Leica’s gorgeous new Metal Gray cameras have been trickling onto the market over the past few months, but if you’ve been holding off until you could actually buy one, that moment has finally arrived.
The Leica Q3, Leica M11-P and Leica D-Lux 8 in Metal Gray are now all available to order in both the US and UK, with B&H carrying the complete trio Stateside and Wex the same in Britain. Better still, B&H currently lists all three as in stock, while Wex has the Q3 and D-Lux 8 in stock and describes its M11-P allocation as “limited stock – selling fast.”
I’ve been a big fan of this new finish since Leica revealed it, and I think Metal Gray might be one of the best colour options the company has produced in years. It manages to look more contemporary than traditional silver while being a little more interesting than black, with Leica pairing the grey paint with contrasting black controls and its diamond-pattern leatherette. Importantly, these aren’t numbered special editions either; Metal Gray is joining Leica’s regular colour palette, so you’re getting the same cameras underneath, just wearing what I think is a particularly handsome new suit.
The Leica Q3 Metal Gray is probably going to be the star of the collection for most photographers, and it is available from B&H for $7,350 and Wex for £5,749. Underneath that new exterior is the same superb 60MP full-frame BSI sensor and fixed Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH lens, along with Leica’s Triple Resolution Technology, hybrid phase-detection autofocus, optical image stabilisation and even 8K video. It is one of those cameras that can realistically become your only camera, particularly for travel, street and documentary photography, and the Metal Grey finish arguably gives the already beautiful Q3 even more character.
Then there is the Leica M11-P Metal Gray, which is the one I’d be quickest to move on if it is already on your shopping list. It costs $10,400 at B&H or £8,250 at Wex, with the latter currently warning that stock is limited and selling fast. The M11-P combines Leica’s traditional manual-focus rangefinder experience with a 60MP full-frame BSI sensor, Triple Resolution Technology and a huge 256GB of internal storage. It was also the first camera to incorporate Content Credentials at the point of capture, while its absence of the famous red dot makes it one of the most discreet digital M cameras around – something that suits the understated Metal Gray finish perfectly.
If those prices are a little too eye-watering, the Leica D-Lux 8 Metal Gray gives you the same aesthetic for substantially less. It is currently $1,915 at B&H and £1,550 at Wex, and packs a 17MP Four Thirds sensor together with a wonderfully useful Leica DC Vario-Summilux 10.9-34mm f/1.7-2.8 ASPH lens, equivalent to 24-75mm in full-frame terms. You also get an OLED viewfinder, DNG RAW capture, 4K video and Leica FOTOS connectivity, all wrapped up in a compact body that is much easier to carry around every day. For someone wanting their first Leica without jumping straight into Q or M money, this is arguably the sweetest entry point of the three.
So, if Metal Gray has been the Leica finish you’ve been waiting for, I wouldn’t hang around much longer. For the first time, the entire camera collection is readily available to order from major retailers on both sides of the Atlantic, rather than being something you have to hunt down or wait to arrive. The Q3 would be my pick as the best all-rounder, the M11-P is undoubtedly the purist’s choice, while the D-Lux 8 gives you the look for considerably less money. None of them are cheap, of course – this is Leica we’re talking about – but if you were already planning to buy one, now you can finally choose your Metal Gray favorite and actually get your hands on it.
