M11-Dvs D850
Leica
M11-D (2024)
Starting from £8195 new
Best for Street, documentary & photographic purists
View M11-D
VS
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street, Documentary & Photographic Purists — M11-D (2024): A rangefinder with no screen — 60MP, manual focus, total presence. The most focused camera ever made.
Landscape, Wildlife & Professional Studio Photography — D850 (2017): The finest DSLR ever made — 45MP, 9fps, and nearly 2000 shots per charge in a body that still outperforms most mirrorless cameras for battery life.
Who should buy what
M11-D (2024)
- Experienced rangefinder photographers who want to eliminate chimping and be fully present
- M11 users who want to deepen their relationship with the photographic process
- Documentary and street photographers who believe the screen distracts from the moment
- Collectors and Leica enthusiasts who value the philosophy as much as the output
D850 (2017)
- Nikon F-mount lens owners who want the highest resolution DSLR before switching to mirrorless
- Landscape and wildlife photographers who value the optical viewfinder and outstanding battery life
- Professional photographers who need 45MP resolution without the price of a medium format system
- Photojournalists and event photographers with a large F-mount lens investment
Quick take: The m11-d has the highest resolution at 60mp; the d850 is the most affordable; only the d850 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11-D (2024) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,195 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS — 64GB internal storage | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | None — this is a stills-only camera | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus only — rangefinder coupled focusing | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | None — manual rangefinder camera | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 4.5fps | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 530g body only | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 138.9 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder viewfinder — 0.73× magnification | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | None — no rear LCD by design | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount — compatible with all M lenses | Nikon F-mount (FX) |
| Memory Cards | 64GB internal + SD UHS-II slot | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11-D | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Travel | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wildlife | — |
More comparisons with M11-D
Camera family history