M11 Monochromvs Sony A9 III
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
Sony
Sony A9 III (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Sports & action professionals
View Sony A9 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.
Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
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
Sony A9 III (2023)
- Professional sports photographers who need zero blackout and 120fps burst
- Wildlife photographers who demand the most advanced Sony AF available
- Photojournalists who need flash sync at any shutter speed
- A9 II owners upgrading to the world's first full-frame global shutter
Quick take: The m11 monochrom has the highest resolution at 60mp; the sony a9 iii is the most affordable; only the sony a9 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | M11 Monochrom (2023) | Sony A9 III (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £8,300 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | 60.3MP | 24.6MP |
| Video | — | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | — | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 120fps blackout-free electronic |
| Battery Life | ~700 shots (CIPA) | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 530g (body only) | 703g body only |
| Dimensions | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Leica M-mount | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | M11 Monochrom | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Sports & Action | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — |
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