M11 Monochromvs Ricoh GR III
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
Ricoh
Ricoh GR III (2019)
Starting from £899 new
Best for Street photography & urban reportage
View Ricoh GR III
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.
Street Photography & Urban Reportage — Ricoh GR III (2019): The purest street photography compact — APS-C sensor, 28mm perspective, IBIS, and cult-favourite JPEG rendering in a shirt pocket.
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
Ricoh GR III (2019)
- Street photographers who want a classic 28mm perspective in a pocketable body
- Documentary photographers who want a discreet, fast APS-C compact
- GR IIIx buyers who prefer the wider 28mm field of view
- Anyone who wants serious APS-C image quality without carrying a bag
Quick take: The m11 monochrom has the highest resolution at 60mp; the ricoh gr iii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11 Monochrom (2023) | Ricoh GR III (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £899 |
| 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) | Hybrid contrast/phase-detect AF with subject detection |
| Stabilisation | — | 4-stop IBIS (Shake Reduction) |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 4fps |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | 200 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 530g (body only) | 257g |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 109.4 × 61.9 × 33.2mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | No |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification | None |
| Screen | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots | 3.0" fixed touchscreen |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Fixed 28mm-equiv f/2.8 lens |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage | Single SD UHS-I |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11 Monochrom | Ricoh GR III |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Documentary | — |
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