M11 Monochromvs D850
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
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.
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 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
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 monochrom 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 Monochrom (2023) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.3MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | — | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | — | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 530g (body only) | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Nikon F-mount (FX) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage | 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 Monochrom | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports | — |
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