On The Difference In Files Between The SL and the Monochrom

[johnbuckley]

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One of the most enjoyable annual events in Washington, D.C. is the High Heel Race, a drag queen promenade and actual street race held on the Tuesday before Halloween each year.  I began going with my M-9 Monochrom and 50mm Noctilux in 2014, and since 2015 have each year taken my Monochrom-246.  A gallery of images from prior years, using the Monochrom(s), can be found here.

But last night I went, for the first time, with the SL, not the Monochrom.  My reasons included: since it is a night event, with irregular light but always pretty dark, I've had trouble focusing and either lost shots or bored subjects waiting for me to get the right focus.  Even with/maybe especially with the Visolux added to the Monochrom-246, it can be slow and cumbersome to get the focus/shot. Also, I'm now using the 75mm Noctilux so there was a good chance I'd be further away from the subject, and thus the robust EVF of the SL would come in handy.

The SL absolutely lived up to expectations in the field.  It is much easier to focus than the Monochrom, in the dark, with subjects in motion.  But I was more than a little surprised when I got home and began to process the files to learn just how much more there was to work with using the Monochrom than the SL, under these conditions.

Look, I get that rendering black and white files from the Monochrom is self-evidently easier than converting them from the SL.  But under daylight conditions, both the SL and the M10 files can be converted to black and white so well, there have been moments when I've wondered whether my deep commitment to using the Monochrom for what I believe should be rendered in black and white is absolute.  In daylight, I understand the argument that the SL and M10 (and probably Q) produce such good, malleable, monochrome-ready files, you don't actually need the Monochrom to get incredible images.  

Images from last night are here. 

What became apparent last night is that Monochrom files, in high ISO conditions with tough light, are hands down better to work with in LR.  Again, I recognize that by definition, the Monochrom files are going to be easier to work with given that they don't need to be converted from color, there's no color noise, etc.  This shouldn't have been a revelation.  

But still I was surprised. What I found with the SL files was that pulling the image up out of the shadows left it significantly more diffuse than with Monochrom files, much harder to get the right balance of light and dark.  Noise really was a factor (I shot everything at ISO 3200.). Everything took longer to get right.

It was far easier using the SL in practice, but processing the files convinced me to bring the Monochrom next year, and to light a joss stick in the hope that there is in fact an M10 Monochrom, so that I can use the newer Visolux in night shooting.

 

 

[thighslapper]

My tests a few years ago showed that A2 prints from the Monochrom at 12500 were almost indistinguishable from base ISO ...... just a hint of compression in DR evident if you looked closely. Noise ..... or rather lack of and sharpness were identical. 

At 3200 on the SL you do lose a lot of shadow detail ..... and with the 24-90 and OIS on I try never to go above 800 ...... 1600 only if I really have to. With OIS you probably have more leeway than with a noctilux on the front ..... but do lack the narrow DOF .....

Unfortunately the Monochrom is a bit of a one trick pony and after not using my M9M and M240M for over 2 years after getting my SL I let them both go. Fine cameras, but not much use if they live in the safe all the time. 

[CharlesL]

7 hours ago, johnbuckley said:

 

If you'd like to make one of those ISO 3200 DNG files available via Dropbox or whatever, some people might tackle it and convince themselves.

[johnbuckley]

Charles - I don’t have a Dropbox account, but if you private message me I’d be happy to find some way of making a file available. 

[CharlesL]

John graciously provided a DNG file. I made global adjustments only and followed my taste as to presentation of the subject, discarding any attempt to raise the shadows of the subordinate figures. I feel the result supports no more than the dimension limit of 1280 pixels on this forum (unless one posts a link to a photo housed on another website).

The shutter time was 1/200 second. Was 1/125 possible, or even 1/90?

I also pulled the camera JPG out of the DNG file and applied SilverEfEx Pro2, Full Dynamic Range, to it. It is posted below.

Someone here can surely do better.

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[CharlesL]

I also pulled the camera JPG out of the DNG file and applied SilverEfEx Pro2, Full Dynamic Range, to it.

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[johnbuckley]

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Charles - thanks for doing this.  I sent you that file because, given how dark it was around the subject, there was a need to pull the image out of fairly deep shadows. This is the kind of image that would have been harder to capture using the Monochrom (focus is hard enough at that distance, and in that light, shooting wide open, with the SL's EVF, never mind using the Monochrom with or without the Visoflex EVF.)

 I shot everything that night at 3200 ISO, f/1.25, on Aperture Priority.  Yes, I could have shot manually, I suppose, but there's a lot going on at an outdoor drag queen promenade and race!

My point isn't that the files from the SL are poor -- their not.  There's a lot you can do with them, as you have.  (And as I think is shown in the original piece on my blog.).  The point is only: wow, the Monochrom files sure are easier to work with in post when the light is dark/confusing/mixed.

(I processed in LR to get the basics right, then run it through Silver EfEx Pro 2, usually working first in the High Structure preset. Often, I'll then have to lower the noise back in LR.)

Thanks for taking the time to do this.