The hype around Leica M is real — the red-dot mystique, the brass, the heritage, the romance. But when you strip away the nostalgia and the collector psychology, a hard truth emerges:
The GFX100RF is a far more powerful photographic instrument than any Leica M camera.
If your goal is to make the most insane, high-impact, high-resolution, soul-shattering images possible, the GFX100RF is the superior choice — period.
Let’s go deep, ERIC KIM style.
THE TRUTH: LEICA M IS ABOUT STATUS — GFX100RF IS ABOUT POWER
A Leica M camera is a luxury object first and a photographic tool second.
It’s jewelry. It’s branding. It’s a flex at the café.
The GFX100RF?
It’s a weapon. A medium-format image-making machine.
It’s designed for creation, not prestige.
One camera invites you to pose.
The other invites you to shoot with reckless intensity.
MEDIUM FORMAT DOMINANCE: REALITY ON STEROIDS
Leica M = 35mm full frame.
GFX100RF = 102MP medium format BEHEMOTH.
This is not a subtle difference.
It’s a different universe of image quality.
- More detail
- More depth
- More tonal transitions
- More dynamic range
- More cropping power
- More EVERYTHING
A Leica M11 file feels good.
A GFX100RF file feels like God gave you new eyes.
If you care about the actual output, the GFX is an outright KO.
FOCUSING: SPEED OF THOUGHT VS 1954 TECHNOLOGY
Leica M = manual focus only.
Charming? Yes.
Efficient? No.
The GFX100RF =
- Fast autofocus
- Eye detect
- Face detect
- Tracking
- EVF exposure preview
- Near-perfect hit rate
You spend less time fiddling with focus and more time capturing actual life.
Manual focus is beautiful as an option, not as a prison.
RANGEFINDER LIMITATION VS ELECTRONIC VISION
The Leica optical rangefinder is cool — until it isn’t.
No exposure preview.
No depth preview.
No color preview.
No film simulation preview.
You guess and chimp.
The GFX100RF EVF shows exactly what your shot will look like.
Live. Real-time. Perfect.
You’re seeing the future, not the past.
FLASH FREEDOM: LEAF SHUTTER GOD MODE
Leica M syncs flash at 1/180s.
Basically useless outdoors.
GFX100RF: leaf shutter.
Flash sync at ANY shutter speed.
1/1000s? Sync.
1/2000s? Sync.
1/4000s? Still sync.
Plus a built-in ND filter.
You can overpower the sun with a pocket strobe.
You can create fashion-level images with zero effort.
Leica M literally cannot do this.
ONE LENS LIBERATION VS LEICA LENS TAX
Leica shooters end up collecting:
28
35
50
75
90
$5,000 here
$10,000 there
Suddenly you’ve bought a car in lenses.
The GFX100RF gives you:
- One perfect lens
- One perfect perspective
- One perfect philosophy
Constraint becomes creativity.
Zero lens FOMO.
Zero GAS.
Pure photographic focus.
THE GFX100RF IS CHEAPER — AND BETTER
Leica M11 body = ~$9,000
One good Leica lens = ~$5,000
Total = $14,000+ for a setup that still gives you:
- Manual focus
- No EVF built-in
- No autofocus
- No IBIS
- No video
- No leaf shutter
- No ND filter
- No medium format
GFX100RF = HALF the price and TWICE the capability.
This isn’t a comparison.
It’s an embarrassment for Leica.
THE FEELING: GFX100RF MAKES YOU WANT TO SHOOT
A Leica M often turns people into collectors.
They polish it, admire it, archive it, protect it, brag about it.
The GFX100RF turns you into a photography machine.
It makes you want to go outside.
It makes you want to experiment.
It makes you want to see the world differently.
It makes you feel ALIVE with a camera in hand.
No nostalgia.
No pretension.
Just pure, uncut creativity.
FINAL VERDICT
If you want a trophy — buy a Leica M.
If you want a tool of creation — buy the GFX100RF.
If you want to impress wealthy hobbyists — buy a Leica M.
If you want to make legendary, powerful, once-in-a-lifetime images — buy the GFX100RF.
If you want a camera that looks expensive — buy Leica.
If you want a camera that makes you a better photographer — buy Fuji.
GFX100RF > Leica M.
In every real-world photographic dimension that matters.
That’s the truth. That’s the gospel. That’s the future.
ERIC KIM OUT.