Leica M (Typ 240) low light performance

[jip]

I wrote a short article on low light performance of the M 240:

http://jip.li/nk/bqwza

Let me know what you guys think! I recently started the website so it's still kinda empty 🙂

 

[Scheelings]

Is English your second language?

 

[traveler_101]

For some reason the images don't come up on my Mac.

 

[dct]

For some reason the images don't come up on my Mac.

Same on my Firefox browser on Windows 7 🙁

 

[Joosep]

For some reason the images don't come up on my Mac.

Pictures are there, his code is just broken. You can grab the image from the code if interested. Like this one...
As of right now, the browser does fetch them, they do show under resources.

Is English your second language?

What you think?

 

[noimmunity]

The article would be more persuasive if it took into account the well-tested method of shooting at low ISO and pushing in post. This method is especially useful on the M9, and could probably be used to advantage on the M240 as well. On the M9, underexposing at ISO640 and pushing two or even three stops in post produces excellent results.

 

[srtiwari]

The article would be more persuasive if it took into account the well-tested method of shooting at low ISO and pushing in post. This method is especially useful on the M9, and could probably be used to advantage on the M240 as well. On the M9, underexposing at ISO640 and pushing two or even three stops in post produces excellent results.

I'm not aware that this well tested method is undisputed. I know that Mailand has talked about the M9 in this regard, but believe I've seen (somewhere) that others disagreed. I own an M240 but have not tried this...

 

[noimmunity]

I'm not aware that this well tested method is undisputed. I know that Mailand has talked about the M9 in this regard, but believe I've seen (somewhere) that others disagreed. I own an M240 but have not tried this...

I did not follow closely the disputes. I simply tried it myself and the results spoke for themselves. I could get much better results shooting at the equivalent of ISO3200 and ISO5000 by using the push-in-post method for shots taken at ISO640. FWIW, the actual idea of shooting at 640 and pushing in post was initially raised by somebody else other than Mitch (Malland), but he was certainly the most patient and outspoken advocate of the practice.

 

[john neal]

I'm using IE6 on Win XP (my employer's choice!) and the pics show up fine - big, but they are there.

I'm not up to speed on this push in post theory, could someone point me to a link, please?

 

[noimmunity]

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=2724

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica...olors-night-best-way-shoot-6.html#post2466577

 

[jip]

Is English your second language?

Yes English is my second language Dutch is my native language I do speak German and French as well though plus Latin but not as good as my English.

 

[jip]

Same on my Firefox browser on Windows 7 🙁

Yes I've had some problems, but I've fixed them now I believe. I only recently released the website... So getting feedback from you guys is very helpful! 🙂

 

[jip]

The article would be more persuasive if it took into account the well-tested method of shooting at low ISO and pushing in post. This method is especially useful on the M9, and could probably be used to advantage on the M240 as well. On the M9, underexposing at ISO640 and pushing two or even three stops in post produces excellent results.

I used to do the push method on the M8 and M9 but with the M240 it works better to just use the in camera ISO. This will probably change over time when Lightroom and other application get better. Lightroom 2 didn't push nearly as good with M9 files as Lightroom 5 does.

 

[jip]

I'm using IE6 on Win XP (my employer's choice!) and the pics show up fine - big, but they are there. I'm not up to speed on this push in post theory, could someone point me to a link, please?

Thanks, great to hear it worked. The website is designed for IE9 and up and other browsers like later versions of Firefox and Chrome, and Safari.

For the best viewing experience try using google chrome or a later version of IE maybe not at work? But at home? 🙂

 

[__--]

http://blog.kasson.com/?p=2724

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica...olors-night-best-way-shoot-6.html#post2466577

Jim Kasson's blog is worth reading as he made extensive tests for the M9 of the technique of "Shooting at ISO 640 and pushing in post-processing," on which I started this this RFF thread.

This technique can also be used with the M-Monochrom, but shooting at ISO 1250 (instead of 640 as on the M9) and processing in post, because it results in greater dynamic range than shooting at, say, 3200 or 6400 and above. Jim also tested this technique with the M240 but ran into some issues with the greens — I don't where he finally came out on this.

For the M9, I really like this technique because it produces a color rendition that I like a lot and, in my view, makes the M9 effectively a great camera for color night photography.

—Mitch/Potomac, MD
Tristes Tropiques
[Direct download link for PDF file of book project]

 

[jip]

Yes I used to do it in the M9 but on the M240 it's better to just higher the ISO. Probably in a few years we can use the push post technique again when Lightroom has evolved and yet again becomes better than the in camera software.

When the M9 came out Lightroom couldn't nearly push as well as it can now... PC software evolves while the in camera software stays the same. 🙂

 

[rbelyell]

Is English your second language?

move this to thread on 'how we can make rff a better place'.

 

[furcafe]

That was my experience w/the M9, too (my default raw developer is Capture One) & 90% of my digital shooting is at night or low-light. Also, like you, all other things considered, I'd much rather have better high ISO performance in-camera &, unlike Mitch, never loved the M9's default color rendition.

Yes I used to do it in the M9 but on the M240 it's better to just higher the ISO. Probably in a few years we can use the push post technique again when Lightroom has evolved and yet again becomes better than the in camera software.

When the M9 came out Lightroom couldn't nearly push as well as it can now... PC software evolves while the in camera software stays the same. 🙂

 

[__--]

...I'd much rather have better high ISO performance in-camera...

Sure, "all things being equal" — but they're not because when you push up ISO in-camera the dynamic range decreases as you increase the ISO. For example, the M-Monochrom can produce a wonderful look at ISO 5,000 and 10,000, but at these high ISOs the dynamic range becomes very narrow; that means that you have the get the exposure spot-on, which is difficult as the contrast of scenes in such lighting conditions, more often than not, is extremely high contrast. When you push in post-processing, you increase the exposure only to the minimum that you need, which I have found very valuable and effective shooting in dark streets at night.

I've posted the picture below several times before, but it illustrates dramatically the advantage of pushing in post under the type of lighting conditions that I referred to. The exposure on the main subjects at the right of the frame has been pushed 4 stops (effective ISO of 10,000). This picture was taken with a 21mm lens while walking — it's a "no finder shot" with the camera held at chest level: there was no way I could have anticipated the exposure with the brightest lighting shining directly into the lens.



M9 | Elmarit-21 ASPH | ISO 640 pushed 4 stops on main subject | f/2.8 | 1/60 sec

Bangkok


—Mitch/Potomac, MD
Tristes Tropiques
[Direct download link for PDF file of book project]

 

[willie_901]

I appreciate how you just let the shadow regions be shadow regions in your night time photographs.

The temptation to selectively push shadow regions just because I could was a bad habit I had to un-learn.