Monochrom (e) .... the state not the camera.

[Keith]

The Leica MM, as expensive and out of reach as it is, makes a lot of sense to me and many others I'm sure. You only have to look at the number of images posted in the Monochrom thread to realise these photographers who have ponied up for the MM are having a ball shooting only black and white with the only dedicated black and white digital camera on the market.

With the latest Sigma firmware update my DP2M added monochrome as an option to the raw picture menu and that's where it's been set since the update. With the LCD turned off and an accessory finder fitted I now have my 'poor man's Monochrom!'

After the release of the MM it was suggested that other manufacturers may follow suit with dedicated black and white offerings ... but this appears to be not happening! Whether this is based on the limited success of the MM who knows ... how do you base a judgement on market acceptance for anything Leica makes because as we all know they persue the money trail in their own unique way!

Is there room for other dedicated monochrome cameras in the market ... or was it all just a whim?

 

[angelog]

Am I correct in saying that only Kodak has produced a monochrome sensor?

Angelo

 

[icebear]

Because of the niche that Leica is operating in, they are forced to but somehow also can do things differently than the big guys. Leica does have a tiny market share and a fraction of emplyees of the big players.

They can crank out something that most likely is selling only to a mad bunch of enthusiasts (and dentists or lawyers - I'm NOT a member of these 2 target groups🙄) that will sell only in marginal numbers, like the Monochrom.

To do things on this tiny level, there is no chance in any budget approval process when the ususal production batches are in 6 figures and not 3 figures. It will be killed either when the cost of special order sensor on a small scale is considered, or when the theoretical market share is estimated.
Other than a special CEO pet project something like the MM will not have a fighting chance in the big league production.

You have to be completely nuts to buy a digital camera that only shoots b&w. But it's ok if your spouse approves it 😀.
I'm lovin' it - and her of course.

 

[ChrisN]

Keith, I suspect that many of the buyers of the MM are people who not only want to shoot in B&W but also want to shoot a Leica M camera - and I mean a real one that has an optical viewfinder, manual focus and no "live view" or movie options! For me the M9 and the MM are the last real M cameras and I have (at this stage) no interest at all in the newer offerings. So you can imagine how I'd feel about a Sony or Canon interpretation of the ideal monochrome camera.

 

[icebear]

...who not only want to shoot in B&W but also want to shoot a Leica M camera - and I mean a real one that has an optical viewfinder, manual focus and no "live view" or movie options! For me the M9 and the MM are the last real M cameras ...

I guess that nails it pretty much...

 

[airfrogusmc]

My M9 stays configured for RAW plus fine JPEG and vintage B&W saturation. I may not be able to shoot @ ISO 10,000 but I have a RAW file capable of color output if necessary. The rendered image review on the camera is the JPEG, the image associated with the file in Photo Mechanic is the rendered JPEG. Only if I separate the RAW & JPEG in PM am I even aware of the RAW.

I use CS5 & Photo Mechanic, I don't do Light Room. So the Vintage B&W option is the real deal. In LR there is a cream tone option, maybe someday, but for now the OOC vintage B&W works well.

I learned to live with ISO 640 with the M8.2, I feel liberated with the M9-P shooting ISO 1250 cleaner than the M8.2's ISO 640.

Not having worked with M M files, is it possible to do a vintage B&W or other than gray scale?

Absolutey. Save the file as RGB and take it into photoshop and tone it any way you like. I prefer a more pure B&W for my work.

I bought the MM because it matches my shooting style and the way I am seeing at this point in time. I love mine.

 

[rpsawin]

Am I correct in saying that only Kodak has produced a monochrome sensor?

Angelo

I think not. The M Monochrom sensor was developed for Leica by another company.

 

[noisycheese]

Keith, I suspect that many of the buyers of the MM are people who not only want to shoot in B&W but also want to shoot a Leica M camera - and I mean a real one that has an optical viewfinder, manual focus and no "live view" or movie options! For me the M9 and the MM are the last real M cameras and I have (at this stage) no interest at all in the newer offerings. So you can imagine how I'd feel about a Sony or Canon interpretation of the ideal monochrome camera.

While some would say I'm deranged, I get to shoot in B&W with a real M camera for much less than $7950 USD. My real M camera says M4-P on the front and Leitz on the top plate.

Just sayin'... 😉

 

[GaryLH]

Am I correct in saying that only Kodak has produced a monochrome sensor?

