Leica’s legacy-inspired “hammertone” finish is available in analog and digital flavors

Leica has announced two new special edition cameras: it’s making versions of its digital M11-P and film M-A with a “hammertone” finish on their brass top and bottom plates. Beyond just changing the color of the camera, the company says the “distinctive texture is formed during the drying process when metal pigments and special additives create subtle variations in surface tension,” and that the nature of the finish will make each camera unique.

The company is no stranger to special editions, but it says its use of this particular finish has been limited to a handful of cameras (though the company has somewhat regularly celebrated retail milestones with very limited releases of hammertone-finished M-As). Hammertone is a relatively popular look in industrial applications, because it makes otherwise non-descript materials look somewhat like hammered metal, and hides any imperfections in the underlying material. Leica says it’s “reworked the process” for producing it, taking “meticulous care” to keep it uniform across the camera.

The back of the hammertone Leica M-A.Leica

Beyond the finish, the cameras have a black leatherette wrap, with the text engraved in white. The adjustment screw on the front above the lens mount is a chromed silver and Leica says the M11-P has “newly rounded, classically styled edges on the top plate and base plate.”

Besides the aesthetic differences, the cameras operate the same as their non-hammertone counterparts. For the M11-P, that means it has the same full-frame 60MP BSI sensor with 256GB of internal storage and a rangefinder mechanism for focusing.

Stop! Hammertone.Leica

The M-A Hammertone will sell for $8000, a $1000 premium over the standard M-A, while the M11-P Hammertone will cost $10,950; $550 more than the standard black or gray version. They’ll be available starting today at Leica stores and other retailers.