M11 Monochromvs A7R III
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
Sony
A7R III (2017)
Starting from £1799 new
Best for Landscape, studio & commercial photography
View A7R 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.
Landscape, Studio & Commercial Photography — A7R III (2017): The camera that converted professionals to mirrorless — 42MP, IBIS, and 10fps in a body that still competes today.
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
A7R III (2017)
- Landscape and studio photographers who need 42MP resolution at a used-price discount vs A7R IV
- Canon/Nikon DSLR professionals considering a mirrorless switch at a lower investment
- Commercial and product photographers who want full-frame resolution with IBIS for handheld work
- Portrait photographers who want the sharpest possible full-frame files for large print work
Quick take: The m11 monochrom has the highest resolution at 60mp; the a7r iii is the most affordable; only the a7r iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11 Monochrom (2023) | A7R III (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £1,799 |
| Sensor | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) | 42.4MP full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.3MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | — | 4K/30p (full-frame readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) | 399 phase-detect + 425 contrast AF points — real-time Eye AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS — 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 530g (body only) | 650g body only |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification | EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots | 3.0" touchscreen, tilting |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage | Dual SD slots (one UHS-II) |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic jack |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11 Monochrom | A7R III |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Casual | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| 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