Low light suggestions

[Lax Jought]

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Lax those are excellent with M9.2

 

Were the color shots usable too?

 

Thank you, I took these shots a couple of years ago on my M8.2 and if I recall correctly the colour shots were good too. 

 

I decided to go with B&W because there were different coloured lights everywhere and it was very distracting.  For example, the first photo with the girl and boy - the light source was from a very large outdoor cinema-sized screen some distance away, I think their faces were red/pink because of the light from the cinema screen so it would have looked like a white balance problem (which it wasn't).  In the next shot, their faces were a completely different colour, or a mix of colours.

 

I think in difficult low light conditions you must post-process to make the photos presentable, or use flash.  I was able to keep the noise in my photos to an absolute minimum by intentionally under-exposing at a level I was comfortable with, and then post-processing it back up to an acceptable standard.

[Lax Jought]

If I needed deep depth of field in very low light conditions, I'll never be able to do that with a Leica (or most other full frame cameras) unless I had an ultra fast wide angle lens.

 

I would carry something like a Panasonic LX7 (f/1.4) or LX100 (f/1.7) so that I can shoot wide open and still have everything in focus with deep depth of field due to the smaller sensor. So for example, if I was out to dinner at a candle-lit restaurant and I wanted to photograph all my friends seated at a round or rectangle table, and there isn't enough space in the restaurant for me to step back very far, I would just use the LX100. I would never be able to keep them all in focus with a full frame camera, even with a fast wide angle.

 

BUT, there is one full frame camera that could probably do it - the Sony A7s with its powerful ISO. I could stop down to f/5.6 - f/8 and turn up the ISO to a ridiculous level and still have minimal noise.

 

*edit - actually I think the Monochrom might be able to do it too because it has a strong ISO, but I've never used it before so I don't know.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Lax Jought

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[uhoh7]

TY Lax.

 

I see I invented a new camera model, the 9.2 LOL Sry I had the wrong glasses

[Lax Jought]

TY Lax.I see I invented a new camera model, the 9.2 LOL Sry I had the wrong glasses

I thought you were talking about the M9-P!

[sblutter]

Great thread - thanks everyone

[Deliberate1]

OP here. Much obliged for all the help. Very interesting approaches and solutions

[pico]

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If you are using a Monochrom, then under dire circumstances you could shoot some flash with an infrared filter over the tube (not the lens). The IR will not be seen by others, thus not disturbing them, but the sensor will see it.

[asiafish]

If I needed deep depth of field in very low light conditions, I'll never be able to do that with a Leica (or most other full frame cameras) unless I had an ultra fast wide angle lens.

 

I would carry something like a Panasonic LX7 (f/1.4) or LX100 (f/1.7) so that I can shoot wide open and still have everything in focus with deep depth of field due to the smaller sensor. So for example, if I was out to dinner at a candle-lit restaurant and I wanted to photograph all my friends seated at a round or rectangle table, and there isn't enough space in the restaurant for me to step back very far, I would just use the LX100. I would never be able to keep them all in focus with a full frame camera, even with a fast wide angle.

 

BUT, there is one full frame camera that could probably do it - the Sony A7s with its powerful ISO. I could stop down to f/5.6 - f/8 and turn up the ISO to a ridiculous level and still have minimal noise.

 

*edit - actually I think the Monochrom might be able to do it too because it has a strong ISO, but I've never used it before so I don't know.

 

The Leica X (Typ 113) does this very well.  Its 23mm lens is equivalent to 35mm for field of view, but is still a 23mm for depth of field, and at f/1.7 with the excellent APS-C sensor I can get clean images at ISO 3200 in color or 6400 in black and white.  At f/1.7 and normal portrait distances depth of field is not razor thin, and at f/2.8 or f/4 you can still get a reasonable shuttler speed in most indoor lighting.

 

Other than my M Monochrom (clean ISO 5000), the X is the best low-light camera I currently own.  I used to have a Nikon Df that was better, but nowhere near as handy.

[Go Figure]

What raw processor are you using? The later versions of Lightroom have much improved noise reduction algorithms.

 

I've read that the M9 and M Monochrom have a two-stage analog pre-amp. Some have suggested that ISO640 with EV-2, then pushed in Lightroom is cleaner than shooting ISO2500. You should experiment. You should also experiment with different SD cards. I use 4x 8GByte Sandisk cards and PNY cards over the faster cards as they induce less noise in the image. You can look up issues of various "extreme" Sd cards producing noise in the recorded image.

 

Canon 100/2, wide-open. ISO5000 eqv by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

This shot is "pushing it". ISO2500 at EV-1, then pushed using Lightroom 4.4 for an ISO5000 equivalent. 

Canon 100/2, wide-open at 1/60second. It was very dark, lighting only by disco lights.

 

Skate and Fun by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

ISO2500 with the M9, Nikkot 8.5cm f2 wide-open, 1/125th second. Minimal NR applied.

 

It is also worth having a 50/1.1 Nokton in the arsenal, in addition to the 35/1.2 Nokton. I have and use both.

 

Skyline Caverns by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

ISO2500 on the M Monochrom, 50/1.1 Nokton wide-open.

Which PNY cards did you use for these ... if you don't mind me asking ?

Best regards,

Mark