Leica M11 Monochrom now available for preorder

The new M11 Monochrom is now available for preorder at BHphoto.

There is a hands-on review of the camera at PetaPixel:

The M11 Monochrom is really the most perfect example of a camera for making art. It’s not fast by design, and the black-and-white photos it produces just yearn to be printed and framed. Even if a subject isn’t inherently interesting, there is something about the process of shooting and capturing images that can turn the bland into the exciting.

We’ll certainly go into more detail in our full review, but I’ve basically had a big, dumb grin on my face the whole time I’ve spent with the M11 Monochrom. There is certainly value in that fact alone.

TheVerge writes:

Black and white imagery just hits differently, even when it’s overused as a cheap crutch of unearned authenticity. You can call it timeless or classic or whatever fanciful marketing drivel some may parrot, but it tugs at your heartstrings like few other visual mediums.

The M11 Monochrom has technical advantages and benefits that give it an edge in ISO performance and image sharpness, but its greatest strength is that it takes some decisions away from you. The world through its lens is forever black, white, and shades of gray. When you voluntarily live with a restriction like that, it can feel like you have carte blanche to feast in your creativity. In a lot of ways, I feel like it’s the one Leica most worth owning if you can just pick one.