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New: Leica M Monochrom (Type 246) Official Announcement


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UK dealers are stating this is limited to 500 bodies, is that stated anywhere else?

http://leicastoremanchester.com/

That is not what they say. That appears to be the original batch that is being shipped now. I think we can be sure that other batches will follow.

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Adobe is moving Lightroom into their CC Subscription solution so it might never be a version 7 and you'll have to subscribe to recieve further functional updates. An unfortunate development if yoa ask me but that is the way it is. I guess it also lessens the value of the included Lightroom license in a way.

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That is not what they say. That appears to be the original batch that is being shipped now. I think we can be sure that other batches will follow.

 

It states: "Only 500 available worldwide"

 

Unqualified by, in the first run, this month, on release, first batch etc etc, granted it doesn't say "ever"  :)

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It states: "Only 500 available worldwide"

 

Unqualified by, in the first run, this month, on release, first batch etc etc, granted it doesn't say "ever"  :)

Nor qualified by "limited to" either.

I am sure that it is an unfortunate way of putting things. Imo it simply means what it says. Leica pushed 500 out of the door for initial sales, and announced it as a new model, so will undoubtedly be followed by more . This is FUD...

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.... and I have talked to them......  and as yet they have had no confirmation that they are getting any of the '500' ...... just an assumption they will ....... as a Premier Plus dealer  :rolleyes:

 

anyway, as Jaap says ...... none of the release literature states 'limited' ... and this situation is identical to the M240 and T release ........ first batch big enough to keep main dealers and those with more money than sense happy ....... then a delay as regular production drip feeds though to the rest who haven't cancelled their order when sanity returns after the initial euphoria and GAS ....

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It states: "Only 500 available worldwide"

 

Unqualified by, in the first run, this month, on release, first batch etc etc, granted it doesn't say "ever"  :)

Leica says that those 500 copies are the first batch; many more will be manufactured in the upcoming months and years. Everyone who wants one will get one, so take your time deliberating whether the new M Monochrom is for you.

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Sounds like a lot of great improvements overall, except for one critical factor, the CMOS sensor.  For me "it's all about that bass" the tonal IQ you get from the classic Monochrom.  That rich tonality is missing in the new Monochrom photographs, especially in skin tones. It seems like the CCD in time will be a thing of the past.  I'm not tempted by the new bells and whistles.  I will hold on to the CCD as long as possible.    I sincerely hope the CCD will live on, but in the corporate world their bass is profit, and appeal to the consumers, this makes my classic Monocrhrom even more valuable to me. 

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The new  camera uses 12-bit pixels rather than 14-bit pixels. For some reason, the CMOS sensor does not use the full range of values available in 12-bits. There must be a lot of processing going on internally to eat up the range. You might ask "on what planet is 12-bits better than 14-bits?" One without an atmosphere and that gets hit by lots of cosmic rays.

 

Phase 1 is using a new CCD made by Dalsa for their new monochrome camera. The CCD will become the territory of only the most expensive professional and scientific equipment. Maybe the next generation of CMOS detector will fare better.

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Very good question, and deeper bit depth usually shows up more noise. Greater bit-depth also makes it easier to find Gaussian noise and to eliminate it from the image. This is true with M Monochrom images shot at high-ISO. Noise Reduction in LR6 is very effective at eliminating noise in the M Monochrom images. (I turn sharpening Off, but mostly "instinct" from working with traditional sharpening filters around noisy images.)

 

There is a parameter in the DNG image header for estimating the noise of the sensor at Base ISO. The M246 records this as "1", the M Monochrom records it as "1". The M8 records it as "4", just as a comparison. I take this to mean 1:4096 for the M246, 1:16384 for the M Monochrom, and 4:16384 for the M8. "I reserve the right to be wrong in my interpretation"...

 

I've looked at the three DNG files offered for download by Thorsten. The image at ISO 12,500 shows fixed-pattern noise, and the shots at ISO 6400 also show pattern noise. This "Cross-Hatch" noise is baffling to me. It shows up in the 12-bit image. It must be related to the banding issues with the M240 at High ISO. This type of noise can be removed from the image, but requires more work than just "thresholding and smoothing". Characterizing this type of noise is the domain of Fourier Transforms and such. It's too systematic to be random. That means it can be chased down, isolated, and corrected in hardware.

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The LR6 raw convertor has been called into question for causing the banding issues that I am seeing in the M246 files. Later today, I'll try to "Import as Photoshop Raw"- provided that the DNG files uses one "strip" to store the data, as the M8, M9, and M Monochrom do. If it is in multiple strips, will take a little longer to write some custom code for unpacking the data.

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

I notice that the new Monochrom comes with a free copy Lightroom,

That's the main reason I am going to take the plunge and get the new MM...................I will be pis%ed if its not version 6

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 Not really...In Euros - and the camera is made in Europe- it is more expensive. A year ago it would have cost about 9000 $...

Jaap - those of us on this side of the pond have, for the last few years, stood somewhat in awe at what Europeans have been able purchase on shopping trips to New York and elsewhere. The dollar-Euro ratio temporarily favors us (and thank you, Leica, for the 12% discount you've announced on other products.). I fully expect that when the Monochrom Type-252 is released, you will think it a bargain, compared to what Europeans paid for the Type-246, and we will wince.

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