Leica M9 vs Leica M11

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Leica M9 and the Leica M11, 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 M9 was introduced in September 2009 and Leica M11 was introduced in January 2022. 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 M9 over Leica M11.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica M11 over Leica M9.

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 M9 has a 2.5" screen with 230k dot resolution and Leica M11 has a 3.0" screen with 2,333k 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

Cameras have built-in Optical (rangefinder) viewfinders. with 0.68x magnification and Leica M11 has 100% coverage with 0.73x magnification.

Leica M9 features a 18.0 megapixel Full Frame CCD sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 2,500. 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 571.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 50,000.

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 M9 can take pictures up to 5212 x 3472 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3840 x 2592, 2592 x 1728, 1728 x 1152, 1280 x 846 with 3:2 aspect ratios. 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.

Lens Mount

Cameras have Leica M lens mount. Due to their Full Frame sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Leica M9

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Leica M9. 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 M9 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Leica M11 nothing can be done. On Leica M11 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Leica M9 nothing can be done.

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.

External Storage Slots

Leica M9 has a single SD/SDHC card slot. Leica M11 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot.

Shutter

Leica M11 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Leica M9, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica M11. Leica M9 can shoot continuously up to 2.0 fps. Leica M11 can shoot continuously up to 4.5 fps.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on both cameras.

Leica M9 body has dimensions of 139 x 80 x 37 mm (5.47 x 3.15 x 1.46") and Leica M11 body has dimensions of 139 x 39 x 80 mm (5.47 x 1.54 x 3.15"). Leica M9 weighs 585 g (1.29 lb / 20.64 oz) and Leica M11 weighs 640 g (1.41 lb / 22.58 oz).

Leica M9

Leica M11

139 mm

80 mm

139 mm

39 mm

80 mm

39 mm

37 mm

80 mm