Street photography with the Leica M11-D is the closest experience I’ve had to analog using a digital camera

No screen, no problem

Features By Timothy Coleman published 28 September 2024

Leica recently announced the M11-D, an exclusive digital rangefinder that I was lucky enough to use for an afternoon wandering through London for some street photography. It follows the Leica M11, M11-P and M11 Monochrom with one party trick – it doesn’t have a screen.

In place of the rear screen, the pricey M11-D has an ISO dial, which is a throwback to Leica’s analog rangefinder cameras of old, such as the Leica MP. By removing the instant feedback that a screen provides, the M11-D is designed to take users back to basics for that analog-like experience, while being armed with certain digital conveniences hidden inside, like being able to change the ISO for every shot.

There will be select people for whom the M11-D makes perfect sense. It's a digital camera that's designed to deliver the closest possible shooting experience to analog, utilizing a full-frame 60.4MP sensor for superlative image quality, without the ongoing costs of film and development.

Having recently reviewed the analog Leica MP, I was in a perfect position to compare and contrast the analog and digital cameras, both of which are stripped back and fully manual. Did Leica’s niche, and particularly pricey, M11-D live up to my expectations? Is the no-screen thing just a gimmick? Read on to find out.

No screen, no problem

Before setting out with the M11-D, I took a little time familiarizing myself with its screen-less body. I primarily take pictures with a phone or a digital camera, and not having a screen to compose shots or, indeed, view them straight after capture was an uncomfortable feeling, to begin with at least.

Once I got over not having a screen, however, I found it liberating. There are no dense camera menus to get bogged down with – though that was unsettling at first because there's literally no way to make changes to certain settings in-camera (I'll get onto that later).

No screen also means no getting absorbed with image playback straight after capture instead of simply enjoying the moment. I tend to review pictures straight away to make sure exposure and composition are good. Didn’t get it right the first time? Oh well, just take another one. There’s no risk of developing such lackadaisical habits with the M11-D.

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