Use M for b+w, should i get filters?

[leica1215]

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I use film mode to shoot b+w , there are some build in filrers option within the film mode, should I get filrers attach on lens or use those build in one ?

 

Any experiences to.share ? Thanks in advance.

[FrozenInTime]

The only filters you might want to use are NDs and polarizers.

Using traditional B&W colour contrast enchanting filters e.g. yellow,green,orange and red etc. confuse the bayer demosaicing algorithms.

[250swb]

There is no advantage in buying filters over using the built in options, but if you are using the camera's B&W mode you are only creating JPEG's, and this isn't the best file format for post processing.

 

If you want to do better B&W with the M the best thing is to get Silver Efex Pro and carry on shooting colour .dng images and convert them to B&W with Silver Efex in post processing.

 

Steve

[chris_tribble]

I'd strongly agree. I've made various postings recently with monochrome conversions from M-240 RAWs. I'm finding that Lightroom + SilverEfex is more than enough - and the NIK suite is now really reasonably priced (Google Nik Collection).

[jbl]

Completely agree with everything everyone has said.

 

The M Monochrom is a different story since you’re dealing with monochromatic capture and you’re attempting to do a tonal shift *before* capture. You can do that after the fact if you’re shooting in color.

 

-jbl

[jaapv]

Of course, as you are boosting one colour channel, you will be boosting noise in that channel as well. On the 240 that is lessof an issue than on earlier cameras.

 

There are two remedies:

1. Reduce noise in that one channel

2. (more elegant) Apply a blur filter to that channel in "preserve edges".

 

The simple solution is of course to use a colour filter. "confusing algorithms" makes no sense at all. The only thing you my confuse is colour balance, which does not matter anyway.

[luigi bertolotti]

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Silver efex costs like a pair of good color filters... with the only disadvantage of not protecting the front lens ...

btw... using color filters on M (and on M8 too, from my experience) can look an oddity when you see the color image in the DNG developing session... but after a BW conversion in PP, at the end one has the usual effects on BW image as expected from color filters on BW film (and it is logical).

[The Clam]

I'd strongly agree. I've made various postings recently with monochrome conversions from M-240 RAWs. I'm finding that Lightroom + SilverEfex is more than enough - and the NIK suite is now really reasonably priced (Google Nik Collection).

 

And you can easily find discount codes to reduce the price further, around 15%. They change periodically but this one may help now: cdodds

[Jamie Roberts]

Of course, as you are boosting one colour channel, you will be boosting noise in that channel as well. On the 240 that is lessof an issue than on earlier cameras.

 

There are two remedies:

1. Reduce noise in that one channel

2. (more elegant) Apply a blur filter to that channel in "preserve edges".

 

The simple solution is of course to use a colour filter. "confusing algorithms" makes no sense at all. The only thing you my confuse is colour balance, which does not matter anyway.

 

I'm sorry, but I feel this is incorrect. The most convoluted and difficult solution is to use a colour filter with a colour camera, IMO, especially under uncontrolled conditions.

 

Colour balance is actually all that matters when converting to monochrome from colour. Filters at capture may not matter for raw interpretation (I don't know TBH) but they absolutely do complicate exposure and absolutely can create problems in post that cannot be rectified easily (including a noise problem due to differences in channel exposure).

 

More importantly, I simply wouldn't throw away that many options at capture time, unless I knew precisely what I wanted under controlled lighting conditions. Programs like SilverEFx and AlienSkin make it easier than ever to get good results there.

 

But then, the original poster is shooting JPEGs, and FWIW lots of people like the M Monochrom. I'm not one of them

 

FWIW, with the M8 and M9 I've actually never had an issue with excessive channel noise when converting to BW over tens of thousands of conversions, except where the original was truly badly exposed (within the limits of the M8 especially) or under extreme exposure conditions to begin with--all cameras have their limits. The M240 should be a dream, by comparison with the M8 / M9, for converting.

[jaapv]

I don't think we really differ that much, Jamie, as you mention problems in the M8 and I say the M240 is less of a problem - maybe I should have said minimal.

 

Anyway I'll stick with my monochrom and only convert the M240 when someting has gone horribly wrong in the colour.....

[epand56]

I noticed that when setting film mode on B&W and shooting DNG, the camera actually shoot B&W. Then when you open the Dng files in Lightroom, they turn to color but when you switch again to B&W the conversion is beautiful. I often shoot like this, just B&W Raw and no Jpeg.

[leica1215]

thanks all inputs, I will get silver efex and try it, no harm anyway

[jbl]

I don't think we really differ that much, Jamie, as you mention problems in the M8 and I say the M240 is less of a problem - maybe I should have said minimal.

 

Anyway I'll stick with my monochrom and only convert the M240 when someting has gone horribly wrong in the colour.....

 

That's basically exactly what I do. I can't really think in B&W when I have a color camera. The b&w conversion is really a last resort for me when either the color is so bad it can't be fixed or when I screwed up and did a b&w composition in color.

[Jeff S]

FWIW lots of people like the M Monochrom. I'm not one of them

 

Welcome back after 8 months since last post, Jamie.

 

Just curious what you find lacking in the MM (other than color).

 

Jeff

[bephoto]

I use film mode to shoot b+w , there are some build in filrers option within the film mode, should I get filrers attach on lens or use those build in one ?

 

Any experiences to.share ? Thanks in advance.

 

you already have all three of them on your sensor

[krieves]

I shoot RAW and set film type to B&W. This allows me to see roughly what the B&W will look like on the back of the camera. Then, in PS I actually do the conversion. I haven't figured out why the DNG looks like B&W until I open it in PS, then it converts to color.