Angelo

If i understand correctly...

Anyone can make a monochrom sensor since it essentially nothing more than a normal sensor that lacks a Bayer or xtran filter in front of it. The biggest change would be any changes required in other parts of the digital pipeline that would normally be handling RGB info now handles a shade of grey for that pixel location..

But in terms of the monochrom, it has the Kodak sensor I believe.

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Keith, I suspect that many of the buyers of the MM are people who not only want to shoot in B&W but also want to shoot a Leica M camera - and I mean a real one that has an optical viewfinder, manual focus and no "live view" or movie options! For me the M9 and the MM are the last real M cameras and I have (at this stage) no interest at all in the newer offerings. So you can imagine how I'd feel about a Sony or Canon interpretation of the ideal monochrome camera.

There were enough people in the Fuji sub forum that said that agreed w/ me when I said I would love to c a monochrom version of a xp or xe camera.

That being said.. I love the monochrom I am getting from my sigma Merrill cameras. I probably shoot more monochrom then color from these cameras.

Gary

 

[back alley]

i like thinking in b&w...having a digital that just saw in b&w would be great too!

 

[airfrogusmc]

While some would say I'm deranged, I get to shoot in B&W with a real M camera for much less than $7950 USD. My real M camera says M4-P on the front and Leitz on the top plate.

Just sayin'... 😉

If I still had my darkroom I probably would shooting with a film Leica M but I don't and one tool the MM has that I have found really important to the way I shoot is the ability to use very clean high ISO. That opens up endless possibilities for me.

 

[icebear]

Anyone else just see the Letterman show just now while it was broadcast in living B&W?

Tres cool!

For the record, I've not owned a B&W TV in more than 40 years. Wish I could desaturate one now.

Easy as photoshop:
Go to menue, settings, video, color and pull the slider all the way to the left😉.

 

[icebear]

If I still had my darkroom I probably would shooting with a film Leica M but I don't and one tool the MM has that I have found really important to the way I shoot is the ability to use very clean high ISO. That opens up endless possibilities for me.

That exactely is what got me out of b&w, not being able to develop and print myself. No lab willl do it the way you like you prints. Digital b&w in form of the MM gives me that control and much more than I could have ever achieved in the wet darkroom.

But back to Keith's OP. No, I don't think there is a chance in the market for another b&w only digital camera. The number of people who purposefully want to make that commitment is too small for regular size camera business.

 

[Harry S.]

To be honest, probably 90% of B&W images I see online are really muddy and flat looking, there isn't a clear tonal separation between the subject and the surroundings to draw me in or really create interest. I seldom see exposures like those of Frank or Koudelka for instance.

Sadly I don't enjoy looking at B&W images anymore, so to me the idea of a monochrome only camera is something incredibly outlandish. I probably wouldn't buy a MM if one was offered to me for $500. 😕

 

[Roger Hicks]

To be honest, probably 90% of B&W images I see online are really muddy and flat looking, there isn't a clear tonal separation between the subject and the surroundings to draw me in or really create interest. I seldom see exposures like those of Frank or Koudelka for instance.

Sadly I don't enjoy looking at B&W images anymore, so to me the idea of a monochrome only camera is something incredibly outlandish. I probably wouldn't buy a MM if one was offered to me for $500. 😕

Be fair: 90% of digital images. But that's mostly because most people are so hopeless at B+W conversions.

Cheers,

R.

 

[David Hughes]

While some would say I'm deranged, I get to shoot in B&W with a real M camera for much less than $7950 USD. My real M camera says M4-P on the front and Leitz on the top plate.

Just sayin'... 😉

Hi,

Don't forget the cassette of FP4 Plus.

You can buy a lot of it and a lot of cameras or lenses for the price of the Leica...

Regards, David

 

[doolittle]

I know about as much as my Avatar about camera production. With that proviso, wouldn't a Fuji X100s monochrome edition be just swell? All black with a price premium to match.

 

[back alley]

I know about as much as my Avatar about camera production. With that proviso, wouldn't a Fuji X100s monochrome edition be just swell? All black with a price premium to match.

that would be sweet!

 

[_mark__]

As one who regularly shoots 20-30 rolls of Delta a week, often more, with all the associated chemicals, paper and storage etc. The Leica Monocrom is looking like a bargain right now as the price of it all skyrockets. Still, I don't like digital B&W so it's a wrench :-(
Might just shell out for an x100 and see how I get on?