Leica M11

I bought the Leica M11 purely because of its beautiful classic design. Especially the silver version, it looks timeless to me.

The M11 is a ranger finder camera and you have to manual focus. It’s not an easy to use camera, but the analog control slows you down and makes you practice with it if you want to get a decent shot. I am still practicing with it, as the subject matter I shoot is more of street snaps. It actually requires you to respond to scene or a moment very swiftly. Getting the focus right while moving is very hard unless I use zone focusing. It’s said that it’s way faster than the auto-focus if you master the technique.

The one big drawback of this camera I think is the autowhite balance, which is really not reliable. In some lighting conditions, the images will have a more magenta look, which will need to be corrected in light room. I cannot say all the images straight out of the camera will be useable. Maybe it’s because I haven’t master it yet.

Other than that, the M11 is my go-to camera when I am want to go out alone and shoot. The whole process is both daunting and soothing for me. That makes it one of a kind.