EOS-1D X Mark IIIvs M11 Monochrom
Canon
EOS-1D X Mark III (2020)
Starting from £3500 new
Best for Professional Sports, Wildlife & Press Photography
View EOS-1D X Mark III
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Press Photography — EOS-1D X Mark III (2020): Canon's DSLR masterpiece — 20fps live view, 5.5K RAW, 191 cross-type AF points, and dual CFexpress. Almost certainly the finest optical viewfinder camera ever made.
Black & White Photography — M11 Monochrom (2023): The M11 Monochrom is the finest black-and-white camera in the world. A 60MP sensor with no colour filter array produces sharpness and tonal depth no colour camera can match — combined with extended high-ISO performance. Manual focus, no video, and an extraordinary price make it a specialist instrument, but for dedicated B&W photographers it is unmatched.
Who should buy what
EOS-1D X Mark III (2020)
- Sports and wildlife photographers with a Canon EF lens collection
- Professionals who prefer the optical viewfinder experience
- Press photographers who need 20fps, weather sealing, and Ethernet
- Canon historians who want to mark the end of the EOS-1D DSLR era
M11 Monochrom (2023)
- Dedicated black-and-white photographers who demand the finest possible monochrome files
- Fine art and documentary photographers who work exclusively in B&W
- Leica M system users who want maximum monochrome image quality
- Astrophotographers — monochrome sensors excel at capturing fine star detail
Quick take: The m11 monochrom has the highest resolution at 60mp; the eos-1d x mark iii is the most affordable; only the eos-1d x mark iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS-1D X Mark III (2020) | M11 Monochrom (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,500 | £8,300 |
| Sensor | 20.1MP full-frame CMOS | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) |
| Resolution | 20.1MP | 60.3MP |
| Video | 5.5K RAW, 4K 60fps (crop), 4K 60fps (full-frame via firmware) | — |
| Autofocus | 191-point all cross-type OVF AF; 525-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Live View) | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) |
| Burst Rate | 16fps mechanical, 20fps live view | 5fps |
| Battery Life | ~2850 shots (CIPA) | ~700 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1250g (body only) | 530g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 158 × 167.6 × 82.6mm | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.76× magnification, 100% coverage | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 4.15M dots | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots |
| Mount | Canon EF | Leica M-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B slots | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, Ethernet | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS-1D X Mark III | M11 Monochrom |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Street | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Casual | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with EOS-1D X Mark III
Camera family history