M8 is the master of digital black and white (as before with film)

[lovelyleica]

Leica M8 is really excellent at B&W photo and IT sensitivity is of no importance in this case, or maybe is an advantage for black rendition. I published some B&W photos on my blog here. Jpeg on a display is OK to make an idea but prints are definitely a better way.

[chrism]

Very nice Jean-Luc. Welcome to the forum.

Chris

[jonoslack]

Hi Jean-Luc, and welcome!

I love the shoe shop and the restaurant especially.

[spersky]

Very nice images on your site. I have not seen a difference though with Leica M8 in B&W versus very nicely done B&W images from other high end sources. Is the Digital age blurring the difference between camera systems because I dont think I could tell the difference between a Leica B&W vs another high end digital B&W?

[stnami]

Is the Digital age blurring the difference between camera systems because I dont think I could tell the difference between a Leica B&W vs another high end digital B&W?

... maybe so but the lenses make the difference

[graham_mitchell]

I liked the shot with the shoes and the bag. Great details/texture.

[erl]

Clearly, the M8, like other high end Digitals, is capturing great B/W images. My reservation, so far, is the final printing of those images. I know of no way to print them in my darkroom, which still produces the best images. Despite the plethora of advocates claiming desktop printers equal or better analog B/W prints, I am not convinced of the reality without very high end printers, or sending to a quality lab.

The lab alternative, for me is pointless, because that give s all the fun to someone else to enjoy. I am using an Epson 1290 with dedicated continuous inking system and ImagePrint RIP. I still prefer, for quality AND aesthetic reasons, the work I do in the darkroom.

Does anyone have differing experience to offer?

Cheers,
Erl

[wilfredo]

It was the B&W images I saw on this forum that motivated me to purchase the M8 despite my reservations. I have only had the camera for a few days but already I can tell it will be a winner as far as B&W photography goes. The B&W images don't look digital, they have a different texture. I believe this texture is unique in the world of photography and I suspect part of the reason is the use of M lenses.

Jean-Luc,

I enjoyed your series. I wish I were near a real city like Paris at this time to put my M8 to work.

Erl,

I was at the Getty Museum this week and enjoyed an exhibit titled: "Where We Live, Photographs of America" which featured many talented photographers and some very good work, however, I found myself taking a close look at the printing, all dark room work, and a lot of it just simply did not make the grade IMHO. Many of the prints were down right flat, both color and B&W, and could have done with a little tweaking. And these were prints at the Getty. Seeing them convinced me more and more that inkjet printing can rival darkroom printing any time and can often can exceed the performance of silver gelatins and chromogenic prints. We need to remember that dark room prints are only as good as the printer can make them. I have both types on my wall in my home and office and hardly anyone can tell what's what. I think the M8 is the beginning of a new era in B&W digital photography. It can only get better.


Here's something from my first day out with the camera.

Cheers,
Wilfredo+
Benitez-Rivera Photography

[wilfredo]

Here 's another shot from the same day. I took this during a wind storm on the beach. Interesting effect, and again I don't think this is typical digital out-put, I see a difference.

Wilfredo+
Benitez-Rivera Photography

[fnuernberger]

Funny, I though the image with the bag is the best, too.

I guess it's the contrast in that image. I do like the framing and the composition of lovelyleica's Paris shots, but on my particular monitor they are a bit mushy - lacking contrast, really. Wilfredo's shots, on the other hand, look perfect.

Maybe, Wilfredo, you could share your b/w postprocessing workflow?

Frank
(who still doesn't have his M8. I could have picked a black M8 up about week ago, but the streaking-threads were too frightening for me at that point of time. I guess I need to see a couple of more nice images like the ones Wilfredo shows to finally take the plunge.)

[primetime1001]

Originally Posted by wilfredo

It was the B&W images I saw on this forum that motivated me to purchase the M8 despite my reservations. I have only had the camera for a few days but already I can tell it will be a winner as far as B&W photography goes. The B&W images don't look digital, they have a different texture. I believe this texture is unique in the world of photography and I suspect part of the reason is the use of M lenses.

Cheers,
Wilfredo+
Benitez-Rivera Photography

Wilfredo - I agree. Here are some of my images posted on the LUG Gallery, start here:

Mother and daughter

These have not been post processed, some have been cropped.

Hugh

[bnelson]

Jean-Luc...

Great B&W photos on your blog site. The color shot showing Jamie's profile was also nice.

Welcome to this forum..

