Leica M11 vs. M10-R vs. M10-M (M10 Monochrome) side-by-side comparison at ISO 12,500 and 25,000 by Onasj:
Here is a quick side-by-side comparison shooting the same live subject with the same lens on the Leica M11, M10-R, and M10-M:
- M10-M with 50 APO @ f/5.6, ISO 12500
- M10-M with 50 APO @ f/8, ISO 25000
- M10-R with 50 APO @ f/5.6, ISO 12500
- M10-R with 50 APO @ f/8, ISO 25000
- M11 with 50 APO @ f/5.6, ISO 12500
- M11 with 50 APO @ f/8, ISO 25000
The images were shot handheld (but at 1/4000 s – 1/8000 s while the subject was mostly asleep so motion blur is not an issue). The M11 images were scaled down to the same size of the M10-R and M10-M images. The RAW images were opened in Photoshop and auto-corrected. A 1800×1800-pixel crop is shown from each image.
Original RAW and cropped JPEG files can be downloaded here.
Special thanks to the live subject’s corporation despite being elderly, feeling sleepy, and having bed head.
Some conclusions:
- The M10-Monochrome continues to be magic with respect to high ISO noise. The M10-M file is cleaner at ISO 25000 than either of the color cameras at ISO 12500. Losing most of your photons to a color filter array clearly comes at a price.
- The M10-Monochrome captures quite a bit more detail than the M10-R at the same ISO.
- The M11 captures noticeably more detail than either the M10-Monochrome or the M10-R at the same ISO, despite the fact that I scaled down the full-sized M11 image to match the size of the images from the other cameras.
- The M11 offers maybe half a stop of reduced high-ISO noise level compared to the M10-R, while capturing more detail. Which is great given that the M10-R is no slouch.
- Colors on the M11 straight out of the camera or after auto-correction are quite a bit more saturated and are also more accurate than with the M10-R. I don’t think this is just RAW tinkering—I believe the revised RGGB color filter array over the M11 sensor actually does a better job capturing realistic colors (not just based on this test but based on shooting a variety of subjects with the M10-R and the M11).
- All the cameras are pretty amazing given that I was shooting at ISO 12500 and 25000 and capturing loads of fine details. Here is the full scene (M11 @ ISO 12500):
1) Leica M10-M with 50 APO @ f/5.6, ISO 12500:
2) Leica M10-M with 50 APO @ f/8, ISO 25000:
3) Leica M10-R with 50 APO @ f/5.6, ISO 12500
4) Leica M10-R with 50 APO @ f/8, ISO 25000:
5) Leica M11 with 50 APO @ f/5.6, ISO 12500:
6) Leica M11 with 50 APO @ f/8, ISO 25000:
7) Leica M11 with 50 APO @ f/5.6, ISO 12500, converted to B&W simply by desaturating the photo:
8) Leica M11 with 50 APO @ f/8, ISO 25000, converted to B&W simply by desaturating the photo:
Please note that the images in this post are scaled-down. The original RAW and cropped JPEG files can be downloaded here.
