M11 Monochromvs Ricoh GR IIIx
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
Ricoh
Ricoh GR IIIx (2021)
Starting from £999 new
Best for Street portraits & reportage
View Ricoh GR IIIx
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 Portraits & Reportage — Ricoh GR IIIx (2021): APS-C in a shirt pocket with a 40mm perspective — the GR IIIx is the ideal street portrait compact for photographers who want a slightly tighter frame.
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 IIIx (2021)
- Street photographers who want the most pocketable APS-C camera available
- Ricoh GR III owners who prefer a 40mm equivalent over 28mm
- Travel photographers who want one discreet camera that fits anywhere
- Photographers who want a pocketable backup to a larger mirrorless system
Quick take: The m11 monochrom has the highest resolution at 60mp; the ricoh gr iiix is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11 Monochrom (2023) | Ricoh GR IIIx (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £999 |
| 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) | 262g |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 111.2 × 61.4 × 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 40mm-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 IIIx |
|---|---|---|
| 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 →
More comparisons with M11 Monochrom
Camera family history