p.2 #5 · Leica M11-P, Q3 cameras and 50mm f/2 APO lens in Metal Gray
Fred Miranda wrote:
What's interesting is that the Leica M11-P 'Silver' currently costs more than the new Metal Gray version, at least in the US right now.
I lucked out when I got my silver M11-P. I have a friend who got a credit for his M9, he was able to buy the silver M11-P at a huge discount in exchange for his M9 - I think this price was in the high $6K range. So he bought the camera for me and I paid him that price plus whatever he paid for his M9. I think I ended up paying around $7750 for my silver M11-P. And same thing for my M11M which he bought for me under that trade program.
p.2 #6 · Leica M11-P, Q3 cameras and 50mm f/2 APO lens in Metal Gray
tzhang4284 wrote:
It's a shame they did not use the brass top plate on the gray - I would've considered it if they did - I have th aluminum M11 and a M6 with a brass top plate - the brass feels much better. I tried a silver M11 in a store and if I could've, would've gotten the brass one.
totally agree. The extra weight of the brass top plate is a non-issue for me, and my silver M11-P just feels substantial and wonderful in my hands. It's a pure joy using that camera.
p.2 #8 · Leica M11-P, Q3 cameras and 50mm f/2 APO lens in Metal Gray
tzhang4284 wrote:
It's a shame they did not use the brass top plate on the gray - I would've considered it if they did - I have th aluminum M11 and a M6 with a brass top plate - the brass feels much better. I tried a silver M11 in a store and if I could've, would've gotten the brass one.
It's interesting because many people think the opposite, that lighter is always better, and tend to prefer the aluminum Leica M11 for that reason. Leica even marketed it as a feature rather than a downgrade, and to be fair, most photographers do seem to prefer lighter equipment these days..
For me though, and this is where I agree with you, the slight extra heft from brass actually helps stabilize the camera when handholding in low light. It also feels better in the hand and has a more premium feel. I personally don't mind carrying the extra 100g, especially since I love the brassing patina that develops on black paint bodies over time. Not just black, I can already see some patina on edges of my M10-P Safari as well.
p.2 #10 · Leica M11-P, Q3 cameras and 50mm f/2 APO lens in Metal Gray
Fred Miranda wrote:
It's interesting because many people think the opposite, that lighter is always better, and tend to prefer the aluminum Leica M11 for that reason. Leica even marketed it as a feature rather than a downgrade, and to be fair, most photographers do seem to prefer lighter equipment these days..
For me though, and this is where I agree with you, the slight extra heft from brass actually helps stabilize the camera when handholding in low light. It also feels better in the hand and has a more premium feel. I personally don't mind carrying the extra 100g, especially since I love the brassing patina that develops on black paint bodies over time. Not just black, I can already see some patina on edges of my M10-P Safari as well....Show more →
Yeah I bought the black one because I got hooked by the marketing that it's lighter and because the visoflex 2 was also in black (which I thought I would've used a lot more than I have). I probably wouldn't have thought differently until I got the M6 and I noticed the extra heft and feel of the brass made it much better to use.
If I were to buy another though, it'd be in silver or I would've gotten the black paint version however not a big enough pain point to sell my M11 since I know it works without issues unlike some other copies out there.
p.2 #11 · Leica M11-P, Q3 cameras and 50mm f/2 APO lens in Metal Gray
I agree these look much better than I anticipated. Even the dark brown tone of the strap and case is a great pairing.
I also regret the M11 isn’t made with brass. But according to the Red Dot Forum post: “The finish is hand-applied using a lacquer process similar to that used on glossy black paint cameras, meaning that it will also develop a natural patina over time through regular use.” Maybe they determined this would lead to a better worn look.
p.2 #12 · Leica M11-P, Q3 cameras and 50mm f/2 APO lens in Metal Gray
I am somewhat "neutral" on weight, may be mildly leaning towards the "robust" feel of brass top-plate. After months if using M11-P silver chrome and safari, when I got my hands on an M11-D, I really appreciated how light (but not inferior build) it felt. It does make a positive difference in handling (subjectively of course). M11 silver chrome (now discontinued) was selling less than the black version I remember reading somewhere.
