Shooting with the monochrome

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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.

 

Spot on.

 

I don't think you need to be afraid of 'white' in the same way that you do with other digital cameras. It falls off the histogram very smoothly, very much like film in extreme's of contrast.

High key highlights can be used creatively, but until the MM they were limited to film, or being ugly. And as you say, some added grain provides the texture the eye is craving for when detail is absent.

 

Steve

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[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Why one would set the highlight clipping indicator for anything but %100? .

Your confusing me now.

I thought I had it when one of the other guys said keep the histrogram to the left, but now I am hearing to the right is OK................I am confused:(

[jaapv]

The problem, Neil, is the clipping of highlights. RGB cameras may clip a highlight, mostly in one channel or two but often your editing software may reconstruct the detail information from the remainig channel(s).

In the Monochrom this is not possible, so a clipped channel (there is only one, or rather three identical ones) is irrevocably clipped. It depends on your subject whether that is a problem and you can adjust your exposure accordingly. The clipping setting in the camera depends on the safety margin you want to keep.

 

If you are adept at postprocessing you can camouflage a blown highlight.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

The problem, Neil, is the clipping of highlights. RGB cameras may clip a highlight, mostly in one channel or two but often your editing software may reconstruct the detail information from the remainig channel(s).

In the Monochrom this is not possible, so a clipped channel (there is only one, or rather three identical ones) is irrevocably clipped. It depends on your subject whether that is a problem and you can adjust your exposure accordingly. The clipping setting in the camera depends on the safety margin you want to keep.

 

If you are adept at postprocessing you can camouflage a blown highlight.

OK

Jaap........I think I got it (I am not used to the terminology, clipping highlights) but from what I understand is that if something get blown out on the MM it is lost forever so it is important to expose the picture a wee bitty darker (if there is a bright spot in the picture that you are framing) that way you still get some detail from the bright spot and can use PS to bring out the shadows…………………..is that about right??

Now then this 10% 99% and 100% thingy that we are talking about is a setting in the histogram menu that will show up highlights and shadows as red and blue (got that bit) but don’t get why making a percentage value of clippings is important, surly if something is to dark or to bright that is all that matters?.

Sorry I am just trying to get a good understanding of what you guys are trying to help me with here.

[jaapv]

The percentage is a personal choice - do you want to know exactly or do you want to keep a safety margin.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

The percentage is a personal choice - do you want to know exactly or do you want to keep a safety margin.

So for example if I set it to 90% then it will start showing highlights at 90% blowen.......is that right?

[jaapv]

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No - you have 10% leeway before you clip your highlights. Blowing a highlight is a sharp cutoff, not a trajectory.

Shadows is different, they kind of fade in the noise.

This is the opposite behaviour of negative film. Highlights taper off, shadows block up.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

No - you have 10% leeway before you clip your highlights. Blowing a highlight is a sharp cutoff, not a trajectory.

Shadows is different, they kind of fade in the noise.

This is the opposite behaviour of negative film. Highlights taper off, shadows block up.

Jaap please dont get pissed off at me but I need this in Roughneck terms (before you clip your highlights is chinese to me)

[jaapv]

clip them = expose beyond the capacity of the sensor to record anything = bright white with no detail. The pixels have OD-ed on light.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

So getting back to the histrogram...................if I set it to 90% it will start showing red dots on the histrogram when I am 10% away from totally blown highlights if I set it to 100% it will start showing red dots when the highlights are already blown.

Please say thats it :)

[jaapv]

That's it

[dant]

Will the MM do a better job at avoiding blown highlights than using a M240 and converting to BW?

[jaapv]

It is not the camera that avoids blown highlights - it is the user.

[mark_j]

I picked up my MM last Friday and the transition from the M9 couldn't have been easier. It is a great camera in so many ways and you will enjoy it like everyone else lucky enough to have one.

 

I don't know if it has already been mentioned but don't be disappointed when you open up your first DNG in your raw processor as the image will likely look a bit flat. This is soon fixed with some simple contrast adjustments and then wow, the quality will amaze you. I just posted a picture on the street forum and it definitely didn't come out of the camera looking like that but 10 mins or so in PS and hey presto.

 

Have fun, I know you will.

[rfunnell]

Just wondered how you set the histogram to show you when it is at 90% ?

When 'Highlight clipping' only has the following options;

95 - 100%

 

[jaapv]

True, but not relevant for explaining the principle.

[sm23221]

I think blowing highlights is blown way out of proportion most of the time. I get a some blown highlights regularly - so what? If you print your photos then it can easily be adjusted with curves to match the paper color (or even darkened a bit). If you only view them on a screen then I really wouldn't worry. Blown highlights just represent pure white (255) in a BW image while all of the other tones are probably spot on. They are inevitable in many situations. My photos look better with some blown highlights than it would if I underexpose intentionally even though MM files have a lot of latitude in processing. Just shoot and don't stress. Let the games begin...

[Dhuff]

+1 for the yellow/orange filter when photographing skin tones.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[LeicaPassion]

Your confusing me now.

I thought I had it when one of the other guys said keep the histrogram to the left, but now I am hearing to the right is OK................I am confused:(

 

I expose to the right, always keeping the brightest areas just to the left of the right side of the histogram (exception: tiny bright spots that will not detract from the image, if blown). Clipping is set at 98%.

[ger1g0]

Although I agree with all the opinions and thoughts others have contributed, I take a slightly different approach. I never shoot with DNG because I find the task of post processing onerous and tedious. I always shoot only in JPEG and find that nailing exposure is even more critical, since I am stuck with what I have. I tend to love black and white images that have true blacks and are much darker, so I also tend to slightly underexpose by 2/3 of a stop. But the beauty of the camera is that it allows you to experiment and the camera will reward you with amazing photos, because whose to say and criticize whether you like your black and white images ethereal and overexposed or black and underexposed?