M11 Monochromvs A7R IV
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, Studio, Commercial — A7R IV (2019): 61MP in a mirrorless body — the resolution benchmark.
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 IV (2019)
- Landscape photographers who print large
- Studio shooters needing maximum detail
Quick take: The a7r iv has the highest resolution at 61mp; the a7r iv is the most affordable; only the a7r iv is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11 Monochrom (2023) | A7R IV (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) | Full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS 35mm |
| Resolution | 60.3MP | 61.0MP |
| Video | — | 4K 30fps |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) | 567-point phase-detect, real-time tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 10fps |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | 670 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 530g (body only) | 665g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 128.9 × 96.4 × 77.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification | EVF 0.78× 5.76M-dot |
| Screen | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 1.44M-dot |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage | 2× SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type A |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.1, USB-C 3.2 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11 Monochrom | A7R IV |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Architecture | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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