Leica has unveiled the Leica M11-D mirrorless digital rangefinder camera without an on-camera display panel to view photos on. An ISO control dial replaces the display panel on the back of the camera. Having made cameras filled with countless features, Leica is taking a step back by removing the display panel with the odd idea that doing so will help photographers maintain their focus on picture-making.

The camera is compatible with almost all high-quality Leica M-Lenses that date back to 1954. Leica lenses have their own unique image characteristics that help photographers create images that look different from photos taken with other lenses. The vivid color and strong contrast in Leica photos are notable characteristics.Photographers must use the optical viewfinder to compose the image and manually focus the lens. The viewfinder accepts optional corrective lenses to adjust diopter from -3.0 D to 3.0 D, allowing eyeglass wearers to use the camera without wearing glasses. The rangefinder works when focusing images between 70 cm to infinity.

The M11-D uses a 35mm BSI CMOS sensor with a resolution of 9528 x 6328 pixels (60.3 MP). The sensitivity of the full-frame sensor can be adjusted from ISO 64 to ISO 50,000, and the color temperature can be set between 2,000 K to 11,500 K.

The camera has electronically-activated mechanical and electronic shutters. The mechanical shutter can be adjusted from 60 min to 1/4000 sec, and the electronic shutter can be adjusted from 60 sec. to 1/16,000 sec. The camera flash can be synchronized up to 1/180 sec. A self-timer can be set for 2 or 12 seconds. Exposure can be fully controlled by the photographer in manual mode, or automatically set by the camera in aperture mode.

The Leica supports SD cards up to 2 TB in size and has 256 GB of internal storage. Photos can be saved to internal storage or SD cards in 14-bit DNG RAW or 8-bit JPG file format. The camera has two continuous drive speeds - 3 fps in slow mode and 4.5 fps in fast mode. A 3 GB buffer allows the camera to take up to 15 DNG RAW images or over 100 JPG images continuously before pausing to write the photos to storage.

All photos can be taken with Content Credentials, a hard-to-remove digital tag that identifies the exact camera used (and photographer if set). Users working in sensitive fields (defense, security, etc.) or in areas that demand secrecy (war zones, etc.) will want to disable this feature.

The M11-D measures 5.80 x 3.16 x 1.51 inches (147.2 x 80.3 x 38.45 mm). The rangefinder weighs 1.00 pounds (457 grams) without the battery and 1.19 pounds (539 grams) with the battery. The 1,800 mAh lithium battery can power the camera for 700 shots. The battery recharges in 3.5 hours using a USB-C power connection.

The Leica M11-D rangefinder without a display panel has an MSRP of €9,350.00 including VAT (or $9,395.00 before tax). Leica states the camera is available starting now, but the US Leica site asks interested buyers to leave their email address.

Readers who feel confident in being able to take great photos with a camera that has a display panel can buy the Leica M11-P today (here on Amazon). Photographers who want a camera with a dust- and waterproof body can pick up the Leica SL2 (here on Amazon).