So let's address the elephant in the Leica room... the whole manual for the no officially confirmed Leica M11-D has just been dropped online via LeicaRumors
While I think it might be a blow for Leica's launch plans – a new major updated and specialist camera being dropped into the world wide web before launch – it's a joy to me and many other users of the Leica brand to hear this novel camera seems destined to be on the way to market with an official manual!
Suppose you're aiming to replicate the "shooting film" experience with digital cameras. In that case, you've probably tried various methods: limiting your shots to 24 or 36, using a low-capacity SD card, or shooting exclusively in black-and-white to evoke that timeless nostalgia. The Leica M11-D combines all of this into the digital age, with an analog vision, and yes I want one.
Now, I know many of you might think I'm crazy for wanting one, and Leica is crazy for making them but, honestly, when Leica releases the M11-D, it could be the ideal digital companion to my Leica M2 and my CCD sensor-based Leica M-E.
Maybe I’m drawn to it because of its quirkiness and its defiance of convention, but either way, I believe owning and using one day in and day out would be a total joy. At this point, I don't just want one, I NEED one!
So what does this manual 'confirm' (assuming it's not an elaborate hoax)?
1. The rear dial on the back is the ISO dial as we saw on the original Leica M-D, which I and many others will be thrilled about!
2. It will have the popular frame lines of 35mm/135 mm, 50mm/75 mm, and 28mm/90mm lenses.
3. The externals and dimensions of the M11-D will be identical to that of the Leica M11 – except that the rear screen is gone, of course!
I think this camera will be a very exciting development for Leica. However, I do wish they implemented a few extra things to make it a 'true' analog experience.
One thing I really wish Leica implemented was a tactile shutter-cocking film advance like we have seen on the Epson R-1D – that would be a true masterpiece!
Another thing I saw floating around the internet, which I think would have been a neat idea would be either to restrict the device to 36 images before you have to dump them onto your phone or laptop to continue, or just have jpeg-only.
I know this is a VERY far-out option that would normally never make any sense in any universe, but we are talking about a digital camera without an LCD screen and no in-body means to review your images – very old school (though admittedly a phone changes that).
