Leica has unveiled the M11, its latest rangefinder camera that blends traditional photography with the newest technologies such as a 60-megapixel full-frame BSI CMOS sensor, ISO from 64 to 50,000, up to 15 stops of dynamic range, and a very interesting Triple Resolution Technology. We then have a psychedelic jellyfish, and much more!
Here’s the best news I’ve selected for “The Photography News Show.”

CAMERA NEWS

Leica M11 Full-Frame Rangefinder Camera

Leica has unveiled the Leica M11, its latest camera that blends traditional rangefinder photography with the newest technologies, bringing innovation to the M lineup.

It has a full-frame BSI CMOS sensor with a 60-megapixel resolution. What’s pretty unique about it, is that it comes with the Triple Resolution Technology, which makes you choose from 60, 36, or 18 megapixels. And no, this is not the crop mode we’re used to seeing from other manufacturers, where you use a smaller portion of the sensor and get a downsampled image. In the M11 you get to choose the resolution you shoot at, but you will always use the entire full-frame sensor.

This is achieved via pixel binning, a technology where smaller pixels are put together to form a bigger pixel. So you decrease the resolution, but by increasing the pixels’ size you get a better noise level.

The Leica M11 has a native ISO of 64, but it can be cranked all the way up to ISO 50,000 which will still be decently clean when setting the resolution to 18 megapixels. Besides that, when shooting at 36 or 18 megapixels you also get an additional stop of dynamic range, from 14 to 15 stops, a faster buffer, and of course, a smaller file size. All this is possible thanks to the new Maestro III image processor, and right below it, we find a built-in memory of 64 GB, something that I wish every camera manufacturer would implement to avoid that moment we’ve all experienced when you turn on the camera and discover you’ve left your SD cards at home.

Other improvements worth mentioning are that the battery has 64% more capacity than previous models, and it comes with a USB-C port to charge the battery and transfer files. Even though I find its positioning at the bottom of the camera quite inconvenient, except if you mount the camera on a tripod.

When it comes to performance, you get the full manual experience that only a rangefinder camera can offer, and in electronic shutter mode you get an exposure time from 1/16,000 seconds up to 1 hour, so you can really go wild with long exposures.

While if you want to get a more versatile experience, there’s the optional Visoflex 2 Electronic Viewfinder where you will get a real-time preview of the exposure while also facilitating operations thanks to the 90-degree tilt function.

In terms of weight, your color choice will play a big part! In fact, the silver chrome edition weighs about 1.4 lb thanks to the brass top plate, while the black edition has an aluminum top plate that makes it 20% lighter. You surely can’t go wrong with black.

All this good stuff doesn’t come cheap, but given that every camera is handmade, together with the incredible level of details, sleek design, and high-quality we’re used to seeing from Leica, that has to be expected. It comes at $8,995 and you can grab it on B&H or Adorama.

APP NEWS

Instagram is Working on a Feature to Rearrange Your Feed!

When planning your upcoming posts on Instagram, it’s pretty normal to select a shot that is coherent from an aesthetic perspective to create a balanced feed. Still, things can change with time and unfortunately, there’s no way to move the feed around. Or is it?

An app developer and reverse engineer has found proof that Instagram is working on this feature!

There’s no info on when it will be released, but if you OCD over your IG feed, well, this is something you’ll surely appreciate.

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Bioluminescent Jellyfish Filmed by MBARI’s Underwater Drone

In this segment, I feature the most interesting pictures I’ve seen on the web!

This week I have for you some incredible footage from the ocean’s midnight zone of a super colorful jellyfish. The video was captured by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, where we can see several species of Crossota millsae.

These are bioluminescent jellyfish, meaning that the light emitted serves as a defense or warning to other creatures. The video was captured by MBARI’s underwater drones which allow us to see the beauty that can be found in the depths of the ocean.