The Leica M11 - P
Introduction
The Silver Chrome M11-P - iPhone 14 Pro
On June 21st 2011 Leica announce the M9-P, and this was the first of the modern 'P' variants, which have also been released for the M (240), the M10 and now the M11.
The original MP was black paint with a Leicavit winding system released in the late 1950's, it was based on the M3 from 1954.
Traditionally the 'P' variant has a Sapphire crystal rear LCD (better for scratch resistance and clarity). The top plate is engraved with the Leica lettering and the Red Dot is replaced with a more discrete screw. As the changes are fundamentally cosmetic rather than functional I haven't usually written about them.
This time however there is also an improved 256Gb Internal memory (as opposed to the 64Gb on the M11). More importantly than all of this is the introduction of Leica Content Credentials, which is a method of insuring authenticity of images. The Leica/Adobe system adheres to the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) open-source standard (there are other new standards coming up).
In addition to all of this the M11-P marks the introduction of firmware 2.01 for the M11 series of cameras.
Traditionally, and perhaps even more this time around (the M10-R having been such a success) lots of Leica users wait for the 'P' model before upgrading from the previous iteration. On that basis I will first look back briefly at the changes from the M10 camera before looking at the new features in more detail.
Hardware Changes from M10-R
Superficially the M11P looks like an M10P with much higher resolution, but actually it's quite a revolution in terms of image quality, connectivity and functionality. To sum up
The new base improves weather sealing and strength
New black paint option is lighter and very resilient with grippy finish
Aluminium top plate makes it the weight of an M6.)
Button layout is now the same as the SL2 and Q2
3 New programmable function buttons (Fn, top-plate, thumbwheel)
New battery with 700 shot CIPA standard (this has proved modest)
64/256Gb of very fast internal memory
Brand new and faster Maestro III processor
New 60mp BSI CMOS sensor with excellent dynamic range
Full time off-sensor metering (much more accurate, no extra shutter lag)
Electronic Shutter (up to 1/16,000 sec) allows for shooting wide open without an ND filter.
USB-C Charging
PTP and Apple MFI connectivity using USB-C port
Direct connection from camera to Lightroom via USB-C cable
Improved FOTOS app allowing filtering selections
Tethering via FOTOS app
Geotagging via FOTOS app
New well constructed EVF with bigger and brighter image (like Q2)
LCD Display with double the pixel count of the M10
Image stabilised monitor on the EVF and LCD (not the sensor!)
Combined Quick Menu and status screen
Menus changed to be even more compatible with Q2 and SL2
Improved menu system for uncoded M lenses
Digital Zoom mode with framelines for 1.3 and 1.8 crops
Variable DNG size (18.4mp, 36.5mp and 60.3mp)
Specific M11P advantages over the M11 are:
Sapphire Crystal LCD cover (rather than toughened glass)
256Gb of very fast internal memory (as opposed to 64Gb)
Unobtrusive design without red dot Leica Logo on the top-plate
If you would like to read more detail about these changes, then you can look at my article about the M11 here.
Leica Content Credentials
Sfakian Dawn - Leica M11-P with 50 APO Summicron M
The Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) is an association founded on November 2019 by Adobe, the New York Times, Twitter and others with the intention of curbing disinformation. The idea is to promote an industry standard for provenance metadata for files defined by the C2PA.
The C2Pa is the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, co-founded by Adobe with arm, the BBC, Intel and Microsoft and many more, as you can see that big guns are involved in this!
Whilst the C2PA is tasked with the formulation of an open, royalty-free technical standard for metadata, the CAI sees it's task in the dissemination and promotion of the standard.