Leica has announced the M11-P, price £8000, the first camera to embed Content Credentials directly into images as they’re captured. This revolutionary feature aims to safeguard the originality of digital photographs.
Content Credentials are digital labels that have become the most widely accepted standard in verifying the integrity of online content. With the Leica M11-P, photographers can ensure their digital images are protected from the moment they are captured. The camera’s built-in secure metadata complies with the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), an open-source standard that promotes transparency in digital content.
As well as including information like the name of the photographer and the date the image was taken, the metadata logs any changes made to the image. This results in a complete, tamper-evident record of the photograph’s history. Moreover, each image receives a Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) approved digital signature. The genuineness of a photograph can be ascertained using an open-source CAI tool or by visiting https://contentcredentials.org/verify.
The Leica M11-P features a unique chipset for storing digital certificates from the German Federal Printing Office. This state-of-the-art system ensures that the source of a photograph can be verified.
Collaboration
Leica has worked in collaboration with Adobe and a global community of almost 2000 members, including NGOs, tech companies, academics, and media organisations, to broaden the implementation of Content Credentials.
Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG, remarked, “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.”
Similarly, Santiago Lyon, from Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative, stated, “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.”
Menu activation
The Content Credentials feature is activated via a menu option on the M11-P. With this done, a Content Credential logo appears on the display and each image is automatically assigned unalterable proof of its origin. Free CAI tools are available to inspect these certificates, providing information on whether the image is in its original form or has been edited.
The Leica M11-P has the same specifications as the Leica M11, including a 60MP BSI CMOS sensor, Triple Resolution Technology, and a Maestro-III processor. It also comes with 256 GB internal memory. However, in a change from the M11, the M11-P doesn’t have the red Leica badge and instead has the manufacturer’s name engraved on its top plate.
Leica M11-P price and availability
The Leica M11-P is available in two finishes, matte black aluminium and silver chrome brass. It goes on sale immediately for £8,000.