Monochrome and monogamy

[taosantamonica]

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It just depends on what I want to use, if not both, for an outing. I do use my mm more for people/street and some landscape and m9p for more landscape oriented images and some people/street. Just got a noctilux so I'll see where that takes me but I'm thinking probably more mm for awhile. I'm just happy having both.

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[likalar]

I don't have a Monochrome, but want one. I grew up on Tri-X, and convert most of my M9 images to b-w, so was thinking of trading it for a Monochrome a couple months ago. Now, for some strange reason, I've actually been enjoying shooting with a color mindset, and liking the color results. I'm sure having fun with it. If I had traded, and could now do b-w only, I'd be sorry. So for me, the M9 will continue to do double duty. Mmm, maybe the Monochrome will create a renewed interest in hand tinting?

 

Larry

[MarkP]

Hi Larry,

 

can you justify both cameras?

Knowing your work I think you would love the Monochrom.

 

Regards,

Mark

[349A]

Larry,

 

Just looked at your albums. Wow! Great stuff! A Monochrom is calling, you would make great use of it.

 

Jonathan

[IWC Doppel]

Larry,

 

Just looked at your albums. Wow! Great stuff! A Monochrom is calling, you would make great use of it.

 

Jonathan

 

Yes very nice, really like the 70's B&W shots

[digitalpowershot]

I could not sell the M9P. Sometimes you just need color. If I could afford another camera (MM) I could not live without color and the M9P would still be around. If you want the best b/w files available, then the MM is the camera to go. It is rather easier to use M9P for color and b/w, than having only the MM.

[gjames9142]

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Here are a couple of pix to illustrate my earlier post. The MM has a V4 28 Elmarit, the M9 A 28 Cron, a recent purchase. I think I prefer the general look of the V4 -- smoother drawing, less contrast -- I was shooting straight into the sun with this one, something that is supposed to be a no-no with the Monorchrom.

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[gjames9142]

And here is the M9 image.

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[uaqpau]

MM and MP for me. I always shoot black&white, but yesterday I bought a portra160 roll, to try out on the mp. Let's see how that goes..

 

regards,

[sblitz]

I have the m9 but also a m4 and m6 classic. Purchased in that order. I so prefer the look of color film to the digital that I thinking of sticking to color for film and digital for b and w. using portra 160 and no learning provia 100f. The m9 is there for speed and low light when the wrong film is in the camera. Thinking about evening and such. Isn't bw better then anyway? Will probably rent an mm to see how I feel finally

[thighslapper]

Like Lawrence above if I am going out specifically to take photos I tend to take both with a trio of 75/2, Noctilux and 21SE.... and tend to swap about depending on the subject matter .... two bodies and a lens in the pocket is still travelling light .... and the versatility it affords is tremendous...

[likalar]

Hi Larry,

 

can you justify both cameras?

Knowing your work I think you would love the Monochrom.

 

Regards,

Mark

 

Thanks, Mark. Yes, I would love it. We're lucky enough to have been living in the same old house for 33 years, but this year it's getting some of the repairs we've been putting off forever (In fact, I'm sheet-rocking a ceiling with my son today. The paint will be monochromatic. )

Really, I'm feeling fortunate to have this M9; it's had a good workout, but still going strong, and good for now.

 

Larry

[platypus]

I've had a MM before I got the M. When I got the MM, I had a M9.

Sold the M9 and used the MM full time.

Then got the M, but using the MM most of the time.

Outstanding camera.

 

A Haiku poem on Leica ownership.

Good!

[platypus]

Here are a couple of pix to illustrate my earlier post. The MM has a V4 28 Elmarit, the M9 A 28 Cron, a recent purchase. I think I prefer the general look of the V4 -- smoother drawing, less contrast -- I was shooting straight into the sun with this one, something that is supposed to be a no-no with the Monorchrom.

 

For landscapes I shoot directly into the sun with the MM 90% of the time. Is it really supposed to be a "no no"?

Would it not be the lens that one needs to be more concerned about, for example flare prone lenses?

[wattsy]

Yes, I don't know where this "no-no" idea came from.

[Guest malland]

A couple of months ago a photographer wrote me the following in an e-mail: Also, the best piece of advice I ever read was by Larry Clark, who said his teacher told him to "shoot into the light" - i.e. literally but also figuratively, do the wrong thing vs the "rules".

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

Surabaya-Johnny

[gjames9142]

The lore is the the MM blows out highlights easily, which has some truth in it. But it does have a histogram , so you can always figure out what you're doing. It hadn't been a problem for me. In a way colour can be more skittish in this regard.

[asiafish]

I am still feeling the attraction of the Monochrome, most well nearly all of my pictures end up B&W, I have only printed 3 pictures in colour and a few hundred in B&W but to date I just can't justify the £6k

 

One thing that genuinely troubles me is whether I would abandon my trusty M9-P. Do those with both still really use both ?

 

Just bought MM, but kept me M8.2. I see the MM getting by far the most use, but for color and IR (or the lengthen my view) the M8.2 is hard to top.

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[MarkP]

The lore is the the MM blows out highlights easily, which has some truth in it. But it does have a histogram , so you can always figure out what you're doing. It hadn't been a problem for me. In a way colour can be more skittish in this regard.

 

agreed.

 

The blown highlights 'lore' with the Monochrom is becoming tiresome. I don't hear too many Monochrom owners complaining about it once they have even just a little experience with the camera.

 

One still wants to expose optimally to make the most of that glorious sensor and not ignore the potential in the right of the histogram. However, there is an enormous amount of information hidden in the underexposed depths of those incredibly robust Monochrom files - far more than in M9 files.

 

Finally, unlike film where blown highlights may still have some texture, there are just white holes in digital images. If necessary these areas can be textured by adding some grain/Gausian noise in PP.

[skinnfell]

agreed.

 

The blown highlights 'lore' with the Monochrom is becoming tiresome. I don't hear too many Monochrom owners complaining about it once they have even just a little experience with the camera.

 

I think the back display is a big part of it. It has extremely high contrast, and is dark to boot. So when the picture looks good on the display, then it it usually at least one stop, possibly two too bright (IMO). This is very hard to get around psycologically since in most other cameras the display gives a good approximation of the brightness of the image. So anyone who tries the camera for the first time and/or over a short period of time do not discover this discrepancy, and blame their blown (irreparable) highlights on the camera.

 

If I didnt need the screen for settings and histograms I would take a big piece of black tape and cover the whole d@mn thing.

 

I find that using a separate meter and trusting it blindly is by far the best solution, but the internal meter is also very good in non-backlit scenes.

 

To that effect I have shut off image preview, and turned the screen brightness to LOW, so it will always show a dark image. But now that I know about it, it doesnt really bother me, Im just out shooting!