Pangur Ban Posted September 20, 2012 Share #1 Posted September 20, 2012 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I have an M8 and don't have the funds for a new Monochrom. I'd like to get the best black and white photos I can out of my M8 - what are your top tips? Edited September 20, 2012 by Pangur Ban Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 20, 2012 Posted September 20, 2012 Hi Pangur Ban, Take a look here M8 monochrome. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jip Posted September 20, 2012 Share #2 Posted September 20, 2012 Don't use a IR filter, the IR light that the sensor captures makes weird colours in colours pictures, but enlarges the dynamic range when capturing DNG images and converting them to B&W. I do use B+W UV haze filters on my lenses. And for B&W PostProcessing I use Silver Efex and VSCO ( VSCO Film | Visual Supply Co ) The main software suite I use is Aperture 3, and for some things Photoshop. The M8 is really capable of taking great B&W's! If you want, you can take a look at some things I've got out of a M8, in B&W on my 500px page: 500px / Jip van Kuijk / Photos I usually set the camera to DNG+JPEG with the JPEG setting on B&W so I can chimp at my pictures and see what they look like in B&W right on the camera. Later on I only import the DNG files and make them B&W in the computer. Let me know if you want to know any specifics! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred2511 Posted September 20, 2012 Share #3 Posted September 20, 2012 Don't use a IR filter' date=' the IR light that the sensor captures makes weird colours in colours pictures, but enlarges the dynamic range when capturing DNG images and converting them to B&W. I do use B+W UV haze filters on my lenses. And for B&W PostProcessing I use Silver Efex and VSCO ( VSCO Film | Visual Supply Co ) The main software suite I use is Aperture 3, and for some things Photoshop. The M8 is really capable of taking great B&W's! If you want, you can take a look at some things I've got out of a M8, in B&W on my 500px page: 500px / Jip van Kuijk / Photos I usually set the camera to DNG+JPEG with the JPEG setting on B&W so I can chimp at my pictures and see what they look like in B&W right on the camera. Later on I only import the DNG files and make them B&W in the computer. Let me know if you want to know any specifics! I use the same setting and software with great result Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOUG66 Posted September 20, 2012 Share #4 Posted September 20, 2012 Try removing the UV/IR filter and substituting a 2x yellow filter, I have found this to be effective. By the way Ihave always been intrigued by your user name, I am aware of the gaelic poem, you chase photo images with an M8 while he chases mice. Nice modern twist. Doug. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitz Posted September 20, 2012 Share #5 Posted September 20, 2012 Definitely remove the UV/IR cut filter. A processing alternative is to use Channel Mixer in Photoshop. It is the old way of doing B&W in Photoshop and still gives maximum control. In this case no other filter would be used. Others process B&W in the Lab color space instead of RGB. I never mastered it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonearabiapix Posted September 21, 2012 Share #6 Posted September 21, 2012 LR has the best noise reduction software. I use 64o and higher when needed. LR. can make these files usable. Very reminiscent to Kodak recording film. Only better. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjans Posted September 21, 2012 Share #7 Posted September 21, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I use DxO FilmPack 3 to convert color into B&W. Best Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbeyFoto Posted September 21, 2012 Share #8 Posted September 21, 2012 Something I'd like to try on the M8 and you may wish to consider is doing infra-red photographs with it. A quick search here will lead to several posts on the subject. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Roberts Posted September 21, 2012 Share #9 Posted September 21, 2012 You're in luck! As everyone else has said here, without the IR filter an M8 makes fabulous monochrome shots. In fact, if I had a choice, I'd personally shoot an M8 over the MM Personally, too, I vote for C1's control over monochrome conversion. It's a channel mixer, but combined with C1's other controls (including layer controls) it's superb! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted September 21, 2012 Share #10 Posted September 21, 2012 Put the money you don't spend on the M9 or MM and invest in the other tools needed to make great b/w prints....monitor, calibration and editing software, printer, papers, inks, custom profiles and such...and invest even more of your time and effort learning how to coordinate and optimize these tools. I use M8.2s as a starting point for my b/w shots (which are really nice even with the UV/IR filter in place, despite other comments here), and prefer the somewhat crisper files to the M9 for b/w. But I think there's more to be gained on the back end of the workflow than in the difference between 2 pretty darn good cameras already on the front end. (The MM perhaps might be another story in terms of extremely high ISO shots, but those are not my mode.) I've gone back and revised some prints that I thought were already very good to start, by using later versions of LR, better papers, better profiles, different settings, etc, and continually found ways to incrementally improve the results. Of course none of this matters if you don't first get a good pic to start. So I'm assuming that you know the importance of learning to 'see in b/w' and determining how to use your camera to good effect...composition, lighting, exposure and all that. The M8 should become second nature. (Forgive the obvious if you are an experienced b/w photographer.) Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted September 22, 2012 Share #11 Posted September 22, 2012 Something I'd like to try on the M8 and you may wish to consider is doing infra-red photographs with it. A quick search here will lead to several posts on the subject. I endorse Chris' statement. I am new to IR with the M8, but first results are extremely convincing. Focusing is the big challenge because IR wavelengths focus differently to visible rays. By trial and error I have settled on using the f/8 mark on the DOF scale as the setting for infinity. With the lens stopped down, quite acceptable results are possible. I will try and post an example later this weekend. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanetomlane Posted October 6, 2012 Share #12 Posted October 6, 2012 The M8 without UV/IR Filter is great for B&W. I recently posted "Golden Gate Bridge" in the Travel and Landscape photo section taken with this set-up. I use M8 for all my B&W and M9 for colour. Try it, digital images don't cost anything. ___________________ Regards, Tom Photography by Tom Lane Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tah Posted October 10, 2012 Share #13 Posted October 10, 2012 In short: No UV/IR-filter, Silver Efex, low contrast lenses (capturing more shadow detail). Regards, Tore Flickr: Mr.Mansen's Photostream Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robola Posted October 17, 2012 Share #14 Posted October 17, 2012 To back up a bit and likely overstate the obvious, for optimal B&W with the M8, conversion is optimally done in post processing and not in the camera? Please restate appropriate settings for capture with the intent of subsequent B&W images. Thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMF Posted October 18, 2012 Share #15 Posted October 18, 2012 Automne NB by careca2013, on Flickr I usually keep the UV-IR filter on, always shoot DNG exposing for the best DR, start processing in LR4 then Camera Raw 7 and do the B&W conversion in Silver Efex 2 . Low contrast lenses for extra spices to the recipe ! Cheers, JM. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tah Posted October 18, 2012 Share #16 Posted October 18, 2012 To back up a bit and likely overstate the obvious, for optimal B&W with the M8, conversion is optimally done in post processing and not in the camera? Please restate appropriate settings for capture with the intent of subsequent B&W images. Thanks Yes, post processing DNG-files (RAW). Tore Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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