How do You shoot Monochrome?

[strohscw]

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Well, I am comming from Monochrome, with Leica M4P and M6. Then, around 2008,  I started digital photography, sold all my analog equipment and came via Canon and Sony, again, back to Leica M10 now.

I would like to know from the MM users how they handle the shooting. Are You still using color filters (yellow, orange,..) on Your lenses?
Is it possible to previsualize its efect on the LiveView?

Sorry for asking stupid questions, but I think about returning to "digital b&w" and maybe a M10M could be a good step into it.

Greetings from Austria

 

Wolfram

[a.noctilux]

Hello Wolfram,

M10 is fine for color,

M246 can answer your question (waiting for M10 Monochrom 😇 ).

I do use colored filters on my Monochrom "original" for some years, but it was not as comfortable as

with M246 that I use now with lenses from the first years of Leica (1925-30 lenses Summar/Elmar 5cm, that is fun).

With EVF2 on M246, the filter effect can be "previewed" = that is the wonderful thing to "learn and experiment" without taking the pictures.

I've never been aware of red filter "shift" with some lenses, but now I can see those "red shift" if exists = nice to know.

Even some orange filter can behave differently with different lens = amazing to see the "effects in real time".

Effects of green filter are wonder on new "spring greens" as now, I'm learning to know this subble green effects.

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[strohscw]

vor 16 Stunden schrieb a.noctilux:

Hello Wolfram,

M10 is fine for color,

M246 can answer your question (waiting for M10 Monochrom 😇 ).

I do use colored filters on my Monochrom "original" for some years, but it was not as comfortable as

with M246 that I use now with lenses from the first years of Leica (1925-30 lenses Summar/Elmar 5cm, that is fun).

With EVF2 on M246, the filter effect can be "previewed" = that is the wonderful thing to "learn and experiment" without taking the pictures.

I've never been aware of red filter "shift" with some lenses, but now I can see those "red shift" if exists = nice to know.

Even some orange filter can behave differently with different lens = amazing to see the "effects in real time".

Effects of green filter are wonder on new "spring greens" as now, I'm learning to know this subble green effects.

Hello noctilux,

thanks for these very interesting information. I never heard before of a "red filter shift" before!

On which lenses did You see this effect?

Greetings

Wolfram

[AceVentura1986]

I shoot the original M9M mated with a 50 Summicron and 35 and 75 Voigtlanders. Although I have yellow, orange and red filters for each, I find that the orange filter has the greatest effect while still being usable most of the time. The yellow’s effect is too moderate while the red is too pronounced, effectively being limited to outdoor and landscape use. 

The change in exposure is interesting as well. Using an off-white wall illuminated by daylight as a reference, I find that the yellow has no effect on exposure while the orange and red each shows a 0.5 and 1.5 stop decrease in exposure, respectively. 

Leaving the orange filter in place as a default enhances contrast and gives me truly pleasing results while the 0.5 stop decrease in exposure is something I can completely live with. Even with this decrease, the M9M is still faster than the ME, my color Leica. 

As for pre-visualization, well that’s something you just pick up as you shoot, same as with film. 

As with all photography, YMMV. 

[a.noctilux]

7 hours ago, strohscw said:

Hello noctilux,

thanks for these very interesting information. I never heard before of a "red filter shift" before!

On which lenses did You see this effect?

Greetings

Wolfram

For more,

have a look here

[jaapv]

9 hours ago, strohscw said:

Hello noctilux,

thanks for these very interesting information. I never heard before of a "red filter shift" before!

On which lenses did You see this effect?

Greetings

Wolfram

Basically it is chromatic aberration, i.e. red light focusing on a different plane. The effect gets stronger as the filter gets deeper, IR filters can show massive focus shift. The chromatic correction of the lens can mitigate the effect, some APO lenses show minimal red shift.

Obviously you would not notice with TTL focusing, but with rangefinder cameras it is a factor to be considered.

[RexGig0]

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I have been using an orange filter on my Elmarit-R 28mm, with a Novoflex LEM/LER adapter, and a yellow filter on my Zeiss 4,5/21mm ZM. My Monochrom is a Type 246.

[IkarusJohn]

On 5/1/2019 at 1:50 AM, jaapv said:

Basically it is chromatic aberration, i.e. red light focusing on a different plane. The effect gets stronger as the filter gets deeper, IR filters can show massive focus shift. The chromatic correction of the lens can mitigate the effect, some APO lenses show minimal red shift.

Obviously you would not notice with TTL focusing, but with rangefinder cameras it is a factor to be considered.

I tried to find the red shift effect (basically focus shift) with my Monochrom, Noctilux 0.95, shot wide, subject middle distance and couldn’t detect it. The Noct is an apochromatic lens, it has to be said.

[jaapv]

On older lenses you can find an IR mark on the DOF scale. Usually it is two stops down.  That would make the red shift ~ halfway between the IR mark and infinity.
It shows how well the new Noctilux is corrected.

[davidbaddley]

Medium Yellow filter just lives on my MM1. Orange and red too over-the-top for me, but yellow still a significant improvement over no filter. Very similar (but not exactly the same) as with panachromatic film.

 

 

[Likaleica]

Same here, yellow filter.

[Lux50]

Depending on the subject, I use either a yellow or orange filter with my M Monochrom.

[mmradman]

At night no filters.

In daytime either no filter, or orange, mostly if plenty of blue sky, or occasional red or yellow, must try yellow-green and green.

[m0n0]

The yellow filter, to my eye, 'corrects' for the Monochrom's spectral sensitivity profile. Orange and red are for more specialised uses. I'd try a yellow-green filter if I had one.

[kkcsm]

On 4/30/2019 at 8:50 AM, jaapv said:

Basically it is chromatic aberration, i.e. red light focusing on a different plane. The effect gets stronger as the filter gets deeper, IR filters can show massive focus shift. The chromatic correction of the lens can mitigate the effect, some APO lenses show minimal red shift.

Obviously you would not notice with TTL focusing, but with rangefinder cameras it is a factor to be considered.

This is interesting.  RE: APO lenses, I have not noticed focus shift, this could be one reason.  More important reason, I typically am not using dark color filters on occasions where I would use a wide aperture. 

Another important consideration: red and dark red filters have an unpleasant effect on Caucasian skin, making them unnaturally smooth.  My preferred colors are yellow and orange, yellow used much more.