M11 Monochromvs A7 III
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.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
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
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The m11 monochrom has the highest resolution at 60mp; the a7 iii is the most affordable; only the a7 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11 Monochrom (2023) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.3MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | — | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 530g (body only) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11 Monochrom | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Video | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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