The skin tones from some of the work you created with the Fuji XPro 3 are so beautiful…and the colors so rich and vibrant. Photographers use different tools, cameras etc, throughout their lives. The Leica is a beautiful tool, as is the Hasselblad and some of the Fujis. Here’s to creating work we love with any tool. Thanks for sharing your insights! ❤️
So this is the successor to the X-Pro3! I've only seen rave reviews for this camera, so congrats on this new experience. Really appreciated that "disclaimer" at the end. Actually I'm always appreciative of how you couch every review as a means for your craft, rather than a gear-focused one. Very inspiring!
Well it’s been 2 months for me and the M11 is more loved after each job a do. I shoot professionally for major clients and this camera delivers better then any camera I’ve ever owned. As far as the battery- I purchased 2 extra and have yet to use them at a job.
Fantastic video, the review was great but what really got me was your message at the end. It's not about the gear, it about what you do with it and how creative you are. There's a reason I follow this channel. I feel like you're the only channel really talking about photography and not just gear. Keep up the great work! and thanks for thanking us twice.
I appreciate that man, thank you. Slowly making my way to showcase more of the photography so it means a lot when people resonate with the intentions. Thanks for watching 🙏🏾
Excellent, thank you for the detail and thoughtfulness. Not only is this a review of a camera, but also some inspiration for an attitude and philosophy towards photographic practice.
Appreciate your thoughts and reasoning for the transition completely logical. I went from Leica MD typ262 to xpro3 and miss the Leica colors so much, files out the gate are so natural to the eye. Also new users can always acquire older models like m10 for $4500 on the used market I think that’s fair considering the value will hold up and the experience. Once again thanks for the video. 🙏🏾
Great video Gajan But. At the end of the day. Light, you and a camera is all is needed for an spectacular photograph. That’s I appreciated your thoughts and enthusiasm
I dont understand how you don't have more subscribers! You have solid content and I enjoy all your videos! Can't wait till you get to 100k! I will share ur channel for sure!
2nd time watching this video and your sensibility and reasoning behind using this camera is as fair and straightforward as they come. Easily the best M11 review on here but I gotta remove some points for that flip screen comment. 🤣🙅🏾♂️ Beautiful work brother and happy to see more people shooting great photos with Leica in this space. Looking forward to some street videos with this!
Man, thank you brother. And for what it’s worth I was gonna put a the lost TV service bars half way through that segment 😂 But screw it, I’m sticking to it! Hahaha. Next trips are gonna be a whole different story with this kit.
What a great video Gaian. I would LOVE to try this, but I fear the worst if I did. I am a huge Fujifilm fan, but last year I sold my GFX50R and lenses and got a Leica Q2 as ‘my’ camera alongside my X series gear for weddings. I love the Q2 so much, it makes me wanna try more Leica but I cant as I don’t want to go down that road. Keep up the good YT content- always fantastic
Love the video. It's actually a load of nonsense that a lower megapixel count would have less noise. Definitely while using the same sensor. It does not change the way it captures light, it just changes drastically the possibility to see details, and as such also noise. But when you compare jpegs or prints or whatever at "normal" viewing sizes, the high megapixel sensors always look better. Always. I print night photography files of my A7rIV large and no one ever complains about noise. Even when its shot at high iso ranges
Great review Gajan, was waiting in anticipation. Your Moroccan video was also inspiring , your productions are great, looking forward to follow your journey. And by the way M11 is a dream camera and I love the pics and the philosophy behind the review. Keep it up …
I had my dad’s 90s M6 when I headed to college in the early 2000s. I had no interest in digital photography until I saw the M9. My goodness Leica is on-fire & the M11 is unbelievable. One of my favorite features is the compressed lossless files that are usually about 70MB for lossless 60MPX files. What I hate about it is the 2-second startup … even when it sleeps it takes 2-seconds to wake!!
Outstanding video, really enjoyed it. Love your presentation, very easy to follow and you don’t waste words like some you tubers. your work is fantastic. I’d love to know what was the telephoto lens you were using in the studio? Thanks for the great job.
keep the great work. I prefer to see your work over gear talk anyway. I've mostly moved away from gear review channels, save for DPReviews since those guys do it with personality and humor. Looking forward to what your channel turns into.
It’s interesting to see where Leica goes with this new strategy for the M Line. I won’t be surprised to see a flip screen and maybe, just maybe some interesting prosumer features like ..Ibis?! Great review, Gajan👍
I only just started using the highlight metering mode on my Sony, and now I wish every camera had it. I'd love to see Leica crib that feature. Nice video; killer photos.
