Leica M11-P: A camera that can prove your photos are real

Leica

Leica has launched a new camera that aims to ensure the authenticity of photos. The Leica M11-P is a high-end rangefinder camera that can cryptographically sign each image using Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI). This feature allows users to verify the origin and integrity of their photos online.

The M11-P is based on the M11, a 60-megapixel manual focus camera that was released earlier this year. The M11-P has some subtle differences, such as a sapphire crystal LCD cover, an engraved logo instead of a red dot, and 256GB of internal storage. It also comes with a new Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH. lens that has improved close-focusing capabilities.

The main selling point of the M11-P, however, is the ability to embed Content Credentials into the metadata of each image. These are encrypted signatures that contain information such as the artist’s name, the camera model, and the photo EXIF data. Users can opt-in to this feature in the camera’s settings and upload their photos to Adobe’s verification page. There, they can see if the photos have been altered or manipulated in any way. The credentials are not foolproof, but they can help identify and protect the work of legitimate photographers.

The M11-P is not a cheap camera, costing US$9,195 for the body only (around CA$12,763). It is also not a fast camera, as it slows down slightly when signing each image. It is, however, a unique camera that offers a new way to deal with the challenges of digital photography and generative AI. Whether this feature will become more widespread and adopted by other brands remains to be seen.

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