Meet the Leica M11-P rangefinder, the worlds first anti-AI camera

Date:
Thu, 26 Oct 2023 13:00:35 +0000

Description:
Leicas classic 61MP digital full-frame rangefinder, the M11-P, is the worlds first camera with Content Credentials built-in

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Its a classic manual focus Leica rangefinder virtually identical to the 61MP full-frame Leica M11 but the new M11-P version is a pioneering camera with a totally unique world first; it can attach Content Credentials to images at
the point of capture.

Content Credentials is a digital label and the most widely adopted industry standard, protecting the authenticity of digital images. By securely
attaching names, dates, and crucially any edits made to an images metadata,
it creates transparency in regard to the files origin. (Image credit: Future)

Whether youre a photo agency, NGO, photography competition organizer, media company, or simply a punter wondering if an image looks too good to be true, Content Credentials provides verified image data, including its original form and any photo edits made.

Its a fascinating time in digital photography when we simply dont know what
is and isnt real. Including a Content Credentials chipset in the M11-P which verifies photos at the point of capture, is a real anti-AI, pro-authenticity statement from Leica. Authenticity has never been more important

Powerful AI image generators and photo editors that use AI tools throw uncertainty into what is and what isnt real in the digital content we
consume. For example, can we trust the accuracy of photojournalism covering events around the world?

Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG comments: 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.

Content Credentials not only verifies standard metadata such as the time, date, camera, and settings used (as in most cameras), but also any edits made post-capture. Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Future) Image 2 of 5 (Image credit: Future) Image 3 of 5 (Image credit: Future) Image 4 of 5 (Image credit: Future) Image 5 of 5 (Image credit: Future)

Adobe recently highlighted its Content Credentials tool during this years Adobe Max event , using the image example of penguins in a desert in Photoshop, in which the tool listed that, This image combines multiple pieces of content. At least one was generated with an AI tool.

Content Credentials in Adobe works on images after they are imported to its editing software before which point other edits could have been made but
the Leica M11-P creates a digital signature backed by a Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI)-compliant certificate at the point of capture. This certificate can be easily verified using a freely available open-source CAI tool, such as Content Credentials . Analysis: Trailblazing, but will others follow?

Design-wise, the eagle-eyed will note theres no Leica red dot in my pictures of the new M11-P (above) which, as an aside, gave me a lovely couple of
weeks documenting life (see the gallery, below), with its rangefinder manual focusing and its divine 60MP full-frame sensor and Leica colors also found in the Leica Q3 compact. Besides no red dot and more internal storage (256GB in comparison to the M11s 64GB), the two rangefinders are operationally identical. Image 1 of 8 (Image credit: Future) Image 2 of 8 (Image credit: Future) Image 3 of 8 (Image credit: Future) Image 4 of 8 (Image credit: Future) Image 5 of 8 (Image credit: Future) Image 6 of 8 (Image credit: Future) Image 7 of 8 (Image credit: Future) Image 8 of 8 (Image credit: Future)

Its the built-in Content Credentials chipset that is the real talking point. As hardware, this isnt something that can be added via a firmware update to other Leica cameras. No other camera currently has, or can retrospectively gain, Content Credentials.

Youll find the new tool after scrolling to the end of the M11-Ps menu, where you have the option to Sign Content. Gaining a verifiable digital certificate for your images is as simple as setting Sign Content to On.

CAI is a coalition of nearly 2,000 members that include most of the leading media and tech companies, such as the Associated Press, the BBC, and Reuters. Now in the M11-P, those members have a camera that in Leicas words creates a seamless chain of authenticity, from capturing to publication with Content Credentials. (Image credit: Future)

There are few photographers who can afford (or will choose) the all-metal Leica M11-P, which has a somewhat exclusive 8,000 body-only list price (US
and Australia prices to follow). However, just because the technology can
only be found in the M11-P at the time of writing, it doesnt mean it wont
make its way into other cameras, and personally, I can only hope that it
does.

Putting a chipset into future cameras is, of course, down to the likes of
Sony and Canon, and unless conversations have already taken place behind closed doors, we cant expect that any time soon.

For now, hats off to Leica for championing authenticity, and some words from Santiago Lyon, Head of Advocacy & Education, CAI, for Adobe. It (the M11-P) 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."

For more information, Leica has published a blog on the Content Authenticity website . You might also like Google's Magic Editor is making bad photos obsolete, but is that a good thing? An AI-generated image has won a photo contest, and it's just the beginning Genuine iPhone photo rejected by photography contest for looking too AI-ish



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/meet-the-leica-m11-p-rang efinder-the-worlds-first-anti-ai-camera


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