Great review. I am convinced. Will be my first digital M since the M9. So far I've always been disappointed in the digital files (from Leica and Fuji), when compared to even 35mm film, but this looks promising. I was going to get the 10-R because I don't like the new shutter mechanics (4 clicks instead of 2 for each shot), but you and Stockezy might have me convinced to go for the 11.
I am not so surprised that this would replace the xpro3, I looked hard at the xpro3 but found the controls a step back from the xpro2 despite the technical improvements. As a former leica film camera user, I am always tempted to look in Leica's direction again but I can't justify the cost in any shape or form...the Leica aesthetic is great, but it's cost and single mindedness are huge detractors. Thanks for your insights!
Have to agree with the Fuji app man, I wondered if they have like a 10 dollars annual budget for their app department. I do hope owning a Leica in the feature. Right now though, can’t justify over other stuff in life….
I think that the quality of the glass, and the color rendering that you describe here really make Leica special IMO. That combined with the unique shooting experience of an M that may or may not fit certain people. I haven't gotten to your conclusion yet, but I can say that you really made this thing sing in your hands. These are some of my personal favorite images you've shared on this platform so it seems like it's really gels with the way you like to shoot. Very well done so far.
Awesome video, gorgeous photos, I love the direction this channel is going. So, the message I’m hearing (as an X-T2 shooter) is this: Stop pixel peeping and get out there and create! Appreciate the camera for what it is, a well built mid-range camera (that I can afford) with a great user experience.
one thing with the leica is seeing how one can connect your phone to the camera with a wire so dont need to bother with wireless tech/system that can cause problems. Fuji could desides improving the app, but also add a wired connection option which should be able to transfer photos faster anyways.
When camera brands pay for videos, it’s for content on their own channel. They don’t go around paying people to do reviews, they have a loaner pool for that. And no, this wasn’t a loaner.
Gajan, I've been following your channel for a while. Learned about you from Jason aka Stockezy and I appreciate your perspective as an actual professional photographer when discussing gear. That said, I too am a Fujifilm film shooter and exclusively shoot with the X-Pro3 and all manual lenses. A combination of vintage and newer glass. The big revelation for me over the past year has been to shift away from Fujinon autofocus lenses to adapted M lenses, mostly Voigtlander paired with my X-Pro3. How M glass renders on the X-Trans sensor is noticeably different from what you get from native XF lenses. I'm curious to know if you've ever adapted your M glass and used it on your X-Pro3? If not, would you consider making a video about that combination and sharing your thoughts? Mind you, I shoot with a Leica CL as well. I like it but the X-Pro3 is a better camera in just about every way to the CL. However, I do like the natural colours from the DNG files. I won't lie. I look forward to your response.
Thanks for sharing! I did get the adapter and tried the experience and it made for a fun time. The results were rewarding but overall, it kinda of just made me wanting more? If that makes sense. It’s a weird thing to admit but even though the shots were unique, it further planted the seeds of a owning a Leica body and having the full rangefinder experience. I don’t think this is necessary for everyone but just want happened for me. Thanks for watching 🙏🏾
@@GajanBalan what you stated makes perfect sense. Once you're inside the Leica ecosystem it's addictive just like with the Fujifilm ecosystem. You don't know what you're missing until you know. I don't have a use case for the M11 but I'm selling my CL and using those funds to purchase an M10. Keep shooting brother and making great content.
@@venom2k2 I've never tried it. I only have Voigtlander M mount lenses in my kit because I can use them across the three mirrorless bodies in my kit, X-Pro3, Leica M10, and LUMIX S5. Can't use X mount lenses on any system other than Fujifilm unfortunately.
Dawg, every time you make a video like this is run to my bank app just to make sure I didn’t spend anything yet lol. Thank you for the informative review and giving me something to really save up for!
Red dot forum said that the best performance for the leica m11 is the 60mp unless you need some space on your memory card then you can use the lower megapixels option is helpful and also the buffering if your shoot burst that only the use of it right now that's what they said nice review bro.
