Do you own your Monochrome for business or pleasure (or both :) )

[NJH]

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No doubt about it if I had a coolscan 9000 I would be using it. My local lab charges £6.50 for c41 develop and 6Mp scans, I think its £8 for the 15Mp option but that is Jpeg only. 50p more for B&W dev. Their scanner is one of those Noritsu jobs. Its about 1/3 the cost for develop only so for sure its much more expensive paying for the scanning.

 

I guess it all boils down to what is ones quality target balanced against the effort one is willing to put in.

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[Printmaker]

Great question.... It's the scanning and PP that are the biggest drains. I use a nikon coolscan 9000 and get 4000 dpi which results in fairly large fully editable files. The files come flatter than a dng files (particualrly the B&W files), which means more PP work...

 

There is a very rewarding intangible aspect of doing all of this to turn an orange negative into a large, fully loaded digitallly processed file. But it's a lot of work to make it one's primary not-for-profit workflow! [NB: My volume is an average of couple of rolls a week.]

 

I've never understood the desire to shoot film only to scan and print digitally. If one is going to sit in front of a computer and, when they are satisfied with the result on screen, push the print button then why not start with a digital negative? The art of film is found in getting a good negative and enlarging it onto silver (or contact platinum) paper. Silver prints have a very distinct look. The edges and tonal transitions are very organic and are impossible to achieve digitally.

 

On the other hand, an artfully processed digital file from a high quality camera (MM) digitally printed on a paper like Canson Baryta has a different kind of beauty. This look is more contemporary, more expected and possibly more exciting.

 

As for the OP's original question, well I have not saved up enough for a MM yet but when I get there, I'll be sure to sell enough prints from it to make it a business expense.

[platypus]

I purchased my Monochrom just over a year ago, specifically to photograph black and white landscapes, as that is my (albeit harmless) addiction, and hobby.

I have owned a lot Leica cameras (both R and M) for work and for fun, since 1980 when I purchased my first R4, the MM is without a doubt providing the most pleasure of all of them.

[GaryMulcahey]

I make my living with cameras. I shoot a lot of b&w now and always have. I press all my cameras into work to pay their own way. That said, I bought the MM for pleasure but have pressed it into work on a few occasions now that I am used to what it can do and how I can take advantage of its attributes. Much like I would treat a new film in those old days. Even in work the MM is a pleasure to use. My first Leica so it has taken some getting used to.

 

G

[Printmaker]

I just looked at your photos. Keep your M9. Your color work is very nice. But do get a MM to keep it company. Think of it as one body infinitely loaded with Kodachrome and the other perpetually loaded with TriX.

[A miller]

I just looked at your photos. Keep your M9. Your color work is very nice. But do get a MM to keep it company. Think of it as one body infinitely loaded with Kodachrome and the other perpetually loaded with TriX.

 

THANKS PRINTMAKER. I'LL TAKE THAT AS A PERSCRIPTION WHEN TAKING THIS UP WITH THE HEAD OF MY HOUSEHOLD :)

[MarkP]

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perpetually loaded with TriX.

 

No. Perpetually and simultaneously loaded with 32FPX through to P3200TMax

[platypus]

I only load mine (metaphorically) with TriX....must be stuck in a rut.