Leica has revived its rare Hammertone finish with special editions of two M-system cameras, the digital M11-P and the film-based M-A. The pair went on sale worldwide on 12 November through Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store and authorised dealers, DPReview reports.

Hammertone is a textured lacquer applied to the solid brass top and base plates. Leica says the distinctive texture forms during drying, when metal pigments and special additives create small variations in surface tension, so each camera should end up slightly different. The company says it has reworked the process for these editions, and the cameras carry black leatherette, white engravings and a silver-chrome front screw.

Two cameras, one finish

The M-A Hammertone is a fully mechanical 35mm film rangefinder, with aperture, film speed and shutter speed all set by hand and no light meter or battery. The M11-P Hammertone keeps the standard digital model's full-frame 60-megapixel sensor, which can shoot at 60, 36 or 18 megapixels, along with 256GB of internal storage, a sapphire-crystal display and Leica Content Credentials, which attach verifiable authorship and editing information to images.

In the United States, the M-A Hammertone costs $8,000, a $1,000 premium over the standard M-A, while the M11-P Hammertone costs $10,950, $550 more than the standard version. In the UK, the prices are £5,700 and £8,500, according to Recombu. The finish dates back to the 1930s and has appeared only rarely, including on ten Leica MD cameras in 1964 and later special editions in 2003, 2011 and 2016.