Another quick test by Onasj – Leica M11 vs. Sony a1 vs. Sony a7R V comparison at ISO 12,500:
- Leica M11, 50 APO, f/2, ISO 12500
- Sony a1, 50 GM, f/2, ISO 12800 (scaled up to the same image size of 9,528 pixels wide in Photoshop 2021)
- Sony a7r4, 50 GM, f/2, ISO 12800
- RAW files were opened in Photoshop 2021, auto corrected, then enlarged to 100% and screencapped.
First the Sony a1:
Then the Sony a7R V:
And finally the Leica M11:
Findings:
- Colors with the M11 are indeed rendered differently—more accurately and more vibrantly—than with the M10/-P/-R, which has suffered a bit shooting this test scene in the past at high ISOs.
- The high ISO performance of M11 is outstanding, with less luminance and chroma noise than the Sonys, at least with this workflow. (I couldn’t use Capture One 20 because the color profile for the M11 image ended up very green, which I assume will be fixed over time as the M11 profiles are released).
- Wow that Sony 50/1.2 GM is sharp and very well corrected. It is actually sharper and more apochromatic at f/2 than Leica 50 APO (which I realize sounds like heresy here, but which has been confirmed by others too). Of course it’s a giant lens, it’s stopped down here, and it’s not nearly as fun to use, but it’s an optical masterpiece.
- Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised that Leica seems to have put a fairly state-of-the-art sensor into the M11, rather than their past history of being about a generation behind in sensor releases. Of course the a1 has, effectively, a global shutter than can churn out 20-30 RAW frames per second at 50 MP, but in terms of single image quality, M11 owners have a sensor that is truly world-class, as of now at least.
RAW files downlaod links:
Leica M11 vs. M10-R vs. M10-M side-by-side comparison at ISO 12,500 and 25,000