@@GajanBalan yup thanks to your experience many leica m11 reviewers out there is not honest and they are paid or something and didn't mentioning what red dot forum said and yours only saying the nice things about the leica m11 and I'm happy to watch your review about it same experience and honest review about the product 👍📸😁
old school photographer hate innovation, because it steps away from what they're used to. this is an improvement from other digital Ms, this camera is gonna be a beast in the industry
60 megapixels with a rangefinder will lead to a lot of this 14:23 and probably the most common rebuttal to why anyone would want so many pixels and yet, this out of focus image still looks really great. Kinda like the soft focus, actually
I really want to justify Leica. Having had and sold the Q2, I love the design and heritage behind it. It is premium. BUT until they get a significant upgrade in autofocus performance, I just can't justify the price tag. Some say autofocus is not important and that the camera is for purists, and I get that and actually think that increases the allure of the brand but it is needed for most photographers in out of studio settings. Rooting for Leica and hoping to see an update to autofocus so I can buy again.
Nice review! But 9K for a camera body? I can buy a whole system and two camera bodies and multiple lenses and still have some cash in my pocket! I can wait to see what Fuji brings to the table with its higher resolution camera. Since I’m doing mostly street now I don’t need it. But I would definitely like to see what I can do with other genres like nature and architecture. 🖖
go for 100s and two primes :D Leica is not the best in image quality, it's a camera that you either love it or hate it. If you love it... it's worth every penny (sadly), if you don't like it... you wouldn't shoot it if you got it for free. Want the best IQ... go for gfx100s, want most universal camera that you will have forever buy sony a1, Canon r5 is cheaper option that is almost there. Want something light and good iq, go for fuji x system.
@@blazeboy777 I already own the X 100V, XT4 and prime and zooms in Fuji. My biggest problem with Fuji is the auto focus. I also think they could improve on the quality control.
@@benjones8977 ow ok. They are really good cameras, but can't touch full frame or medium format. But up to a4 maybe a3 print... they are in the same ballpark. I love how x cameras look even how they feel, but I was never happy with files nor image quality
@@blazeboy777 The image quality is vastly improved in the XT4, as I find I can crop and still have very good images and even use higher ISO’s. I came from the X pro2 which never had the best image quality. But I also switched from Lightroom to capture one. I will never go back!
@@benjones8977 yeah I mean photos are good, image quality is amazing for crop camera, even dynamic range is amazing. And if you are happy with it, stick! Some of my favorite images came from xpro3. If I never switched to Leica, I would keep it. It’s only a problem once you start using full frame cameras of new era, it’s hard to go back to crop, without feeling that you are skipping on image quality.
Shooting with a longer lens at a slower shutter is tricky, but you work around this as you would with any camera so now I wouldn’t same this is an issue. I think this talk of blurry pictures is a bit exaggerated.
11:42 just curious why you said the out of camera image quality is the closest to reality. I found this hard to believe because when you tested the camera, it definitely had the magenta shift bug (or feature?) which was corrected (or changed?) in the M11-P. Maybe you are setting the white balance yourself manually in the studio so you never noticed the issue?
Maybe I could’ve worded this better but also some of these are edited to taste. The general feeling is that the starting point with respect to colour felt closer to what my eyes are seeing than other popular systems I’ve used (Fuji, Sony, Canon). This is subjective and everyone’s preference will be different. This is more about where the image starts. Hope this helps.
Got to agree on both the flip LCD and implementation of the ISO dial. They could be better for sure. With the dial, just leave it up during a session. Been doing that since I got my first M10 and it does lower the frustration level. Wanting to push it back down is instinctive but learn to fight it. Dial up for the win. The Fotos app may be decent for Apple users but Leica have completely ignored Android users. I use an iPad but my phone is a Fold. The Android version of the app is just sad. Other than that I'm really diggin' the M11. Doesn't make sense on paper. People who make a decision off the specs sheet will never rate it. But there's more to a camera than the numbers.
I have never once had an issue with the Fujifilm app. I think everyone who has an issue uses an Apple product. Everyone who complains about it seems to have Bluetooth issues and it seems to be on apples end. Not so much Fuji's end
@@carlkim2577 1. I’m talking about image quality of the raw file and 2. It really shows the lack of experience when people start mentioning IBIS and DPReview as the crux of their argument. Good luck pal ✌🏾
I don't know how I got here as I know next to nothing about photography, but wouldn't internal storage be a bad idea? It'll go through a lot of write cycles relatively fast especially for pros that will be using it, degrading the internal storage rather quickly and the only way to get it replaced is via Leica themselves and if phones are any example it will likely be a motherboard swap.
I have a question that seems tough to answer, perhaps because few have the camera. Would you ever consider the M10/M10R or hold out for this camera when available? Great review! Did not being able to tether bother you in studio?
