Leica M11 Monochrom Review

Why Black & White? Photographing in Black & White or mono or greyscale or whatever you want to call it requires you to think differently than when photographing in colour. With a film camera, you can switch to B&W from colour and vice versa ad infinitum: the operation remains unchanged, allowing you to become accustomed to the camera and "see" either in light and shadows or in colour. In that respect, a modern digital colour camera echoes its predecessor, allowing you to choose between B&W and colour at will. However, a dedicated B&W camera like the Leica M11 Monochrom doesn't; you're forced to think in terms of light and shadows, which can be useful if you can't switch mentally between the two different disciplines required. In theory, without a colour filter array (CFA), there are technical benefits as well, including lower noise at a typically higher base (ISO 125 on the Leica M11 M, instead of ISO 64 on the standard M11) and better hi