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I don't think my M8 is capable of doing this


Bill Sievers

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I am elated with the BW and color daytime performance of my new M8. However, I fear that I will not be able to shoot shots like this with this camera. I don't have the UV/IR filter yet, but the WB in neon light is terrible. This was shot with the RD1 on auto WB and as you can see there is alot of red light, but the skin tone survived overall.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/captainvideo/288939255/

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Dear Bill - the trick really is to shoot RAW... You'll get back full control then. I've shot Canon digital for a long time (getting my M8 Monday) and have never shot JPEG on them... It seems to negate the whole point of getting a professional digital system. Make the investment in climbing the learning curve. You'll love the view from the top!

Best

Chris

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The conditions are quite different from Bill’s picture, but this one was taken in a bank of pure florescent lights in the kitchen ceiling with an IR cut filter, RAW processed in CS3, white balanced against a grey card, bit of green removed in the highlights. Considering that the main source of light is florescent the colors are not bad in my opinion.

 

Furrukh

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This one is in tungsten light with a Heliopan IR cut filter, RAW processed in CS3, white balanced against a grey card. In the background is florescent kitchen lighting. I like the way M8+Heliopan IR cut filter+CS3 handles tungsten light

 

Furrukh

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These are awesome portraits.

 

I guess I will breakdown and start using raw. But, unfortunately, my workflow program is Aperture :(

 

Went out and shot some more night color today and yesterday. I am getting more comfotable with the M8. It just requres a little more tinkering on both ends (front WB and exposure) and back (color channel adjustment)

 

I am sure the back is easier in Raw

 

The results are posted here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/captainvideo/

 

BTW: Check out what TommyOshima does with his RD1 on Flickr. Unreal!

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Hi Bill, you are getting very good color from your M8! I understand that skin tones can be a bit tricky and one needs good profiles for the M8. For me the Heliopan IR cut filter+CS3 combo is working out quite well for various lighting conditions (tungsten, florescent, flash, studio strobe, daylight) with only slight tweaking (no more than what I use for the Canon 5D). It seems as if the CS3/ACR profiles were made with IR cut filters. Hopefully with time Aperture will also come up with good profiles that are matched with IR cut filters.

 

Furrukh

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Here is another example (single ceiling tungsten lamp) with the Heliopan IR cut filter+CS3 combo.

 

Furrukh

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Bill,

First of all, I can't believe you ran out and bought an M8 already, having just absorbed a truckload of other equipment . (Oh, and congratulations, too, I guess.)

I can't endorse strongly enough the idea of using RAW with the camera. You can use the software package that came with the camera in your workflow or you can try Lightroom, which I find is first rate and is likely to just keep getting better, in keeping with Adobe's commitment to the image business.

Howard (in Hong Kong for a few days)

 

Flickr: Photos from A Glimpse of the World

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Dear Bill - the trick really is to shoot RAW... You'll get back full control then. I've shot Canon digital for a long time (getting my M8 Monday) and have never shot JPEG on them... It seems to negate the whole point of getting a professional digital system. Make the investment in climbing the learning curve. You'll love the view from the top!

Best

Chris

 

Your comment about shooting RAW is good, however the overall trick is for LEICA to make the M8 white balance so you don't HAVE to shoot RAW to get good results. This is not a vignetting problem or an IR-cut filter/cyan corner problem related to the physics of rangfinder lenses! This is a WB problem that virtually every other digital camera maker has solved. My cheap Pentax Optio S5i (used for vacations so I don't lug around my other expensive equipment) has supurb white balance in almost all conditions. I should be able to use my M8 to make JPEG's if I want with an acceptable auto-WB. I think the M8 is a wonderful tool and am willing to accept its demons dictated by it attempt to use 50+ year old rangefinder lenses (IR filters and cyan-vignetting), but I do not accept a crummy auto-WB.

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Bill,

First of all, I can't believe you ran out and bought an M8 already, having just absorbed a truckload of other equipment . (Oh, and congratulations, too, I guess.)

I can't endorse strongly enough the idea of using RAW with the camera. You can use the software package that came with the camera in your workflow or you can try Lightroom, which I find is first rate and is likely to just keep getting better, in keeping with Adobe's commitment to the image business.

Howard (in Hong Kong for a few days)

 

Flickr: Photos from A Glimpse of the World

 

Howard

 

I have two weaknesses. Guitars and now cameras. The Camera jones was dormant for about 15 years and I have enough guitars (I think) ;-)

 

I am in HK next week

 

Bill

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Your comment about shooting RAW is good, however the overall trick is for LEICA to make the M8 white balance so you don't HAVE to shoot RAW to get good results. This is not a vignetting problem or an IR-cut filter/cyan corner problem related to the physics of rangfinder lenses! This is a WB problem that virtually every other digital camera maker has solved. My cheap Pentax Optio S5i (used for vacations so I don't lug around my other expensive equipment) has supurb white balance in almost all conditions. I should be able to use my M8 to make JPEG's if I want with an acceptable auto-WB. I think the M8 is a wonderful tool and am willing to accept its demons dictated by it attempt to use 50+ year old rangefinder lenses (IR filters and cyan-vignetting), but I do not accept a crummy auto-WB.

 

Hi Lloyd,

 

Yes, they should keep working on this but very few digital cameras nail auto white balance correctly with artificial lighting, especially incandescent. I don't use auto WB on any camera for critical color work. Our Canon DSLRs don't nail auto WB in incandescent either.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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Eric: This is what an M camera is supposed to be, right? You notice the camera less but notice the subjects of your pictures more :)

 

Mitchell: Thanks! It is very convenient to have a few willing “models” living in the house. I just have to ask them whenever I need to do a test for skin tones etc. and they are willing subjects. As soon as I get my IR cut filters from Leica I will start taking the camera out to make pictures of other people, right now I am using step up rings with one large filter and the camera is kind of house bound since the whole assembly is a bit fragile.

 

Furrukh

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Here is another shot with a lot of red light:

 

Mama said---- on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

These kinds of shots don't leave alot of time for manual WB etc

 

Bill,

 

That's the beauty of RAW--you forget the WB on the camera (completely) and just click WB in post in the RAW converter! Instant proper WB.

 

BTW--if you want to completely change the look of the JPEGs--just open in PS and apply a levels layer; click the gray eyedropper on something neutral (like the white dress) and presto--JPEG approximation.

 

They should make the AWB on the M8 better, though. But as Sean said, no-one's AWB is going to work in mixed, neon-colored light :)

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