I have watched this video multiple times. I really like the model shoots. You have a talent for getting a really a nice response from the models. As a very long time enthusiast and mostly nature photographer this type of work is very different from what I usually look at. I am however seriously thinking about the M11. I have other Leicas so I'm very aware of what the cameras are like. I noticed that you were using a very humble lens (by Leica standards) the 35mm summarit. You Were also using a longer lens. Would you mind sharing What lens that was? Another related question. Would Lenses from other manufacturers like Voightlander or Zeiss be of a quality suitable for the M11? The prices on the upper end faster APO lenses is pretty mind numbing. Thank You for this long term user review it was great and very helpful.
Right now I’m using the 35 and 90 Summarit lenses. The 90 is staying but I hope to switch out the other into a 3 lens kit for my style of shooting. I used to have a voigtlander, but not enough experience to comment on them with detail. For me, I wanted to invest in the glass best designed for the work I do, even if the difference would be marginal. If that makes sense? Thanks for watching ✌🏾
@@GajanBalan Thank you for the reply Gajan. I suspected it was the summarit but wasn't sure. As I move forward in photography I am looking at ways to simplify and lighten my kit. The Leica rangefinders allow this. The one other thing I wish Leica would do is add a category for non Leica lenses under the manual lens selection setting.
In general the photographer is No better than their model…. Put your efforts in that direction. How you get a client To pay for that has always been The mystery. Your insights are Also valuable too. Thank you
Gajan, your photos are stunning. I watched this video more because of how beautiful your works are. Leica is super unfriendly to Android users. So I think Android users need to pay Leica back by ignoring all Leica products. It's not a difficult task, considering that Nikon and Canon make much better cameras overall.
@@GajanBalan Hi Gajan, thanks for sharing…also considering the move to Leica (for film). Curious as to your insights or reasons to go with the Summarit over the newer 35 Summicron APO or a Summilux as that’s where all the hype is.
@@davidgatchalian885 Each lens has a purpose. Sharpness? APO. Falloff? Summilux. Speed? For me is the Summarit where you get great optics with a very short focus throw. Going from near focus to infinity is only about 90 degrees. Great for quick work. Hope this helps!
Leica will never, never, drop the prices. It's their market, Leica is a luxury brand that creates luxury tools. 9000 dollars + 2500 for each lens is just the price of exception, Leica and such brands do not care about those who can't afford because they would lose their image. Selling at higher price allows Leica to raise the price even more at each device and they'll keep selling. I once went to a Leica store in Paris/France and talked for like 2 hours with the store manager, we talked mostly about photography and then the Leica tool because we were both more passionate about photography then the tool and he told me something I'll never forget : "I've been working in Leica stores for years and most of the people who step here to buy a Leica camera, do it just because they can afford, they know nothing about photography and even less about the Leica, they just come here to buy a fashion article to show off, nothing else.". Unfortunately, this is the kind of consumerism that blocks us from being able to afford a tool we dream of. I so agree with you about the app, I've been a Fuji user for quite a long time and just cannot understand how a company can let such a disastrous app exist. We spend thousands of dollars and Euros or whatever for such cameras with connection capabilities and we cannot use those. If you can't develop an app, remove those Bluetooth and WiFi chips, make the cameras cheaper or just open source the protocols and let the community work on an app, I'm pretty sure they'll do wonder.
there is no fact to the statement that this camera does highlight recovery better than most other digital cameras. You would find cameras from Nikon, Sony or Canon that equal or best this one
I remember in one of your statements about the XPro 3 that you used, there was a shutter lag which was fixed AFTER you sent the camera back to Fuji. Do you find the M11 any faster to the trigger than the XPro3? Very curious.
Great video, great camera! Just one question: Why so many people want to screw something on one of the best shutter release buttons? (Please don’t tell me that it improves the feeling)
How do you like the rendering of the 35mm Summarit on your M6? It's one of my favorite lenses I own, but don't have a film M to compare it to my digital M.
Thank you enjoyed the video. Keep hoping someone will keep me from spending all this money. The desire for this smaller form factor keeps on pulling me to pull the trigger though.
They certainly bring an enhanced dynamic range that gets close to what medium format is doing. But at this price point I think I would wait for the replacement for the hasselblad x1d. It'll be cheaper it'll be a larger sensor and it'll have a lot more going for it as far as the user interface and workflow is concerned.
