The world’s first camera to
create a seamless chain of authenticity from capturing to publication with
Content Credentials
Wetzlar,
26th October 2023. Like hardly any other camera, the
Leica M has stood for vivid and authentic images taken at the center of action
since its launch in 1954. The intuitive, unique, and unobtrusive style of M
photography is especially appreciated by photojournalists working in conflict
areas. Since then, countless iconic pictures have been taken that reliably
document the history of the world.
In today’s digital era, however, content can be easily
manipulated. Forged and artificially created images deprive consumers of their
trust in the accuracy of digital content and make it difficult to prove the
authenticity of one’s own pictures. A fatal problem, which threatens the basis
of photographic reporting.
Leica Camera AG once again shows a pioneering spirit and
creates another milestone in the history of photography by introducing the
Leica M11-P. It is the world’s
first camera to store metadata by attaching Content Credentials at the
point of capture to protect the authenticity of digital images. Content
Credentials are the digital nutrition label and most widely adopted industry
standard for content of all kinds, and the foundation for increased trust and
transparency online. With the M11-P, Leica acknowledges the invaluable work of
all photographers and preserves the trust and transparency in digital content
and its sources.
The M11-P pioneers the use of secure metadata in
compliance with the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) open-source standard.
This feature provides an additional layer of transparency when designing and
modifying an image. It allows information such as names, dates, changes made
and tools used to be securely attached, creating awareness of the file's
origin. With Content Credentials, each Leica M11-P image captured receives a
digital signature backed by a CAI-compliant certificate. The authenticity of
images can be easily verified at any time using a freely available, open-source
CAI tool or by visiting https://contentcredentials.org/verify .
Leica´s Content Credentials technology ensures the
picture’s authenticity by means of special hardware in the camera. It includes
a special chipset for storing digital certificates of the German Federal
Printing Office. The state-of-the-art integration guarantees complete verifiability
of a picture’s origin. Thus, Leica is setting a new standard for the protection
of digital content in cooperation with Adobe and the
global community of nearly 2,000 members, including media and tech companies,
NGOs, academics, and more to promote adoption and implementation of Content
Credentials.
Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board
of Leica Camera AG: “Leica cameras have always stood witness to iconic moments
in world history. However, determining the authenticity of visual content has
become increasingly difficult and important in the age of digital photography.
Now with the ability to provide this proof, we are once again strengthening
trust in digital content and re-establishing Leica cameras as authoritative
tools in the documentation of world events.”
Santiago Lyon, Head of Advocacy & Education, Content Authenticity
Initiative, Adobe:
“We're thrilled to
see Leica pioneering the integration of Content Credentials into their flagship
M11-P cameras. This is a significant milestone for the Content Authenticity
Initiative (CAI) and the future of photojournalism: It will usher in a powerful
new way for photojournalists and creatives to assert their digital rights,
combat misinformation and bring authenticity to their work and consumers, while
promoting widespread adoption of Content Credentials."
When the "Leica Content Credentials" function
is activated in the camera menu, the Content Credential logo is visible in the
display and every image taken by the Leica M11-P is reliably signed using a
special algorithm. The image thus receives an unalterable and verifiable proof
of camera model, manufacturer, and image attributes. The authenticity of these
certificates can be verified and examined by means of free CAI open-source
tools at any time. They prove whether an image is available in the original or
in an edited version and in the latter case, they provide insight into the
history of the content changes. So photographers can demonstrate the
authenticity of their pictures from the moment they are taken to the time they
are published.
Further
distinguishing features of the Leica M11 perfect the traditional M
understatement and expand the range of applications of the Leica M11-P even
further. The deliberate omission of the red Leica dot on the camera front, for
example, allows for even more discreet photographing. Instead, a subtle Leica
lettering is engraved on the top plate. This plate and the bottom cover are
milled from aluminum in the matte black Leica M11-P and from brass blocks in
the silver chrome camera version. Merged with the all-metal body made of a
highly solid magnesium alloy, the interior of the camera is carefully
protected. The LCD monitor made of sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflection
protective coating enables an optimal evaluation of the pictures in all
lighting conditions. The Leica M11-P, with its 60 MP BSI CMOS sensor and Triple
Resolution Technology as well as the high-performance Maestro-III processor,
combines state-of-the-art camera technology with a maximum of flexibility.
Finally, the large internal memory with 256 GB makes the camera a reliable and
functional precision tool “Made in Germany” that is always ready for use.
There are also two
new black leather accessories for the M-System: The M-System case as well as
the carrying strap once again emphasize the clean lines in the design of the
new Leica M11-P.
A black and a silver version of the Leica M11-P will be
available globally at all Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store and authorized
dealers starting now. The retail price will be €8,950.00 including VAT.
