M11 Monochromvs Leica Q3
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
Leica
Leica Q3 (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Travel, street & premium compact shooters
View Leica Q3
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Travel, Street & Premium Compact Shooters — Leica Q3 (2023): 60MP, Summilux 28mm, IBIS, and weather sealing — the Q3 is the ultimate fixed-lens camera for those who can justify the cost.
Who should buy what
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
Leica Q3 (2023)
- Photographers who want a fixed-lens full-frame camera with no compromises
- Q2 owners upgrading to articulating screen and improved autofocus
- Travel photographers who want one premium compact that does everything
- Street and documentary photographers who want Leica quality without changing lenses
Quick take: The m11 monochrom has the highest resolution at 60mp; the leica q3 is the most affordable; only the leica q3 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11 Monochrom (2023) | Leica Q3 (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.3MP | 60.0MP |
| Video | — | 8K/30p, 4K/60p, C4K/60p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) | Phase-detect AF with subject/face/eye detection |
| Stabilisation | — | 5.5-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 15fps |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | 380 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 530g (body only) | 743g |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification | 0.787" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots |
| Screen | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots | 3.0" fixed touchscreen |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Fixed Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C 3.1, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11 Monochrom | Leica Q3 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Sports & Action | ||
| Vlogging & Video |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history