A few candid portraits with the MM

I

ishpop

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Was able to play with the camera for a few days, really want one, never thought I'd enjoy it as much as I did. Context, I dont shoot B/W that often, but this experience made me want to explore it. Processed in ACR to boost contrast and blacks a bit, files are really grey. Probably could do a lot better with them, but I think I need to read up on how.

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How do you find the tonality? My first impression is that of great resolution and mediocre tonality.
To give a comparison with a film shot made in similar conditions - in not so great light and in contre jour - the resolution is obviously lower, but i like the tonality much better:

20123655 by mfogiel, on Flickr
 
@mfogiel, I think your shot shows why film still rules. 🙂 I agree, there's a clear difference, hard to ever find words to describe it though. Mostly, I just am having a hard time making time to process film. So always looking for a quicker path. Perhaps with a little experience the M9M files could be made to resemble film a little more closely.
 
ishpop said:
...Mostly, I just am having a hard time making time to process film. So always looking for a quicker path. Perhaps with a little experience the M9M files could be made to resemble film a little more closely.
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I am about to enter where 'Angels fear to tread' so to speak but, I got the impression that the M9M is a combo with the new lenses and even then they have to be set up precisely. Yes it is backward compatible with older M lenses, but there again, it is all about getting the system setup correctly? Am I way off?

As for your comments regarding processing and a quicker path - I could not agree more.
 
Unless you are viewing your B&W image on analog paper print, I believe analog and digital repersentations on a digital display as severly lacking in what analog and/or Digital B&W can convey.
One of the best examples of this is Gordon Parks works in an exhibition. The B&W prints are simply stunning and more so because of the tonality of most of his subjects. Viewing my first Parks exhibition, I was simply stunned.
I rarely work in B&W anymore and digital prints from analog B&W media suffer by comparison.
I like the idea of a Monochrome M but have yet to view a digital process that can do justice to a digital monochrome original.-Dick
 
leicashot said:
Guys, a small point, but we should get it right....the camera is the Leica M Monochom. Its not an M9M.

Nice pics
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I don't think anyone cares what Leica calls it. Monochom sounds ridiculous. And MM sounds like M&M which sounds like candy. Since the base camera is an M9, and since it was designed to shoot monochrome (B&W), why not simply dub it M9M?
 
mfogiel said:
How do you find the tonality? My first impression is that of great resolution and mediocre tonality.
To give a comparison with a film shot made in similar conditions - in not so great light and in contre jour - the resolution is obviously lower, but i like the tonality much better:

20123655 by mfogiel, on Flickr
Click to expand...

The only differences I see are that your image is in a higher key, with a bit less contrast. Otherwise I don't think I'd notice anything in either, if displayed on a wall, that would say "DIGITAL" or "FILM".
 
Michiel Fokkema said:
It still is digital. And B&W digital will never look like film.
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Why "never"? That's a long time. All it takes is some market demand for digital that looks like b&w film. Then it will be here, given a year or so for the software guys to do that instead of doing something else. Its just programming. Hell... how long will it be before I can select a menu item in my camera that says "b&w" and another that says "[some word that the lawyers say won't get the programmers in trouble with Leica by saying Noctilux]"? Certainly in a few years, maybe much less. 😛
 
It's just occured to me that some poor sod who takes the trouble to post images from the new Monochrom is now having to bear the tedium of the on going war between film and digital here at RFF.

I'll be glad when it's all decided and we can get on with photography! 😀
 
dierk said:
I would like to join you with some portraits, I made since I got my MM 🙂

all images with Leica M Monochrom, Leica Apo Summicron 75mm/2.0@f/11, two soft boxes
PP in LR 4.1

Click for bigger images








find more from Leica MM in my flickr
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These are quite nice; was that in a studio setting or do you carry the flash setup around with you?
 
Keith said:
It's just occured to me that some poor sod who takes the trouble to post images from the new Monochrom is now having to bear the tedium of the on going war between film and digital here at RFF.

I'll be glad when it's all decided and we can get on with photography! 😀
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Yes, this has worried me too. I reckon if I actually got one I would not want to say and just post the pictures. We have a few RFF members braver than me (and better photographers) who have generously shared some pictures with us and it has not been smooth sailing necessarily.
 
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