M8 initial photos

[edwin_sn]

...still adjusting to the M8 from an RD-1... cc's are very much welcome, though its my first post here you need not be gentle 🙂😀

M8 with voigtlander 75/2.5

M8 with voigtlander 40/1.4

 

[Mudman]

you have some WB issues... too much green in most of the photos.

 

[thinkfloyd]

Agree with mudman ed, you got WB issues... make sure you're up to date with the firmware. Though not perfect, Auto WB is vastly improved... or you can set WB manually 🙂

 

[dfoo]

Nice pop/3d look in many of the images. You should fix the WB though, as previously mentioned.

 

[edwin_sn]

yes, i couldnt agree much about the WB. thats the reason why i posted the original jpg files without alterations so that it can be emphasized. The WB is very inconsistent so far for me. With the same subject and same lighting, a little angle difference in the composition gives different results. The metering seems on the spot but the WB is frustrating. Ive tried bringing a grey card and set the WB manually and seems to give good results. but i find it a pain when every time i transfer to another room with a different lighting need to set the WB manually again... any other tips and tricks on this? my firmware is 2.004

 

[edwin_sn]

in addition... JFYI... i dont have the IR/UV filters on both lenses (i dont have the 43mm yet) if that matters with the WB... your input will be greatly appreciated 🙂

 

[tim_c]

in addition... JFYI... i dont have the IR/UV filters on both lenses (i dont have the 43mm yet) if that matters with the WB... your input will be greatly appreciated 🙂

The IR/UV filters have no impact on white balance, The IR part of the filter blocks the infra-red light the M8's sensor is over sensitive to, which has a tendency to make black artificial fabrics look purple. The UV part filters out ultra-violet light from sunlight on bright days which can cause a blue cast through photographs, especially taken at high altitudes or near the sea. Good quality UV filters are a sound investment for your lenses.

 

[jaapv]

The lack of IR filters throws all colours out, not just blacks. Green foliage and skin tones are particularly affected. It explains the problems you are having. Any attempts to correct the IR shift will throw the whole colour balance out. The only ways to partially correct are to use Jamie Roberts' special IR profile for C1 and/or use expert post-processing in LAB. If you shoot JPG you are totally lost. Then only B&W conversion can save the shot.
Using Leica lenses you need not worry about UV filtering. All Leica lenses since the early 1950ies have adequate UV filtering built in, usually through Absorban layers and in rare cases of lenses without double elements through the coatings (i.e. tele-Elmar 90). It is a real problem if you want to do UV photography with the M8. The only UV transmitting lenses that are easily found are the Summarit 5 cm 1.5 and Jupiter lenses. I imagine CV and Zeiss lenses are simirlarly UV-protected.

 

[cs_foto]

The lack of IR filters throws all colours out, not just blacks. Green foliage and skin tones are particularly affected. It explains the problems you are having.

particularly under artificial light.

 

[jaapv]

Or - even worse- flash

 

[edwin_sn]

The lack of IR filters throws all colours out, not just blacks. Green foliage and skin tones are particularly affected. It explains the problems you are having... I imagine CV and Zeiss lenses are simirlarly UV-protected.

my IR filters for both the 75 & 40 are in transit 🙂 both are 43mm i hope this will really help. the first two photos (that of the 75) were taken with flash bounced with diffuser. The shirt in the second photo is supposed to be deed dark purple but turned out light purple.

thanks to all of you for the inputs, i really appreciate it. I have a few more questions though...
Regarding the white balance, i noticed last night when i asked my wife to take some pix of me and the kids. She was just shooting and shooting ( i pre focused the M8) and noticed that the WB seems consistent. With the same lighting with me at the opposite side of the table my shots were rather inconsistent. I normally half press the shutter to lock the meter before i take the shot and it gave me the inconsistent WB. But when i tried to just point and shoot (no half pressing) the WB seemed consistent, is this a know problem of the M8?

 

[jaapv]

No it is not a problem, I doubt it is even in this case. The IR content of the light must have been different in both directions.You would not be able to see that. In fact, our eyes are utterly incapable of judging colour temperature of the light we see at all. In general the M8 has one of the best AWB functions in the business. However, it is just a twist of the slider in RAW conversion should you get it wrong. Light balance is a judgement call in general photography anyway. Only in reproductive work is it of any importance to match the colours of the original to the output. In other photography one will adjust the colour to the mood and AWB will be no more than a starting point. One of the reasons it is very important to shoot RAW.

 

[edwin_sn]

thanks Jaap, i actually shoot raw with jpg al the time. For convenience i just upload the jpg on the net without any adjustments. However if i find a shot that i would want to print, i go back to the raw file and tweak it a bit to my liking 🙂