A camera that only shoots black & white photos, only uses manual focus lenses, can’t shoot video, lacks most modern digital camera features and costs an eye-watering $9,195 / £8,300 / AU$14,990 body only. Take that in for a moment, then ask yourself, could I part with that much cash, plus extra for lenses that in some cases cost almost as much as the camera itself, when the camera can only perform a fraction of the functions that even entry-level examples of the best mirrorless cameras can?
The Leica M11 Monochrom is the fourth generation of the luxury German brand’s M-series Monochrom cameras produced over eleven years. It may sound incomprehensible, but there’s clearly a market for these highly niche and, indeed, expensive prestige cameras. I can’t help but think that the attraction lies within the build quality, beautiful design, excellent image quality and also the more traditional shooting experience Leica cameras so eloquently deliver, but I’m still baffled by them.
