Leica M Monochrom: best pics

Oh it was highlight recovery. I see. Anyways, still a nice photo.

By the way, I wasn't really 'picking' on it, I was just curious if it was something in the scene, something in the camera, or something in the processing.
 
It's too bad that so much criticism arrives in threads that are not open too such. I'm loving this thread and all the work in it. A best if thread is about images not "preferences"!
Leicashot I hope you reconsider and will continue to post here. If not I will continue to enjoy your work on Flickr. Thank you for sharing your work :)
 
oh Hey Kristian
me thinks You are being Silly... and certainly You are far more thick skinned than You are letting on

I can't believe You of All People would be Bothered by a few Comments not in agreement with yours. I mean that is the possibility one throws oneself into when Posting on a Public Forum.
I do think the Majority in this Thread Support your Work done with the MM

I remember when You once lambasted me about my 75 lux shots & maybe even other things :eek: ... I still held my head up high and kept posting and when we finally met we laughed about it & are friends :)

So as 'JJ' said "please reconsider"

Bottom Line: the Most Important thing is that You Enjoy the Use and Results from the M-M and your Paying Clients are Happy too
Its seems you are on the Right Road for what YOU Want to Achieve
Best- H
 
The resolution is incredible, but for the rest it is not my cup of tea. Particularly, when human skin looks like a chewing gum after spitting.
I prefere my monochrome cameras, and a human skin that looks like this:


20125019 by mfogiel, on Flickr
 
Ouch Marek... "chewing gum after spitting"...:eek: :angel:

Your portrait Portrays a very Pretty Back on a very Pretty Lady...Beautifully Exposed

The Man in Kristian's last photo is Old, Aged & Worn probably though a Life Time of Hard Labor...Yes its Exaggerated
but I think that's the Beauty it Portrays in its Edginess, Grit & Atmosphere

Both Your Shot & Kristian's Deserve to be Praised but for Different reasons

Cheers & Best- H
 
when did a thread like this become a talent referendum? this is about what this unique camera is capable of, not what one 'likes' or doesnt. personal preferences are not relevent here. you dont like how an image is processed, then dont process it like that. but keep irrelevent opinions out of it. an opinion on the cameras output, fair game. youre particular processing preferences, keep 'em to yourself. i'm certainly not interested in them in this kind of thread, and i,m sure i'm not alone. know when criticism, and what kind of criticism, is appropriate. its not that difficult. and if your innapropriate comments chase a talented person from this thread, shame on you!
tony
 
f16sunshine said:
It's too bad that so much criticism arrives in threads that are not open too such. I'm loving this thread and all the work in it. A best if thread is about images not "preferences"!
Leicashot I hope you reconsider and will continue to post here. If not I will continue to enjoy your work on Flickr. Thank you for sharing your work :)
Click to expand...

It wasn't criticism as i saw it. Kristian posted a "before and after"(two versions/interpretations ) of the same image and a number of people said they liked the "before" more than the "after" That was all. Kristian's preference is the "after" Everyone is entitled to share their point of view, I think. All photographs in the thread are the posters' interpretations of their DNG's and that is their prerogative. Some choose more contrast or whatever when post processing and that's partly what makes this thread and B&W photography in general interesting. We are all individuals! (I'm not! :D )

It's interesting to assess the pictures in this thread but we can't really assess the full potential of the Monochrom from web shots. All we can do is appreciate the compositions and ways the photographers have interpreted their work. But we can still say whether we like it or not, surely?

To paraphrase Helen. If we can't take it , don't put our work on the internet. I'd rather people gave me constructive criticism of my work than massage my ego with a pat on the back every time I post a picture. I will learn more about my work and how to improve it that way.

The whole forum is about discussion, debate, opinion and viewpoint. Some people have stated they like certain pictures in the thread more than other's. That's a preference too. Are you saying they shouldn't be doing that?

Personal insults we sometimes get here on this forum... well that's another matter all together. :)
 
rbelyell said:
when did a thread like this become a talent referendum? this is about what this unique camera is capable of, not what one 'likes' or doesnt. personal preferences are not relevent here. you dont like how an image is processed, then dont process it like that. but keep irrelevent opinions out of it. an opinion on the cameras output, fair game. youre particular processing preferences, keep 'em to yourself. i'm certainly not interested in them in this kind of thread, and i,m sure i'm not alone. know ehen criticism, and what kind of criticism, is appropriate. its not that difficult. and if your innapropriate comments chase a talented person from this thread, shame on you!
tony
Click to expand...

