Thinking of selling my Monochrom

[Acekerman]

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Guys I'm thinking of selling my Monochrom for a M240. Is this the worst decision I've ever made? I'm fearful of regrets but I really like the M240. At the end of the day its about the photos and I'd like to hear from anyone who switched and if the M240 gets even close. Thanks in advance everyone.

Cheers

 

Brian

[r7photo]

Lol, 240 owner who would love to have monochrome , wish I could afford both cameras

Sorry had to chime in

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[tom0511]

I think the mm has better resolution and better high ISO.

The M240 has better color ;) and better battery, is a little heavier,...

 

I think the answer is simple:

if you do like to shoot both b&w and color => m240 (or M9 and MM)

if you like to shoot b+w only => MM

[250swb]

OK, well breaking news, I sold my M240 and kept my Monochrom. I was converting everything to B&W anyway (yes I was one of the 'quiet' malcontents that didn't like the M240 colour or rendering), so I got rid of it and look forward to the M240M (or will it be M-M?, nobody can anticipate what comes next anymore).

 

Actually the M240 is a great camera, the Live View is terrific, it feels nice, but if that's it the MM still provides far more resolution and with a much greater ISO range.

 

Steve

[Acekerman]

Thanks guys for the candid responses. Much apprecaited.

[dant]

If you can afford it keep the MM and buy the 240. If not, one will have to go.

[Guest jvansmit]

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I sold my MM, bought an M240, sold that, and bought another MM.

 

Pretty silly, I know, but for B&W the MM is in a different realm despite its quirks.

[richfx]

I bought a MM after shooting with and loving my M9 for years. An increasing number of my M9 shots were converted to B+W, so I felt the need to try the MM.

Keep both if you can. There are times I shoot color with the M9, but increasingly I'm shooting B+W with the MM, which continues to blow me away. There's nothing like it I've ever used.

Good luck - these are great conundrums to have.

Rich

[sanyasi]

I own both. I can't explain why, but the MM is more fun. On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I came back with three 16 gb cards that I used. Two were Monochrom and were filled. The M card was at most half filled. None of the M photos were posted to my website or will be printed. Nevertheless, there are plenty of days when I use the M with success.

[Adrian Lord]

I personally would regret such a move instantly. They are not either/or cameras.

[wattsy]

Guys I'm thinking of selling my Monochrom for a M240. Is this the worst decision I've ever made?

 

Resolution and acuity are far from the most important factors in photography and, even working exclusively in black and white, I can imagine why the M240 might suit some people more than a Monochrom. The only way to really know is to use both cameras for a reasonable period of time and compare your end results.

[john neal]

I have to agree with other here - they are different cameras entirely. I could have bought the M240 but decided on the M9-P and MM

 

The M9 is for family shots where colour is required, but the MM is for "my" photography, simple

[MarkP]

These cameras are not mutually exclusive - well maybe regarding price.

 

I have both and each serves its purpose. My favourite and most used is still the Monochrom for the quality of it's output and that I mainly shoot for B&W, but I really like the M240 and it gets a reasonable amount of use.

 

Can you afford to buy the M240 and keep the Monochrom at least for a while?

[Acekerman]

I shoot mostly black and white for me. And really just for me. The monochrom is unique and truely amazing for its delivery. Wondering if a nice backup camera for the occasional color shot may do the trick?

[John McMaster]

Used M9(-P)? Cheaper and uses the same battery...

 

john

[Rolo]

I sold my Monochrom last week.

 

An MP remains, plus the S2 of course.

 

Gary

[NikonJeff]

I have an MM and an M9 and could not be happier. Sure, I would love to have some of the tech updates that the M240 offers but to be honest it was never enough to draw me from the combo I already have.

 

As with my wedding gear, I like to have commonality between bodies and the MM/M9 combo meets this because the battery and accessories are all interchangeable. Currently 80-90% of my shooting is done with the MM but the color and look of the M9 files are still wonderful to me...

 

It took a long time to save up enough money for the MM and then find a good deal on one - I don't think I'd ever sell it even if Leica introduced an M-M in the future because it would require selling both of my bodies and replace them with an M240 and M-M... Too much money for what I'd get out of it IMHO...

 

If you can keep your MM - do it and grab a used M9, M9-P or M-E for color work...

[A miller]

I think that, on balance, one would be making a mistake to make this switch, assuming

-you have a true passion for bw

-you desire to optimize the tonality and resolution of your photos

-you have a need for high iso

-most important, you have the skills, time and patience to process your files to get the most out of your files.

 

If at least 2 of the foregoing assumptions are missing, i think you should make the switch.

 

I have thought about this issue a lot recently and have talked myself out of it (with some help from certain forum members whom i trust) on the theory that the current M240 isnt good enough even in color to make me happy, particularly at this point in its lifecycle.

[richfx]

I sold my Monochrom last week.

 

An MP remains, plus the S2 of course.

 

Gary

 

Wow, Gary. Your MM photos blew me away. I'm surprised that you sold it. Do you find converting to B+W from Bayer filter sensors satisfactory or do you only shoot B+W with film now?

Rich

Edited October 23, 2014 by rcerick

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[Rolo]

Wow, Gary. Your MM photos blew me away. I'm surprised that you sold it. Do you find converting to B+W from Bayer filter sensors satisfactory or do you only shoot B+W with film now? Rich

 

Rich,

Thanks for the compliment.

 

It was an easy decision really as I bought it with the express intention of proving to myself that it could replace my Rolleiflex/Hasselblad MF film systems for B&W images and then I'd sell one, or the other. I gave myself 12 months and that's just passing. B&W film wins hands down, even when scanned and digitally printed.

 

I've got the S2 which is fabulous in many ways and produces excellent B&W images (see:

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/landscape-travel/350988-house-ploumanach.html and for more:

 

 

that are better than the Monochrom, IMO, and of course it produces top quality colour files when needed. There are many other contributing factors like massive depreciation in value, insurance costs, filter sets, storage space, but they're the main ones.

 

edit: here's two images of the same subject with Hasselblad first and S2 second.

 

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The lenses have an impact, obviously, but there is a different feel. All IMO.

 

Gary

Edited October 23, 2014 by Rolo