Leica M Monochrom: best pics

netzspannung said:
I beg to disagree. The contrast really makes the image work. At least on a calibrated IPS panel that I'm lucky to have 😀

Great shots Kristian, surely the new camera is in the right hands.
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Well, here is a tip:

In b&w if the foreground objects are not 'separated' from background objects the image has no depth and sense of space.

Since a photo is 2D the only way to create this separation is by gradual transition of tones, so if the scene is not high contrast and you "make it" high contrast that separation is lost, for example in the shot above there is no separation between the buildings and the sky.

Now, look again.
 
fstops said:
Well, here is a tip:

In b&w if the foreground objects are not 'separated' from background objects the image has no depth and sense of space.

Since a photo is 2D the only way to create this separation is by gradual transition of tones, so if the scene is not high contrast and you "make it" high contrast that separation is lost, for example in the shot above there is no separation between the buildings and the sky.

Now, look again.
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To me I think the opposite. I don't shoot wide open because I want the background to tell the story of the subject and feel the contrast is closer to the way I saw the scene, more 3D to me.

But at the end of the day I don't care too much about the technicality so much cause Ive always been attracted to high contrast imagery and its the way I best communicate.
 
moreammo said:
i really like the added contrast you put in for the man himself but for me i like the smoothness of the rest of the bench and back ground in the original. both are stunning, your work is very good. I love this thread 😀
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Thx for posting! This is EXACTLY what we need to see (us non-Monochrome owners anyway): side by side comparisons.
So we can be armchair judgers! 😛
But really, I can see the smooth tonal range that Leica is announcing. And it is surprisingly exquisite.
The only thing I would like to see is the same pic as above but with an M9 for comparison. At least it would be a bit more scientific than anecdotal.
 
Yes and M9 comparison would be great and I can tell exactly how it would be.

The M9 wouldn't have the same tonal range, and it would be more contrasty. But there would be more flexibility to change the overall look according to the color channels, just like using filters, only in post, which is a great advantage.

I'd only buy the Monochrom if you're looking for extra tonal range, simple post-processing, superior detail and high ISO ability that I doubt even the new M will be able to match.
 
Hey Kristian, thanks for posting up some tech inside!
You describe an advantage in the MM, I am eager to find.
My main reasons for getting one are 1. High ISO for low light, lighter lenses and more DOF and 2. more latitude in tones all the way from base ISO into low light shooting, where the M9 is really flat - I prefer still film over the M9 into ISO 3200 for this very reason.

I am really getting excited about this, as I see these two points more and more confirmed, to be positive about the MM.

The new M announcement didn't move me at all.
 
This thread is like an illicit drug. I can't tell whether that's good or bad. But, damn, some of the images are addictive and enticing. Glad my wallet has recently been emptied by a computer purchase so I can justify ignoring the M-M for a while. All I can say about the images here is ... wow. Great work everyone.
 
Quite a few of these pics have been given too much exposure to the structure filter in Efex. The guy in this one looks like a CGI character. I can only assume that many users of the new Leica aren't particularly interested in an authentic film look. Nothing wrong with that: I suppose it's a matter of taste.
 
robklurfield said:
This thread is like an illicit drug. I can't tell whether that's good or bad. But, damn, some of the images are addictive and enticing. Glad my wallet has recently been emptied by a computer purchase so I can justify ignoring the M-M for a while. All I can say about the images here is ... wow. Great work everyone.
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Who needs crack when I get instant pleasure opening this thread.

Speaking of computers, Apple has a one year zero APR offer I'll also be taking advantage of pronto. My old Titanium Powerbook from 2003 isn't going to cut it.

Next addition is a NEC monitor.

Cal
 
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Well, i know people are intrigued with the Monochrom but I won't be posting any more pics on this thread cause to be honest I'm tired of things being picked on. If people don't like high contrast, then go email Magnum about the way their photographers process their images, and post the response here.

