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How do you set up your M9 (or M240)?

 

I have M9 for over a year. I'm still using the default setting -- except lens detection is manual.

 

M9 manual suggest to leave the DNG to compressed, and color management to sRGB.I take its advice, although with my previous Kodak DCS Pro SLR/C, I left it to adobeRGB (or Kodak Pro RBG?, I forgot). I was educated to use the color space that is as large as possible and to use the original as less compressed as possible.

 

In all other settings I leave them to standard, including the contrast, saturation, and sharpening. In the past, I usually leave them to low contrast, medium or standard saturation, standard or no sharpening. My thought was to leave the most room to Photohop.

 

From my personal taste and experiences, I found the Japanese company usually tends to over-do the sharpening and saturation, and the color tends to be over exaggerated. Kodak DSLR, for comparison, is a lot more "elegant"-- I apologize for lacking of a better word for it. I heard similar comment when comparing Panasonic LX-x vs. Leica's DLUX-x. This is definitely true when comparing my wife's Sony TX9 with her Leica DLUX-4. However, by turning down to minimize the in-camera's manipulation, I can make it more pleasing to my eyes.

 

So, for Leica M9, I take the similar choice except now I give more trust to Leica's recommendation. It's also possible that I have a FUD complex in my subconscience.

 

Now, after a year, I want to revisit this issue. If you have evaluated and experimented on the setting, could you share your experiences? I understand this is largely a personal taste issue, but that would be enough and helpful.

 

And when anyone puts out his sharing, please, if you do not agree with it, no sharp criticism. Constructive cross-sharing is welcome. Thanks in advance.

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First, are your lenses 6 bit coded? If they are, set lens detection to auto. That will save a lot of mistakes. If not coded, then always remember to key in the lens youi are using. Especially with anything wider than 50mm as firmware corrections become very important then.

 

Second, are you shooting RAW or jpeg? If RAW, most of those menu setings will be greyed out and leave corrections to Photoshop, C1 or Lightroom, whatever is your preferred processor. If jpeg, set menu options to suit your taste, but IMO RAW is the only way to go.

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If you shoot DNG the settings on the camera are irrelevant, reason that they are greyed out if you shoot DNG only.

If I were you I would start reading up on issues like these.

Do you develop your DNGs in Lightroom? In that case LR will handle your color management for you.

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Auto white Bal, for high ISO at night I fix at 2800.DNG + fine jpg set to B&W, std sharpening and contrast ( I prefer B&W screen image and convert most to B&W so having a processed comparison is useful )

 

AdobeRGB is the better colour choice as sRGB is a smaller colour space. LR and most good printers will be AdobeRGB or beyond. LR can operate in pro photo RGB.

 

I set auto review 1s, power off 1min, auto lens detection as most of my lenses are 6 bit coded.

 

I do use user profiles for day, day low light, night and very low light. My ISO picks being 160,500,800,1600

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Guest borge

DNG Uncompressed for maximum quality.

As long as you shoot raw (dng) the color space settind doesn't matter. AdobeRGB and sRGB is only applied to jpeg's.

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DNG Uncompressed for maximum quality.

As long as you shoot raw (dng) the color space settind doesn't matter. AdobeRGB and sRGB is only applied to jpeg's.

 

True, I thought the compressed uncompressed issue had been resolved with Leica explaining it was a request but felt it offered no benefit ?

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Adobe RGB is the better colour choice as sRGB is a smaller colour space.

Yeah ... people keep repeating this over and over, and still it's wrong.

 

In-camera JPEG files are for quick sharing via Internet or e-mail; usually they are only viewed on computer monitors or—worse yet—on TV screens. When preparing a picture for being printed at maximum quality, you will start from the raw file. Of yourse you do shoot in DNG+JPG format always, don't you?

 

So in most cases, JPEGS in Adobe RGB colour space don't make sense ... in fact, they mostly cause only trouble. There are exceptions to this rule—that's why there is the option to switch to Adobe RGB—but when such an exception applied to your situation then you'd know it and wouldn't have to ask. In general, sRGB is the right choice.

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First, are your lenses 6 bit coded? If they are, set lens detection to auto. That will save a lot of mistakes. If not coded, then always remember to key in the lens youi are using. Especially with anything wider than 50mm as firmware corrections become very important then.

 

Second, are you shooting RAW or jpeg? If RAW, most of those menu setings will be greyed out and leave corrections to Photoshop, C1 or Lightroom, whatever is your preferred processor. If jpeg, set menu options to suit your taste, but IMO RAW is the only way to go.

 

1. Not all my lenses are coded, therefore I leave the lens detection to manual. When I had MATE, I switched

to auto when I put it on.

2. I shoot DNG + Jpeg. Ah, now I notice why some manu are greyed. Thanks.

 

So, basically what I am setting to is either good or unimportant.

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There is no reason to leave it on manual. Contrary to what is written in your instruction booklet, there is no problem leaving it on automatic. The only thing that could happen is that it identifies one or two lenses with a screw in the "wrong" place as an 90 mm Elmarit. Includiing the uncoded 90 mm Elmarit, btw.

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My printer wants RGB files so I start with them. Once you cram into a smaller color space, them you can not get them back.

 

Uncompressed raw. Why throw anything away and in the future, can it be properly uncompressed?

 

WB is set to manual and I picked up the color from a WHi Bal grey in direct sun. This works for flash when I must use it and is perfect for sun. Fluorescent or mixed, I go to auto and pray.

 

iso 160

 

I use histo to make sure whites are not blown

 

If necessary, I will bracket exposures from a tripod, then do a luminosity blend layer by layer rather than HDR. Pics look natural, but have increased dynamic range,

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