Bill

[vic vic]

u mean monochrome ???

b/w = film and darkroom... and only film and darkroom.

imants.. the amazing lenses are not only good for b/w but to make best slides too in this small format.. there is nothing close to it. the aesthetics of those lenses is most inspiring in any format though.
other good non-leica lenses exists too - ya, there are great none leica lenses too. like zeiss plannar on rolleiflex80 (and 6008 and haselblad 501). like zeiss planar 110 on rollei reflex.. leica the latest schneider summarsL (150 for big cameras) which are in my opinion may be the best lenses ever made (ok with recent summilux 50 too :-) ).


here is some nice real b/w.... just a fact scans not even photoshoped...
u can never make a b/w print like those when they come from darkroom on silver fiber paper... now there is a new interesting paper made by adox.. with super silver rich emulsion and multi-grade wich is grate for printing photos from roll films. i will order those in a few weeks after i finish my university duties and will make great prints on this unque paper.... this will be great REAL BLACK AND WHITE :-)))))))))))))))))))))

the first pic - mp 28 fp4 with about the last lights of evening
the second - mp 50 hp5 avaliable light of course...

[Peter41951]

Jean-Luc, many thanks for sharing your M8 photographs. I particularly liked the bag and the beer!

[atufte]

Originally Posted by vic vic

u mean monochrome ???

b/w = film and darkroom... and only film and darkroom.

imants.. the amazing lenses are not only good for b/w but to make best slides too in this small format.. there is nothing close to it. the aesthetics of those lenses is most inspiring in any format though.
other good non-leica lenses exists too - ya, there are great none leica lenses too. like zeiss plannar on rolleiflex80 (and 6008 and haselblad 501). like zeiss planar 110 on rollei reflex.. leica the latest schneider summarsL (150 for big cameras) which are in my opinion may be the best lenses ever made (ok with recent summilux 50 too :-) ).


here is some nice real b/w.... just a fact scans not even photoshoped...
u can never make a b/w print like those when they come from darkroom on silver fiber paper... now there is a new interesting paper made by adox.. with super silver rich emulsion and multi-grade wich is grate for printing photos from roll films. i will order those in a few weeks after i finish my university duties and will make great prints on this unque paper.... this will be great REAL BLACK AND WHITE :-)))))))))))))))))))))

the first pic - mp 28 fp4 with about the last lights of evening
the second - mp 50 hp5 avaliable light of course...

Victor

Please get over it, enjoy your film cameras and move on, let the digital forum be a source for digital not a "film is still better than digital forum" if you can't make digital to look the way you won't, why bother... if you're happy shooting film, keep shooting film and enjoy it, but please post stop wasting your time and energy in the digital forum...

PS! Here's the forum suited for your kind of work...

http://www.leica-camera-user.com/film-forum/

[erl]

Wilfredo, I particularly like your pic of the cans in the sand. Gorgeous!. Of course, I ama a desert freak anyway, but that is another story.

My point not yet satisfied, is that what I am seeing here is screen representation.

To get REAL images to look at, IMHO, they must be hardcopy. Herein lies the problem. Converting a digital image into an analog medium such as a print. I still believe that darkroom delivers this final presentation better than digital. OTOH, if the final use is digital, yeah, shoot digital, it will probably be better than scanning film, with some exceptions.

So my question remains. How do I print my digi M8 pics. I already know how to view them digitally. Sorry to hammer the point, but it really vexes me.

Cheers,
Erl

[vic vic]

alexander...

man - read carefully...

i dont get into film better digital or digital better film...

im talking here about b/w dignity....

have u ever heard about any graphic designer that they are called painters... graphic designers can do amazing works and arts.. but none calls themselves painters...

b/w is a medium on its own... this is my point.....

ah by the way ... i do know what is digital... i know what is the best digital.. i have no problem with digital actually....
again.. the point here is the diginity of b/w medium

[atufte]

Originally Posted by vic vic

alexander...

man - read carefully...

i dont get into film better digital or digital better film...

im talking here about b/w dignity....

have u ever heard about any graphic designer that they are called painters... graphic designers can do amazing works and arts.. but none calls themselves painters...

b/w is a medium on its own... this is my point.....

ah by the way ... i do know what is digital... i know what is the best digital.. i have no problem with digital actually....
again.. the point here is the diginity of b/w medium

Ok, i read carefully...

But there is a BIG difference in comparing a graphic designer and a painter, (not the same thing no matter how you look at it, but both can produce amazing art, no doubt) but B/W will always be B/W no matter if the medium is digital or made with emulsion, so if you want to call it monochrome/B/W or what ever, be my guest but it still the same thing.. you can call it emulsion based B/W or tradition B/W (but digital will very soon be the traditional way) DONT FORGET B/W ONLY MEANS BLACK & WHITE photography

No matter what, happy new year, from the Norwegian fjords :-)

[Stevez4]

Lovely work Jean-Luc and excellent pacing of images. Thank you. They were like a breath of fresh air.

[stnami]

So my question remains. How do I print my digi M8 pics. I already know how to view them digitally. Sorry to hammer the point, but it really vexes me

.... Erl get negatives of your digitals made.............. and.........hey presto back to film..... then......errr!!!