Does the M Monochrom produce the best B&W printed image?

[otto.f]

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Although I had a wet b & w darkroom for decades, I have never touched a B & W only camera so have nothing to offer in that regard.  However, if I might be allowed a somewhat contrarian viewpoint I do have one speculation:

 

I strongly suspect that final resolution for the issue of "I am concerned only with creating the ultimate in print quality" will always boil down to the skill level employed in post processing.  This may possibly mean that whatever equipment you already have, the results might be more favorably affected by intense study/experimentation/practice than different gear.

 

Apologies if this comes across as a stuffy or pompus reply, it was certainly not intended as such.  I realize this is essentially a non answer, but as you are very clear on objectives I think it bears on the actual intent of your question.

 

Which is of course not to say that having the best equipment might not be desirable, it's just that I think it is not the most important factor.

 

Still, a good wet baryta print of a photo shot with a Praktika can be better than a digital print from a Leica 240

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[Philinflash]

Almost my first photo with my MM246 was a four-panel pano of a large old building stitched together in PhotoShop.  Each panel was shot in portrait orientation but the final image was a large and dense landscape-oriented photo.  I had it professionally ink-jet printed to 30 by 60 INCHES @ 240 pixels/inch with spectacular results.  Whilst each brick was clearly visible, there was no appreciable noise or other degradation in quality.

[Jon Warwick]

Well, I tried the M246 and 50 APO today for the first time, and was just reviewing the look on screen tonight.

 

My main camera is an M240 and I've used a LOT of B&W film (mainly Delta 100 and Acros 100) through an M7 and M4-P. And I tried the 1st MM when it came out but chose the M240 instead.

 

But the M246 and 50 APO ...... WHAT a combo! Gone is the overly sharp look (and highlight issues) of the 1st MM, and in is mega detailed but also smooth and refined B&W. Tonality looked mesmerising. -30 blacks and +30 whites in Raw processing, and what was popping out, to me, was something like the richness of Delta 100 ...., but with more apparent detail and no grain compared to 6x7.

 

For 50" wide prints on screen (and on initial cropped prints) it felt like it was past the drum scanned 6x7 off my Mamiya 7, and having a go at marching on towards my 4x5 (in feel at least).

 

I'd imagine the APO is really helping a lot here, and able to show its full "colors" on such a camera!

[BerndReini]

 

 

But the M246 and 50 APO ...... WHAT a combo! Gone is the overly sharp look (and highlight issues) of the 1st MM, and in is mega detailed but also smooth and refined B&W.

Please show me the advantage the M246 has over the MM1 in the highlights.

[Jon Warwick]

Please show me the advantage the M246 has over the MM1 in the highlights.

Apols, I should have been clearer. Mainly on the basis of what I think were extra-extra clean shadows on the M246, so I found even more willingness to really protect the highlights (and then drag up these very clean shadows in post). But clearly highlights can blow and are gone for good on the M246, just as they can on the 1st MM. In film, I used to focus on keeping shadow detail visible via zone 3 and let the highlights do their own thing, now it's the opposite for the MM and more of my attention is around zone 8.

[jaapv]

And what did you do using slide film?