wilfredo Posted July 17, 2014 Share #21 Posted July 17, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'll check out the DSLR youtube on cleaning the sensor. Thankfully it hasn't become a serious issue for me. I used a Rocket Blower on my MM and it helped. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 Hi wilfredo, Take a look here New Monochrom / Initial Thoughts. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
thompsonkirk Posted July 21, 2014 Share #22 Posted July 21, 2014 After a month with MM I also have some 'initial thoughts,' mainly WOW's. With MM files I feel like I'm working with medium format or even 4x5 negatives. My main difficulty has been to upgrade my BW printing skills to the level that MM files seem to ask for. There's so much detail in the files, with such subtle tonal transitions, that I've had to work out a rough version of the Zone System to print them. People have mentioned how flat the raw files are, but starting with flat files is fine. Medium format film photographers sometimes used D23 developer so they'd have low-contrast negatives that retained shadow and highlight detail from shots in both flat and sunny light. Such negatives were a lot like MM files, because both allow flexible processing to bring out shadow and highlight detail with delicate tonal transitions. The MM files have so little noise in the shadows that you can tease out detail that would look ugly/clumpy with any other sensor. As to the highlights, the detail is there if you consistently underexpose: 'Expose to the right,' but not very far. My first discovery was how much I could accomplish with the PS Select > Color Range tool. Buried under the different colors in this tool are the old selective tonal range masks that we loaded (on Mac with the tilde ~ key) in order to work separately on shadow and highlight detail. Now PS offers three masks under Selective Color: Shadows, Midrange, and Highlights. So once you've built a tonal Curve that works for the image as a whole, you can go one step deeper with a separate curve for one of the three sub-ranges – or for all three. And then a friend (a professional printer) pointed me to http://goodlight.us/writing/tutorials.html, Tony Kuyper's site for downloading his 'luminosity masks.' It's an elaborate system with confusing instructions, but for BW printing I've needed only one feature that's not hard to master – a set of masks that roughly correspond to the Zones of Ansel Adams' Zone System. With these you can pick out a narrow range of gray tones – overall, or in a specific area of the image – to 'play up' or 'play down.' With this flexibility, post-processing and inkjet printing are much like Adams said: the print becomes a 'performance' of the raw file's 'score.' I'm new to these tools, but am pleased with early results: Kirk Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/230402-new-monochrom-initial-thoughts/?do=findComment&comment=2634324'>More sharing options...
richfx Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share #23 Posted July 21, 2014 Thanks, Kirk. Boy, do I have a lot to learn with the MM. Rich Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Lord Posted July 23, 2014 Share #24 Posted July 23, 2014 love the subtle tonality on those 2 pictures. It's too easy to wreck that in PP. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted July 23, 2014 Share #25 Posted July 23, 2014 I'll check out the DSLR youtube on cleaning the sensor. Thankfully it hasn't become a serious issue for me.I used a Rocket Blower on my MM and it helped. Not sure where you live but the Leica shop in London cleans sensors for free, if you are nervous to do yourself. Perhaps they do in other countries as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffreyg Posted July 23, 2014 Share #26 Posted July 23, 2014 There was a software app called Lightzone, that allowed editing by the Zone system. Very easy, very intuitive. Its now no longer commercially avail, but is freeware: <www.lightzoneproject.org> It was interesting some time ago, but now PS seems easy enough, and a lot more flexible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thompsonkirk Posted July 24, 2014 Share #27 Posted July 24, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) And someone mentioned to me that OnOne or Nik offers Zones to play with, too? Can't remember which I was told…. Kirk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlainLandry Posted July 24, 2014 Share #28 Posted July 24, 2014 And someone mentioned to me that OnOne or Nik offers Zones to play with, too? Can't remember which I was told…. Kirk I don' know about OnOne but Nik Silver Efex Pro offer Zones. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scjohn Posted August 9, 2014 Share #29 Posted August 9, 2014 To the OP, congratulations on the MM. It just gets better and better. I agree with most of your comments about it, especially the files looking bland initially which as you saw, are quickly fixed. Have you made prints yet? I didn't for the first few weeks but as you might expect they don't disappoint. You should read the thread I made yesterday and the experience I had with sensor cleaning. WHile I am sure it can be dangerous under certain conditions, I also think there is undue fear (of which I suffered). My first attempt a year ago, I thought I ruined the sensor when it turned out from what I learned and did today, it was exactly what should be expected and can be part of the wet clean process depending on what was on the sensor. The sticky wand did absolutely nothing to the spots on the MM or the T which on the MM I suspect oil and on the T, possibly pollen. As I just posted in that thread, The sticky wand is good or maybe great to have as part of the tool kit for light dust or final touch ups. I'm not sure I would use it first but I would at least just examine the sensor under magnification first to be certain you won't be pressing down any material that can scratch the sensor. Was really a piece of cake cleaning two very dirty sensors today, after speaking with two pros who told me what to expect and what to do. I am curious about the comment that DNG's look bland but are easily fixed. I have not found the DNGs lacking but what are you doing to make them better? