Leica has announced that it will adopt the CAI (Content Authenticity Initiative) open-source standard in its new M11-P camera. This will allow users to store metadata proving the authenticity and copyright of images when they capture them with the camera.
By encrypting metadata that complies with the CAI open source standard, Leica says it will be able to ensure the authenticity of works created with the camera, while also protecting the photographer's own creations. The digital credentials of photos can be easily verified through free open source CAI tools or websites, thereby confirming the authenticity of the photo content.
CAI technology primarily utilizes in-camera hardware to ensure image authenticity. This includes using a special chipset to store a digital certificate from the German Federal Printing Company, enabling full authentication of image sources. Furthermore, Leica is collaborating with Adobe and nearly 2000 members worldwide (including media technology companies, non-governmental organizations, and academics) to develop new standards for digital content protection, thereby promoting the use of content certificates and related initiatives.
When the "Leica Content Certificate" function is activated on the M11-P, a content certificate logo will be displayed on the camera screen. All photos taken will be processed by a special algorithm and a reliable digital certificate will be added. This will add unchangeable information such as camera model, manufacturer and image attributes to the photos. At the same time, the CAI open source tool can also be used to confirm whether the image is original content or has been subsequently modified, and even the image content change record can be confirmed.
In the M11-P design, the red Leica logo originally located on the front of the camera has been removed and replaced with a hand-painted "Leica" engraved on the top plate. The body is available in a version with a matte black top plate and an aluminum alloy bottom cover, and a version with a brass bottom cover and a silver top plate. Both are made of an all-metal body made of magnesium alloy, and the LCD screen is protected by sapphire crystal glass and has an anti-reflective coating to ensure that the captured images can be easily viewed in any lighting environment.
The hardware specifications include a 6000-megapixel back-illuminated sensor, Leica triple resolution technology, and a Maestro III processor. The built-in storage capacity reaches 256GB, and it is advertised as being made in Germany.
The M11-P will be available in all Leica stores, Leica's official online channels and Leica authorized dealers worldwide, with a suggested retail price of NT$29.
