage with 0.73x magnification and Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has 95% coverage with 0.90x (0.60x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Leica M11 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. Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D features a 6 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 246.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200.

Leica M11 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 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. Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D can take pictures up to 3008 x 2000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 2256 x 1496, 1504 x 1000 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Leica M11 has Leica M lens mount and Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has Sony A lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Leica M11 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-C sensor in Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D

Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Leica M11

Leica M11 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

Leica M11 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

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer.

Battery

Leica M11 comes with BC-SCL7 battery pack with battery life of 700 shots and Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D comes with NP-400 battery pack with battery life of 400 shots.

External Storage Slots

Leica M11 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot. Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has a single Compact Flash (Type I/II) card slot.

Shutter

Leica M11 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has Electronically-controlled Vertical-traverse 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, and up to 1/4000 sec on Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D. Leica M11 can shoot continuously up to 4.5 fps. Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Leica M11 and ±3 EV range on Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Leica M11 and exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D.

Flash

Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has a built-in flash and also accepts external flash. Leica M11 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on Leica M11 and 1/160 sec on Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D.

Leica M11 body has dimensions of 139 x 39 x 80 mm (5.47 x 1.54 x 3.15") and Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D body has dimensions of 150 x 106 x 78 mm (5.91 x 4.17 x 3.07"). Leica M11 weighs 640 g (1.41 lb / 22.58 oz) and Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D weighs 845 g (1.86 lb / 29.81 oz).

Leica M11

Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D

139 mm

39 mm

150 mm

106 mm

39 mm

106 mm

80 mm

78 mm