jkspepper photography - 9 Months with the Leica M11-P

But First, Some Context..

Why did I buy a Leica? It’s a short story but one which may lend some context to the following words on this page. For years Leica didn’t even enter my mindspace, I didn’t hate it nor did I like it. I just had no opinions on it. Perhaps I tend towards stoicism but Leica brand, cameras or people affected my life not a single iota, so who cared.

However after discovering the joy of photography again through the Sony RX1 (read my words on this elsewhere on this site), and eventually landed with a X-Pro2 - these would be my cameras of choice for 13 and 9 years respectively. Why one may ask, did I decide to stick to the two most notoriously deficient camera systems when I could be rocking Sony A7 somethings, Canon R-whats and Nikon Z-zero Fs given? Honestly because they were fun. Simples.

But 13 and 9 years is a very long time to use one set of cameras and eventually, come 2024 my eyes started to wander. I’d given up all hope of a RX1 successor (the M2 wasn’t it) and X-Pro2 successor (neither was the Pro3). So long winded story, how does that led to the Leica M11-P? Honestly, it was a 'why not' moment. But it stuck around.

Now I had my eyes opened to other cameras, I went through a year long experimentation. Simplifying the journey for brevity.

Fujifilm X-Pro2 led to looking at the Fujifilm GFX 50R (why not see what this MF thing is all about)

Fujifilm GFX 50R led to the Hasselblad X1Dii (these GFX are ugly and heavy, I not going to want to use this)

Hasselblad X1Dii led to the Leica M11-P (this expensive ‘hype’ camera ain’t so bad, Leica is also another hype brand, why not give it a go)

Leica M11-P in January 2025 (let’s see what all the fuss is about) led to the Leica M11-P in October 2025 (it's clearly got issues, but I’m still using it), so here we are

China - Leica M11-P

The Leica M11-P: A Nine-Month Hangover from a Fujifilm X-Pro2 High

January 2025. After nine years with my Fujifilm X-Pro2—a camera that earned its keep on assignments, in downpours, and in the chaos of real life—I decided to "upgrade" to the zenith of the rangefinder world: the Leica M11-P.

Nine months, sixteen cities across nine countries and14,000 shots later, I'm writing this with a nagging feeling. I haven't found a photographic nirvana; I've bought into a very beautiful, very expensive lifestyle accessory.

Let's be clear from the start: the Leica M11-P is a marvel of engineering. It is also, for 90% of the photography most people do, a profoundly impractical piece of jewellery. But I still want to pick it up and shoot with it. What does that say about me?

The Feel: From Workhorse to Show Pony

My X-Pro2 was a tool. It had scuffs, worn-down dial lettering, and a grip shaped by my hand. It was designed to be used, and it showed.

The M11-P is a luxury object. It arrives in a presentation box that feels like it should contain a watch. The brass-and-magnesium body is cold and perfect, dense and whispers good taste. The red dot is a beacon announcing your financial (if not necessarily photographic) commitment. Carrying it feels less like preparing for a shoot and more like accessorising an outfit.

Holding it, you don’t feel like a photographer so much as a curator of moments. The shutter release is so sensitive I’ve taken several photos merely by thinking the word "now." And the famed shutter sound? It's quieter than my disappointment when I realise I’ve missed focus again.It’s a marvel of silence, perfect for capturing a sleeping cat or a particularly still lamppost. The shutter is indeed incredible, but it also feels a bit… precious. My Fuji’s shutter had a satisfying, functional sound. The Leica’s is a whisper in a gallery, afraid to disturb the ambiance.

For anything requiring spontaneity, its very refinement can feel like a constraint.

Hong Kong - Leica M11-P

China - Leica M11-P

Hong Kong - Leica M11-P

Japan - Leica M11-P

Hong Kong - Leica M11-P

Japan - Leica M11-P

The Heart of the Matter: The Ritual vs. The Result

The X-Pro2’s hybrid finder was a Swiss Army knife. It was designed to get the shot. Need to manually focus a vintage lens? Peaking and the ERF had your back. Shooting in wildly changing light? The EVF showed you exactly what you'd get. It was a non nonsense photographer's tool, functional not fancy.

The Leica’s optical rangefinder is a religious ritual. It demands purity. You must slow down. You must zone focus. You must "learn to see." This is all very romantic until you're trying to capture a fleeting expression and the patch is a blurry mess in low light. In low light, it becomes a philosophical debate about what "sharp" really means. I’ve spent more time focusing this lens than I have my actual life goals.

The cult of the rangefinder often mistakes limitation for virtue. The Fujifilm solved a problem; the Leica insists the problem is a feature. For static subjects, it's a meditative joy. For anything that moves with purpose, it's a handicap you learn to tolerate.

But it is a brilliant way to take pictures, provided your subject is prepared to hold a pose and discuss Proust. The cult-like reverence for this archaic system is understandable, but let's not pretend it's the most efficient way to get a shot.

