M11-Dvs A1
Leica
M11-D (2024)
Starting from £8195 new
Best for Street, documentary & photographic purists
View M11-D
VS
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
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.
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
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
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The m11-d has the highest resolution at 60mp; the a1 is the most affordable; only the a1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11-D (2024) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,195 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS — 64GB internal storage | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 60.0MP | 50.1MP |
| Video | None — this is a stills-only camera | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus only — rangefinder coupled focusing | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | None — manual rangefinder camera | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4.5fps | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 530g body only | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 138.9 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder viewfinder — 0.73× magnification | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | None — no rear LCD by design | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Leica M-mount — compatible with all M lenses | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 64GB internal + SD UHS-II slot | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11-D | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding | — |
More comparisons with M11-D
Camera family history