Great review! I just got my M11 a few weeks ago and agree with all your comments. I didn’t expect this much improvement over the M10 in terms of image quality and overall user experience. It’s a plus to see you using Summarit lenses, not those crazier expensive ones Leica offers. I’ve used the 75/2.4 and found it an excellent value for money. Keep up good work! I’ve subscribed and followed your Instagram.
As much as I'd love to sell my kit and switch to Leica, it's not economically feasible. As a wedding photographer(who works with my wife as a second shooter) I'd need at minimum 4 digital Leica bodies, plus the glass for all of them to be able to have a primary and backup body for both of us. Even used, that's still $30,000+. Keeping it on the "someday" list for now.
There are a lot of options especially in the L-mount-system including Sigma lenses and Lumix bodies, and you can always use M lenses on these bodies, too
@@GajanBalan The zero lag I agree with, but SLR and mirrorless are way more accurate for composing. In fact, you physically cannot get more accurate composition than a mirrorless. In rangefinders, you always have to deal with parallax error.
Appreciate your assessment of this camera and your comparison vs. XPro 3. Leica and Leica glass products create stunning photos. In the hands of a professional such as yourself and other pros the camera makes perfect sense.
There’s times I read comments and think, shit… this person might be having a hard go at life. This is one of those comments. I hope things get better for you ✌🏾
@@GajanBalan OMG well played sir! So funny how every time there is a kind of trollish comment, and you go check out the profile of the hater, there is never any content or subscribers!!! So easy to criticize and be negative, much harder to actually do something. I agree, I hope H Ra’s life gets better. ;-)
@@Kamasutralovers I don’t think that’s fair. Just because someone doesn’t like your camera choice doesn’t mean their life sucks.😂 I mean, if you have a big channel, and you switch from Fuji to a $9000 USD Leica, you have to expect criticism. 99.9% of camera buyers are priced out of that switch.
The mass storage possibility is very nice to have but on Fuji for exemple it's only half of it, you can only copy from the sdcard, not to it (on windows) or at least I didn't find the proper way to do it so it's really problematic when not having a sdcard reader to update firmware for example. I just don't trust that awful Fuji app to do this. Regarding the XPRO 3 I totally agree, it's not the rangefinder experience, there's no manual lenses from Fuji and worse : the viewfinder isn't coupled so when a manual lens is attached you have to use the electronic viewfinder, that was a big disappointment to me. Even my old x20 has this. I think the xpro2 had it too.
Although I believe it’s highly unlikely, I still hold out some hope Fujifilm may introduce a true rangefinder experience in the future. Thanks for watching ✌🏾
@@GajanBalan so true, I've been watching the x series since it's inception and had high hopes for the xpro3. For the xpro 4 I'd like a true coupled rangefinder with a mount that allow full contacts for fully manual lenses, a new flip screen that we can hide or show but not like the xt4 one, more buttons cause it's supposed to be a fast camera and it clearly lacks buttons in that department, revamped wheels cause that combined iso/speed is cumbersome and something to make those writings visible at night cause it's just impossible to set up unless one's rely 100% on evf.
@@GajanBalan I honestly didn't expect to see that comparison, it doesn't say on the title. But I'm used to it. I actually like your content, but it's really hard to justify the price gap. Leicas are awesome, but they're very different beasts. Where I live, a Fujifilm X100V would cost me 2 months of work, and the M11 with lens, 39 months. Popular apartments here cost less then this kit. I hope it didn't get it out rude, I didn't mean to offend you or your content. But in my life perspective, it's just comparing having a Toyota to having a Ferrari, and comparing the speed or deliveries. Leica being luxury it's just the reality of most people in the world, even pro photographers.
Nice one! Really enjoyed this Gajan. Am a Fuji & Sony user but you made the best Leica experience video I’ve come across. Enjoyed all 30min. And I look forward to seeing your new direction of videos. I think your audience will enjoy discovering and learning with you. In case you don’t know the RU-vidr Faisal Wescott, I recommend checking him out. He does mostly photography experience videos and keeps growing. Godspeed ✌️
Hey Gajan! First of all congrats for the picture. They're juste amazing :) And thank you for this review, which is well balanced :) I was a little afraid of a conclusion like "this is the best camera of the world bla bla", and I was surprinsing pleased of you "it's just a tool, it won't make you shoot better pictures" and "this is not for everyone". Again thank you :)
@@GajanBalan yea for me, an m10 will do all I need. I shoot mainly my family and street so for that there’s no true need for the m11. Maybe down the road though 👀👀 lol