I know film users will compare but remember one thing. Film is NOT the best way of recording a scene. It's one way and has it's issues too. The Monochrom is not designed to replace film - digital was, so use it or don't, but the comparing needs to stop. Digital will never look like film because it's not meant to.

I shoot to enjoy the art and life of photography, and share because I like contributing, but kind of over all the technical talk.
 
That last one just posted Kristian is Wonderful !

Even though I think the Monochrom has a very
'Stylized' look, there is Quite alot of Room
For Subtle to Overt Edgy Contrast which is Quite Cooool

Very Nice Indeed...!!!!

The only flaw I see in the MM
Is it's occasional 'flatness'
Missing the subtle flickerings of Light thru out
(which film Excels at) but then Again What Isn't Flawed
Film too has Imperfections
Sometimes its the Beauty i find in Imperfection.. Be it in Digi or film

I'm waiting to see the less is more version of the M- E
Before jumping on any fence and possibly buying...😉
 
leicashot said:
Well, i know people are intrigued with the Monochrom but I won't be posting any more pics on this thread cause to be honest I'm tired of things being picked on. If people don't like high contrast, then go email Magnum about the way their photographers process their images, and post the response here.

I know film users will compare but remember one thing. Film is NOT the best way of recording a scene. It's one way and has it's issues too. The Monochrom is not designed to replace film - digital was, so use it or don't, but the comparing needs to stop. Digital will never look like film because it's not meant to.

I shoot to enjoy the art and life of photography, and share because I like contributing, but kind of over all the technical talk.
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Kristian,

Thanks again for sharing. BTW the next time you come back to New York I'll show you some vintage Bruce Davidson I acquired, via some trading, that have the Magnum stamp on the back. I know exactly what you are talking about.

Also know as a one time analog B&W only shooter, I look upon as film as film and digital as digital. It is what it is.

Cal
 
leicashot said:
Well, i know people are intrigued with the Monochrom but I won't be posting any more pics on this thread cause to be honest I'm tired of things being picked on. If people don't like high contrast, then go email Magnum about the way their photographers process their images, and post the response here.

I know film users will compare but remember one thing. Film is NOT the best way of recording a scene. It's one way and has it's issues too. The Monochrom is not designed to replace film - digital was, so use it or don't, but the comparing needs to stop. Digital will never look like film because it's not meant to.

I shoot to enjoy the art and life of photography, and share because I like contributing, but kind of over all the technical talk.
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i for one wish you would reconsider, i enjoy your work and love popping on here to see what you have posted. I like your view and the way your put your own spin on what you saw and recorded, it may be different than what others prefer but that is why we are all here, to see how others see things. either way, i have enjoyed your posts!
 
I wouldn't take it too personally, Kristian. People aren't attacking you, just expressing their preferences. It is interesting to see the comparison between the "straight" out of camera and the post processed one. It gives an indication as to what is possible with this camera. I personally have a preference for less contrast than you added but like many things, including photography, that's purely subjective. There is no right or wrong, just what each of us like.
I can't help but make comparisons with film because that's what I've always shot through the 80's, 90's up until the present day and I'm sure there are a huge amount of us here of a similar age and above that do the same. I'm a late adopter to Digital, if you like, but now see both mediums now as relevant as each other with, perhaps still I slight bias towards film.
I do like what I see from this camera and that has been all the more enhanced by seeing your work with it in this thread so I hope you can continue to post, along with the other members here with Monochrom cameras.
 
Koolzakukumba said:
Quite a few of these pics have been given too much exposure to the structure filter in Efex. The guy in this one looks like a CGI character. I can only assume that many users of the new Leica aren't particularly interested in an authentic film look. Nothing wrong with that: I suppose it's a matter of taste.
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Or you can just look at it as just one users style of post processing.

What sucks about these types of threads is that people always expect straight from the camera so they can geek out and pixel peep. Well, that's not how a camera is generally used unless you are too lazy to PP.
 
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