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfx Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share #30 Posted August 9, 2014 I am curious about the comment that DNG's look bland but are easily fixed. I have not found the DNGs lacking but what are you doing to make them better? Out of camera, the DNG files appear very muted / washed out to me, with very little contrast and tone separation. Using NIK Silver Efex Pro 2, which I have been using for awhile for M9 B+W conversions, really brings the files to life in terms of tonality / shades of grey and contrast. NIK's HDR application can then bring them to another level. After reading in a number of places, including here, that Leica's new lenses can result in overly harsh or clinical images with the MM, I bought two old (circa late 1950's / early 1960's) screw mount Canon lenses - a 35mm 2.0 and 50mm 1.4. They are incredibly small and jewel-like, from the golden age of manufacturing. I've been testing them the past three days, and love the images they produce - much more film-like than modern glass, IMHO. Their B+W IQ makes sense, as they were designed and built in the B+W film era, before color film became established. They are exceptional on the MM, not that the Lux ASPH FLE 35 and 50, as well as the Zeiss Biogon 35mm 2.8, are not also great. The MM continues to astound me in innumerable ways. I'm so glad to have one. Thank you, Solms. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted August 9, 2014 Share #31 Posted August 9, 2014 I am curious about the comment that DNG's look bland but are easily fixed. I have not found the DNGs lacking but what are you doing to make them better? Pretty much agree with what rcerick posted. Really all that needs to be done are adjusting the file in contrast and so forth to get the look and feel you prefer. There's so much latitude and it's very easy to work on MM files. Anyone talented in PP can make files difficult to distinguish from MM or any camera really but one great thing about the MM and the files it produces is the ease of adjusting and again the incredible detail you can pull out. And yes you do need to be careful to not overexpose or blow out highlights. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest obsidian0 Posted August 9, 2014 Share #32 Posted August 9, 2014 Out of camera, the DNG files appear very muted / washed out to me, with very little contrast and tone separation. Technically, a DNG is a linear raw file, and has no particular contrast or tone separation. How you process a raw file is up to you. A gamma curve (what the author is probably referring to) -- and not necessarily the default -- should be just the beginning of your post processing. With an MM and good exposure, your options are wide to an astounding degree, even at high ISO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scjohn Posted August 10, 2014 Share #33 Posted August 10, 2014 Technically, a DNG is a linear raw file, and has no particular contrast or tone separation. How you process a raw file is up to you. A gamma curve (what the author is probably referring to) -- and not necessarily the default -- should be just the beginning of your post processing. With an MM and good exposure, your options are wide to an astounding degree, even at high ISO. I use Nik software and adjust most MM images. The thing I was interested in was the idea that the images are "bland/flat" out of camera. I find them shockingly subtle in a good way. Contrast changes can make images pop but often the MM's mid tones are its most distinguishing feature. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycym Posted August 27, 2014 Share #34 Posted August 27, 2014 I had problems with dust on the sensor when my ME was new. A Rocket Blower helped but didn't get rid of all the dust. What I ended up doing with 100% success was using a brush, dry. Blow on it with the blower Then swipe across the sensor, once No dust (for a while....) Repeat process when more dust appeared. The camera's more than 1 1/2 years old now and I don't seem to get any more dust. Seems to be more of an issue when the camera's new. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted August 30, 2014 Share #35 Posted August 30, 2014 I had a very bad experience with the Dust-Aid one. This one is a better design. I do not know the one you mention. Where can you purchase this? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted August 30, 2014 Share #36 Posted August 30, 2014 Rich: Enjoy it. Mine continues to give me incredible satisfaction! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 31, 2014 Share #37 Posted August 31, 2014 Where can you purchase this? In the USA as far as I'm aware Amazon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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