The Image: The Emperor's New Clothes

Let's talk about the files. The M11-P’s 60MP DNGs are technically impeccable. The dynamic range is fantastic. They are also, for any online use or standard print size, almost indistinguishable from a well-processed file from my 24MP X-Pro2.

However the infamous magenta shift is real, every file has this mess of a purple hue all over that required dedicated editing of every. single. file. It reminds me of my Sony A7R days and the way that camera system worse we down with its incessant need to edit. every. single. file. that I eventually sold all my Sony gear and moved to Fujifilm. It does feel odd to be back in this situation again, this time of my own making and many dollars down.

The Leica "look" is the most debated topic in photography forums. I see it: there's a depth, a micro-contrast. But is it a $9,000 difference? Or is it the psychological effect of knowing you're looking at a $9,000 image? My best M11-P shots are stunning. So were my best X-Pro2 shots. The law of diminishing returns has never been more violently apparent. The Leica file is a blank canvas, but so is the Fujifilm's RAW file. The Leica just comes with a gilded frame.

The M11-P Specifics: "P" for Prestige

The Content Credentials is a solution looking for a problem for most working photographers. It’s a talking point, a nod to ethics that feels more like corporate virtue signalling than a practical tool. It is a noble effort to bring truth to photography though. My main use for it so far has been to cryptographically prove that I, and only I, am responsible for that terribly out-of-focus photo of a pigeon.

The sapphire glass screen is brilliant. I’ll give it that. It’s the one feature that feels genuinely over-built for a real-world problem. The rest of the "P" upgrades feel curated for the collector, not the shooter.

Japan - Leica M11-P

Hong Kong - Leica M11-P

China - Leica M11-P

Hong Kong - Leica M11-P

Vietnam - Leica M11-P

Hong Kong - Leica M11-P

The Uncomfortable Truth: It's About the Brand, Not the Shot

I don't miss the Fujifilm's autofocus; I mourn it. Even though Fujifilm autofocus is notorious amongst the major camera brands for not be that great, it was straightforward and practical and I miss grabbing a shot I would have never gotten with the Leica. I've lost a type of photography, and in return, I've gained… compliments on my camera from other middle-aged men in coffee shops.

I miss the freedom. With the Fujifilm, if I dropped it or it got stolen, it was a setback. With the Leica, it's a catastrophe. It has to be insured, babied, and constantly watched. It’s a liability as much as it is a tool.

I've gained a conversation piece. I've gained entry into an exclusive club. I've gained the quiet satisfaction of owning a "forever" object. But as a photographic tool? For the price of the M11-P body, I could have bought two more top-tier Fujifilm bodies and every lens I ever wanted, with a trip to Japan to shoot them.

Verdict: The Beautiful Delusion

The Leica M11-P hasn't made me a better photographer. It has made me a slower, more deliberate, and more frustrated one. It has replaced the joy of capturing a moment with the anxiety of mastering a difficult instrument.

The X-Pro2 was a partner in crime, a reliable workhorse that empowered me to create. The M11-P is a high-maintenance muse. It demands that you play by its ancient rules and perform its rituals, all while reminding you of its exorbitant cost.

Do I love it? In a way. It’s a piece of art. But I am no longer convinced that it's a superior tool. For the photographer who sees the world through a viewfinder and not a balance sheet, the leap to a Leica is less a technical upgrade and more a lifestyle choice—one that trades practical excellence for the intoxicating, and often illusory, aura of prestige.

The key however, is despite knowing, acknowledging and accepting the reality of the Leica brand, hype and limitations. I still choose to pick it up over the X-Pro2. I love my X-Pro2 despite it's rather well known short-comings; I'm also slowly getting to love the M11-P despite it's rather well known (but not oft-widely acknowledged) shortcomings too.

Recommendation

If you care more about the final image than the process. Don't buy one. If you want to have some fun and look good whilst doing it. go give it a whirl.

Hong Kong - Leica M11-P

The serious 'proper' review stuff

The stuff any actual potential buyer should know..

The Bad

- the start-up time is outrageously slow. Turning the camera from off to on or standby is ridiculously idiotic in this day and age, honestly it's 1997 levels of slow, so obscene that it almost makes me not want to use the camera and will miss shots because the camera was not ready. This is why I still have other cameras. IT'S STUPID

- the out of camera colours are rubbish. If you edit raws then you won't care. If you don't mind apply Leica Lux filters using the fotos app to every photo, then you also won't care but I if you just want to use them, then you'll have basic point and shoot colours. Be warned.

- USB charging port on bottom of camera is pants

- the SD card in battery compartment is entry-level camera thinking

- random bugs and freezes, sometimes it won't charge using USB; sometimes it won't turn on; sometimes it just hangs and won't turn off; each fixed by a battery pull

The Good

- battery life is insane (if you don't expect to chimp often)

- battery charging is fast

- the Leica fotos app is actually good and fast