M11 Monochromvs KF
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
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 & Outdoor — KF (2022): The Pentax KF is a rare thing — a weather-sealed DSLR with in-body stabilisation and an articulating screen at an accessible price. Video is modest at 1080p/60p, but for outdoor and landscape photographers who prefer optical viewfinders and want real weather sealing, the KF delivers in a format that is increasingly hard to find.
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
KF (2022)
- Outdoor and landscape photographers who want weather sealing at an accessible price
- DSLR users who want IBIS and an articulating screen without switching systems
- Pentax K-mount lens collectors who want a modern body for their glass
- Photographers who prefer the natural feel of an optical viewfinder
Quick take: The m11 monochrom has the highest resolution at 60mp; the kf is the most affordable; only the kf is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11 Monochrom (2023) | KF (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £700 |
| Sensor | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.3MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | — | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) | SAFOX 13 phase-detect AF with 11 points |
| Stabilisation | — | In-body Shake Reduction (SR II), up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 6fps |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | ~410 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 530g (body only) | 643g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 131.0 × 101.0 × 76.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification | Optical pentamirror, 0.95× magnification, ~100% coverage |
| Screen | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Pentax KF-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11 Monochrom | KF |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Casual | ||
| Sports & Action | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wildlife | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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