How are you assessing the camera's output from a post processed file in the style chosen by each photographer that has posted?

I don't think anyone is trying to "chase" Kristian away any more than any other member on the forum. Each member has the same right to be on the forum, whatever their perceived talents.

I think a few people saying they liked one version of a picture more than another is getting blown out of all proportion now. It was hardly a witch hunt :)
 
Nigel Meaby said:
How are you assessing the camera's output from a post processed file in the style chosen by each photographer that has posted?

I don't think anyone is trying to "chase" Kristian away any more than any other member on the forum. Each member has the same right to be on the forum, whatever their perceived talents.

I think a few people saying they liked one version of a picture more than another is getting blown out of all proportion now. It was hardly a witch hunt :)
Click to expand...


i think it is easy to assess the cameras output regardless of individual PP because there are many different contributors who choose to PP differently or not at all. each is a unique datapoint from which conclusions can be drawn. you determine output by assessing numerous different input, like we assess everything else in life. this is not a C&C thread, its a camera output thread. you dont like one persons output, fine, move on to the next guy. hopefully he PPs more to your liking, or doesnt PP if thats what you like. it is best for ALL of us to get as many different types of output as possible. further, my admittedly rudimentary understanding of this cams RAW output is that PP is in fact a necessity to bring out the best it has to offer. thus the more diverse datapoints the better.

what the 'offensive' 'overcontrasted' picture tells me is the level to which this cameras output accomodates pretty large contrast increases. other cameras would handle that differently. whether you like it or not does not detract from its value as an informational datapoint. take it for what its worth, swallow your subjective artistic comments, and move on. there are other threads where artistic differences are welcomed. as yogi berra probably said 'this aint that'.
 
Ok, so maybe I wasn't having the best day and overreacted ;)

I know people want to see who the MM pictures look and my editing almost takes away from the out of camera experience, which defeats the purpose of MM examination for many. But I'm posting pictures based on my style and desired look of b+w in the way I liked my Tri-X when I shot film.

So....I apologise for my self-pity as it was probably that time of the month...or week ;)
 
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Thanks for sharing all these photos Kristian. Regardless of PP preferences, these are great shots. Excellent composition, light, and subjects. Even if I could buy a MM, I doubt I could match what you're doing. I still want one though.
 
Wow, that was a close one - this thread almost derailed.

Thanks for sharing more Kristian!
Who wants flat test images, to inspect, should move over to the usual internet sources.

I want to see photographs - love this thread!
 
I am not overly critical of what I see form this camera. As stated before, the resolution is fantastic, and there is also an evident improvement in tonality over the M9 images, However, in my perception, this is a rather particular way of making B&W photos, and it reminds me of an error I made once, when I took portraits of my female friend on AGFA SCALA with Zeiss Planar set to f 4.0. Beyond the exaggerated sharpness and unbelievable micro contrast however, on SCALA, the tonality was more natural, and there was no problem with the highlight rendering, which is still present with the Monochrome. To sum up, these photos look like made with an uber sharp lens on a repro film, with the obvious limitation to render strong highlights. I would be curious to know if a Monochrome Tri X version will ever come out...:D
 
Kristian,

It's obvious you have a good eye and I appreciate your efforts to contribute to this forum. However I believe if you pay a little more attention to your processing then your contribution to us to appreciate the merits of the Monochrome would be better. (Hopefully you would not feel offended.)

First off, your pictures are overly contrasty, consequently limited in tonal range; the gradation seems shifted to make the mid-gray-to-black region dominate the tonality. Further to enhance the capability of your sensor you pull the sharpness slider too far to the right; most details seem rather "bitter", not pleasantly smooth-but-sharp as the Leica B&W was known to excel.

Bear in mind that you are dealing with an 11-stop sensor; the DR is limited compared to the top CMOS sensors. So "employ" your DR carefully, meticulously; do not "overdrive", do not "push" the tones. Please, (you certainly must for you love darker tones) study the tonality range of Yousuf Karsh portraits... Darker tones yet still generous presentation all other grays up to pure white highlights.. This is the mastery in B&W.. IMHO, with a more careful processing you would do more "justice" to your Monochrome.

Below is a collage of crops of your portraits. Note how they are depicted through your processing; as if the faces were spray painted with metallic graphite-gray and then polished with vaseline. Are the far-eastern skin colors that exaggerated?

Looking forward to seeing more pictures from you.

(moderator removed unsolicited crops of another member's work)
 
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