Leica's upgraded M11-P for professionals rumoured to launch late this month

Earlier this year, in June, there were rumours that the Leica M11-P would be launched by the end of this year. Now, a post on Chinese platform Weibo (as reported by Japanese website Asobinet) suggests that Leica will release its upgraded M11-P rangefinder camera in late October. Although the source is a tenuous one with no further details other than the launch date, the timing does fit in rather well with the launch calendar so far of the M series.

Starting from the M9, every model has been followed a year later by a slightly upgraded ‘P’ (for professional) version. These typically sport features and aesthetics suited for professional photojournalists and street-photographers, including an ultra-silent shutter, a sapphire crystal LCD screen, a digital level gauge and the removal of the red Leica logo from the front in favour of a more discreet engraving on the top plate. This last follows the old practice of professional shooters covering the logo with black tape to draw less attention.

The above are some features one can safely expect from a future M11-P. Another hint comes from the M11 Monochrom (an M11 version with a black-and-white only sensor, launched this April), which bumped up the internal storage from 64 GB to 256 GB. It also adds a new highlight-weighted metering mode which, although more critical for preserving details in highlights in black-and-white, could find its way to the M11-P.

Core features like sensor, LCD and control layout are unlikely to change, based on past models. However, this being Leica, even modest upgrades selected specifically for the right target group can be significant enough to get customers to pay extra. Leica is, after all, the camera of choice for distinguishing and well-heeled photographers. The M10-P had seen a price bump of US$700 over the M10, and with the current M11 priced at US$8,995, we can expect the M11-P to cost at least US$9,700.

Those looking to get a retro, manual-style, full-frame mirrorless without spending a fortune can buy the new Nikon Z f on Amazon.