Weekly News Roundup

Jan 11

The photography world moves fast, and it’s easy to get lost in the noise of spec sheets, gear leaks, and social media trends. But at The Monochrome Collective, we believe that keeping up with the industry shouldn’t feel like a chore, it should be a way to fuel your own creative fire.

Weekly News Roundup is our new Sunday ritual. It’s where we strip away the fluff and look at the stories that actually matter to the craft. Every week, we’ll bring you the pulse of the industry: the hardware that changes how we shoot, the exhibitions that challenge how we see, and the cultural shifts that define what it means to be a photographer in 2026.

The Big Story: Leica is Going In House

The biggest ripple in the industry this week came from Wetzlar. Leica’s Chairman, Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, confirmed that the company is back to developing its own proprietary sensors.

While the recent M11 series has been rocking Sony based silicon, Leica is pivoting back to a custom designed sensor architecture. For monochrome purists, this is huge. A sensor designed from the ground up for the M system potentially without the "baggage" of color filter math could mean a level of tonal graduation and micro contrast we haven’t seen since the original M9 CCD days. It’s a five year play, but the "Leica Look" is about to get a lot more unique.

Milan Goes Monochrome

If you happen to be in Italy (or need an excuse to go), a major exhibition titled Il bianco e il nero (The White and the Black) just opened at Palazzo Fagnani Ronzoni in Milan. It features 80 works from Italian masters like Mario Giacomelli. It’s a masterclass in how the Italian landscape can be transformed into abstract, graphic art. If you can’t make it, I highly recommend looking up Giacomelli’s aerial shots of plowed fields it’s the ultimate lesson in texture, which we'll be diving into soon.

The "Anti AI" Aesthetic is Winning

The 2026 trend reports are trickling in, and there is a massive shift toward "Intentional Imperfection." As AI generated images become "too perfect" to be believable, photographers are swinging the other way. We’re seeing a surge in motion blur, heavy grain, and "messy" framing. People are craving images that look like they were taken by a human who was actually there. For us, that means our scratches, our dust, and our "wrong" symmetry are our greatest assets.

RIP Martin Par

The industry is still mourning the loss of the legendary British documentary photographer who passed away recently. A major retrospective, Global Warning, is set to open in Paris later this month recontextualizing his colorful, satirical work as a 50 year record of the climate crisis.

Fujifilm’s Hybrid Nostalgia

The instax mini Evo Cinema drops at the end of the month. It’s a digital/analog hybrid that looks like a vintage 1965 Fujica. It’s a toy, sure, but a beautiful.

The Ricoh Rumor Mill

Whispers of a Ricoh GR IV Monochrome are reaching a fever pitch for later this year. If it happens, the "pocket street king" just might become the ultimate tool for this collective.