Is the highlight clipping really that bad?

[jmahto]

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Leica could probably eliminate all the grumbling but n this thread if they would just provide an option that replaced ISO 100 with the genuine base ISO of the sensor, rather than the existing (partial) software pull.

 

At the very least this should be an option with auto-ISO.

A minimum ISO setting in auto-ISO configuration will do.

 

I use M240 and do wonder whether I will be comfortable with M10's auto-ISO picking ISO100 all the time.

[Rollin]

I bought an M10, and I've put over ten thousand clicks on it in the 5 months I've owned it . . .  Anyways, it's a lovely tool. It's limitations can be frustrating and may cause actual issues for some users.

 

pgh,

I've had my M10 for a short while and still learning subtitles of its strengths and weaknesses. In the shooting you have done have you found the DR heavily skewed towards the shadows? So much so that heavy underexposure results in a better final image from the DNG? Not ideal of course.

 

The other experiment I want to do is at higher ISO's push in LR or C1 vs. the camera as I'm also not very satisfied with the so far unpredictable high-ISO artifacts it throws. I've seen them as low as ISO 8,000, and then have ISO 40,000 images that look good. Leica knows of it as mentions it in the camera's manual. At least they did not cap it to a low top ISO as a fix.

 

Background: I too come from photojournalism - manual focus & AF film era, then Newspaper Photo Editor. I am pleased with the M10, my first Leica, and had a good sense of its shortcomings as on this path for over a year and researching it heavily during that time. First tried M-mount lenses on Sony's, but found it was not the creative environment I wanted to work in for my personal work, and not happy with wide angels, so sold a bunch of the FF gear to buy the M10 and used lenses. Still shoot APS-C Sony as part of my day job.

 

The lineage of the M is for reportage and travel. At this price I agree with pgh and others, we can say they should be doing better with the highlights, and in my book the high ISO's too, as they fit the heritage of the system.

[paulsydaus]

Could you explain how that works? Setting the iso to 320 to avoid clipping highlights?

It seems counter intuitive to me, because the graph does show the maximum DR is achieved at ISO 100...

 

 

http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm

 

I think this guy is a lot better than DXO, as he measures the usable dynamic range, AKA exposure range.

 

The first graph shows the response of all measured Leica cameras. The M10 appears to respond the same as previous models, just a bit better. But have a look at the SL and Q. Possibly Leica seems to have made an effort to improve highlight recovery, maybe related to a pull ISO. I posted a second comparison to make it clear.

This would mean that the issue is not in in the sensor at all, but related to the firmware.

 

dr1.png

 

 

dr.png

 

I have no idea whether this is really related to the clipping problem in this thread, I have mailed Bill for an explanation.

BTW, he is looking for files from other Leica cameras to add to his site.

 

Anyway, as the problem is avoided by shooting high contrast subjects at ISO 320, it is not much of an issue.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[M11 for me]

I exposed an image today as I always do: Hold the camera up in direction of the sky to proper expose and then overexpose by 1½ stops. As a result only the sun itself was clipping and the field in front was very, very dark. Like this: 

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Then I pulled in Lightroom by 5 Light Values and reworked the contrast etc. This is the result:

 

 

And I like it. The lens was the 35mm Lux at f/16

 

I am sure (but did not try by now) that the 5D MkIV would not do better.

Edited February 14, 2018 by Alex U.

[Csacwp]

After using the camera for a day, I can report that there are no issues as long as you shoot at iso 200 and above, which is fine for my purposes.

[M11 for me]

And here an even more extreme version of the same DNG:

 

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[M11 for me]

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After using the camera for a day, I can report that there are no issues as long as you shoot at iso 200 and above, which is fine for my purposes.

 

My shots were at ISO 100. I must admit that I did not understand why the DR should be bigger with ISO 200 and above than with ISO 100 as the DR is lowered at those ISOs.

[Jeff S]

My shots were at ISO 100. I must admit that I did not understand why the DR should be bigger with ISO 200 and above than with ISO 100 as the DR is lowered at those ISOs.

Read the link I provided. Exposure latitude is greater at 200 vs 100, which is not base ISO since that acts as a pull setting.

 

Jeff

[M11 for me]

Read the link I provided. Exposure latitude is greater at 200 vs 100, which is not base ISO since that acts as a pull setting.

 

Jeff

 

Ups, that is something else. I'll look into that. Exposure latitude is the point . . . You're right.