{"id":478273,"date":"2026-06-02T00:08:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T00:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/478273\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T00:08:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T00:08:17","slug":"leica-breaks-its-century-of-black-and-silver-with-a-sleek-metal-gray-finish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/478273\/","title":{"rendered":"Leica Breaks Its Century of Black and Silver With a Sleek Metal Gray Finish"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leica has spent the better part of a century answering one question two ways: black or silver. The safari green (which still remains our personal favorite) or burgundy special edition aside, that two-tone world has defined the brand for about as long as anyone reading this has been alive.<\/p>\n

So a third color is a bigger deal than it might appear on the surface. Leica just rolled out Metal Gray, a new factory finish landing across four products at once, and unlike the platinum-dipped collector bait the company usually trades in, this one sticks around for good.<\/p>\n

\"LeicaPhoto: Leica
\nA Gray With Staying Power<\/p>\n

The finish splits the difference between Leica\u2019s two staples: darker and moodier than chrome, without vanishing into black-paint anonymity. The brand says it was cooked up in-house at the Wetzlar factory.<\/p>\n

\"LeicaPhoto: Leica<\/p>\n

Leica being Leica, this isn\u2019t just any order \u201cpaint job.\u201d It\u2019s hand-applied lacquer, the same process Leica uses on its glossy black paint bodies, which means it\u2019ll brass and patina with use. <\/p>\n

\"LeicaPhoto: Leica
\nThe M11-P Goes First<\/p>\n

Leading the rollout is the M11-P, the stealthy rangefinder Leica builds without embedded metadata for shooters who\u2019d rather not leave a trail. In gray, it wears metal top and bottom plates over diamond-patterned black leather, and true to the P badge, it swaps the famous red dot for a discreet gray screw cover.<\/p>\n

It ships next to a color-matched APO-Summicron-M 50mm f\/2 ASPH, arguably the finest fifty the company has ever ground, now flashing red engravings on its scales.<\/p>\n

\"LeicaPhoto: Leica
\nJuly Brings the Rest<\/p>\n

The Q3 and D-Lux 8 follow on July 16th. The Q3 is the fun one in the lineup. Where the original paired a black body with a gray wrap, this version flips the recipe outright, gray body over a black wrap.<\/p>\n

\"LeicaPhoto: Leica<\/p>\n

The D-Lux 8 shrinks the look into a pocketable shell, even carrying the gray onto its function buttons. Nothing mechanical changes across any of them.<\/p>\n

\"LeicaPhoto: Leica<\/p>\n

Also, in an unexpected move, Leica has kept prices the same. Leica usually asks a premium for its silver chrome bodies, yet Metal Gray costs exactly what black does. The lens does run $45 more, which on a ten-grand optic feels more like a rounding error than a true price increase.<\/p>\n

\"LeicaPhoto: Leica
\nSpec Sheet<\/p>\n

Finish: Metal Gray (hand-applied lacquer)
Origin: Wetzlar, Germany
Lineup: M11-P, Q3, D-Lux 8, APO-Summicron-M 50 f\/2 ASPH
Leica M11-P: $10,400
APO-Summicron-M 50 f\/2 ASPH: $9,990
Leica Q3: $7,350
Leica D-Lux 8: $1,915
Availability: M11-P + lens May 28; Q3 + D-Lux 8 July 16
Limited Edition?: No, permanent option<\/p>\n

Pricing & Availability<\/p>\n

The M11-P and its matching 50mm lens are available now, priced at $10,400 and $9,990 respectively. The Q3 ($7,350) and D-Lux 8 ($1,915) arrive July 16th, joined by a full spread of color-matched extras: a gray battery, dark brown leather protectors, even a cognac case for the little D-Lux. Head over to Leica\u2019s website for the complete lineup.<\/p>\n

Leica Metal Gray Collection <\/p>\n

\n Leica adds its first new core finish in a century, a permanent Metal Gray that costs exactly what black does. No limited run, no upcharge, just gray. <\/p>\n

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