Jump to content

B&W sensor only?-- Merged--


sblitz

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

If there not comes a monocrom Leica M on May 10, I could be tempted to buy an M 8/8.2 - and since I will only use it for B / W, well I avoid having to use filters, or ... .

 

So I save also to buy a 75mm. Leica for my M9 as the M8 is a crop 1.5

Ohhh .... Noctilux with 1.5 crop is probably not so stupid I think.

 

Ib M

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Replies 137
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Overheard at a Leica sales meeting:

Mmmmm, nuck, nuck…. hey Moe lets build a colorless camera deeze guys’ll buy anything.

 

It's crazy. I'm a professional photographer and about to make my next stage of upgrades to my kit.

I'm really keen to ditch canon in favour of Leica and possibly add another

M body to sit alongside the M9. Im hoping they show their hand soon- otherwise it will be the Canon bodies which get part exchanged for new ones.

 

This black and white thing is crap- for the people who will buy anything while other companies move onwards they re hash something else. Quite poor.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Why so? Monochrome sensors exist the same way as monochrome films did and still do. Some of us are shooting in B&W essentially and could be interested by such a camera, especially if it happens to be less expensive than the regular M9.

Link to post
Share on other sites

if it is truly a high grade b&w with many more shades of gray, then it should also be possible for software to reverse engineer the photo into color on the computer. remember a few years back when they were colorizing old black and white movies? so a great a b&w camera where you can make a color photo online. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...... still not worth the money they will be asking. after all, in a film camera i could choose the film. i like the plug and play sensor idea. now that would worthwhile.

Link to post
Share on other sites

A B&W sensor has to compete with B&W film and the only advantage for a digital sensor I can think of is sensitivity. I will use my M6 for B&W as long as film will be available - hopefully longer than the lifespan of that monochrome sensor.

Link to post
Share on other sites

If the benefit in terms of dynamic range and low noise is very substantial the B&W sensor might make sense.

 

Even then, the potential buyers would be just a few, a little fraction of the M9 sales at this moment.

 

So I would expect, if anything, a limited edition similar to the M9 Titanium... you know, special luxury case, different styling, a lens to match and more than $10,000.

Link to post
Share on other sites

if it is truly a high grade b&w with many more shades of gray, then it should also be possible for software to reverse engineer the photo into color on the computer. [...]

 

Be sure to tell us when you find out how to do that.

 

.

Link to post
Share on other sites

does a momochrome sensor mean the return of lens filters to alter the look? when i shoot film, if it is going to be scanned i have much more latitude in the final picture using color (portra 160 or 400) and converting to b&w rather than just using b&W -- all those color curves are available to do whatever. what do you get with a monochrome sensor aside from a film short on the leica site showing some professional using it and extolling its virtues that him again feel like a real photographer in control of the creative process.......

Link to post
Share on other sites

does a momochrome sensor mean the return of lens filters to alter the look? when i shoot film, if it is going to be scanned i have much more latitude in the final picture using color (portra 160 or 400) and converting to b&w rather than just using b&W -- all those color curves are available to do whatever. what do you get with a monochrome sensor aside from a film short on the leica site showing some professional using it and extolling its virtues that him again feel like a real photographer in control of the creative process.......

 

You could lead the same argument with zoom vs. prime lenses.

Link to post
Share on other sites

does a momochrome sensor mean the return of lens filters to alter the look?

 

Yes, in exchange for more dynamic range, detail and less noise.

 

The Bayer filter implies a loss of light transmission, but the IR filter implies a significant loss as well. A weaker and thinner IR filter would add even more light to the sensitive charge-generating surface.

 

If the sensor is B&W the LCD screen may be monochrome too, and more resolution is possible.

 

All depends on the price and the real benefits for the user, but also on how it looks like and how Leica "sells" it (from a marketing point of view).

 

In any case, if this is a modified M9 camera, the expected life of this B&W product would be short: just until the M10 is presented, maybe this year (maybe not). So we are talking of a few months more for the product cycle lenght of the M9.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...