Cal, sound like a great experience! Way back I worked as an unpaid assistant just to learn things and have fun. Fond times ...
You recommended heliopan #5 for the MM to get your desired histogram values to max IQ. How does the M246 work in this regard? Do you use the same filter or have you found something that works better for the different sensor? I haven't heard back from Leica on the conditions ($$) how they'll offer an upgrade for MM with sensor corrosion...
Klaus,
Here is my spin on the MM verses the M-246. For me the CCD sensor with my Digital Heliopan filter gives me the midrange of medium and large format, and I further exploit that with Piezography. I have a feeling that even the Epson 7800 that I just got (24" wide) will be too small a printer for some images/files where pretty much I can do a Salgado, and where IQ and tonality can get seriously displayed. Warts and all in this single regard the old Monochrom is a winner in my application, in the way I use it (almost never above 800 ISO), and with me maximizing IQ at image capture to minimize post processing.
I still want a M-246 for all the improvements. Even without trying and testing it is clear that the high ISO performance of the CMOS sensor kinda kills the old original Monochrom, but because I'm trying to print for exhibition and as large as possible the high ISO performance might not be fully exploited. The M-246 definately has more highlight detail and more shadow detail, even though it has less bits than the old MM. In a way I see the native tonality of the CMOS sensor as being a bit scooped in the midrange when compared to my old MM with more detail at the ends of the histogram.
I'm not so sure the advances and features offered by the M-246 will favor it over the "romance" I have with my Monochrom. With my MM I kinda get the image capture I want that requires the least amount of post processing (remember I'm a clever lazy slacker), and for me the way I minimize post processing creates a print that has an organic quality that reaches out to the viewer.
Also know that I spent over $2.5K on 30x40 wet prints from Digital Silver imaging. The wet prints on fiber displays a smoothness and a softness, but my Piezography prints I think display more dynamic range (shadow and highlight detail) and remarkably display higher resolution that even DSI's great printing service. One day I will need a 48 inch printer. I clearly favor the Piezography look, but understand that I spent $5k in paper and ink alone to print 13x19's on my 3880 that I consider just work prints. Know that a 24x36 is five times the area and you can see that my printing costs get very crazy. If you are not pursuing printing in a fine art manner for exhibition that my exploits are just plain foolish and crazy.
I would expect that the benefits of a grade 5 yellow Heliopan filter will be mixed. On one hand the additional IR and UV filtering of Heliopan filters marked "Digital" will improve the signal to noise level by cutting signals that do not add to IQ and only raise noise thresholds in a bad way. The use of yellow filtering on a M-246 I predict will only add contrast to a file/shot that is already inherently more contrasty than a MM file. Understand that the use of a yellow filter is to compress the signal so that it does not overwelm the sensor and hits the sweet spot so that 10 zone histograms that do not display clipping are created. Through experience and in principal I do not see how the compression and additional contrast will effect the recorded histogram in the same way on a M-246. I would be greatly surprised if they did, and then perhaps I could win a Nobel Prize in physics. LOL.
When I get a M-246 as a "luxury" camera (a camera I don't really need) I'll likely be using a plan "Digital" UV or Skylight Heliopan filter to tame the UV and IR components. I do not believe a yellow filter will discover a sweet spot like on my MM. To me my old MM is more valuable to me because of the way I use it. If you saw some of my work prints it would become evident of how I've maximized the performance of the old MM.
Cal
