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M10 Monochrom Reviews {merged}


HughBrownstone

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On 1/18/2020 at 4:38 AM, elmars said:

The M10 Monochrom is an extension to Your eyes

In film days I was mainly a black & white photographer. This changed more and more with the M9. One reason was for sure my photographic themes - for many of them color was more adequate. But another reason was the camera itself. I knew there was a color sensor in it and so I saw mainly photographic subjects for color-pictures. 

I became aware of this soon after getting the chance to test the M10 Monochrom (M10-M). I recognized motifs that I did not recognize before. They were for black & white not for color. This is the same like I see with the angle of a lens as soon as I put it on the camera. 

So for me the M10-M is an extension to my eyes. The tool has a big impact on the way I see. I see in black & white holding the M10-M in my hands. I think this will be alike to many others. I did not expect this. I ever thought, a Monochrom is nice, but with a color sensor I can do the same and I have both worlds in one camera. I was wrong.

To me this is the true reason to buy an M10-M. But apart from this, it is a great camera:

Basis of the M10-M in technology and design is the M10-P. Especially the fantastic silent shutter is the same. The big difference is the sensor. It is not only a black & white version of the 24 MP sensor of the M10, it is a new 41 MP black & white sensor. Despite of the bigger data volume, camera operation is very smooth, no noticeable difference to the M10. Only the buffer gets full a bit earlier when shooting in continuous mode.

41 MP are real 41 MP because the sensor needs no Bayer pattern for color interpretation; for this reason a color sensor needs to have nearly twice the number of pixels to have the same resolution. Therefore I was a bit surprised, that there is no big advantage in visable resolution in comparison to the M10 sensor btw. it is so little that it is not eye catching to me (tripod mounted cameras, Apo-Summicron 2,0/50mm). But to be frank: We discussed this in the group of beta-testers. One was with me, two of us saw more obvious differences.

But this is not very decisive, it only shows that higher pixel number are overrated - a fact, that Andreas Kaufmann stated in a late interview with LSHA too.

An advantage of the Monochrom sensor is the smoothness of the tonal value. In comparison the M10 sensor is a bit harsh. It is subtle but it is there. Perhaps this has its reason in the higher resolution. And You can do nearly everything with the M10-M DNG. You can torture them anywhere - to my feeling much more than the DNG of the M10, but I have not tested this, it was an observation at the image processing.

Exposure latitude of both sensors seems equal. I could recover the same amount of overexposure. ISO 50.000 on the M10-M is very usable. Very nice grain in comparison to the M10 sensor. JPG out of the camera is similar to the DNG conversion in Lightroom. The JPG has a bit more contrast than the DNG. The DNG of the M10 have a bit more contrast than those of the M10-M.

The M10-M sensor seems to have a little orange/red filter, anyway You have to decrease the values of red and orange in the pictures of the M10 to get the same (a bit darker) skintone as in the pictures of the M10-M.

One last word to focus accuracy: 

There is a long lasting (beginning with the M8) discussion, if the mechanical system of the rangefinder is precise enough to handle the requirements of the digital age. Leica had great problems in the M8/M9 days with calibration, but since the M240 it is much better. With the M10 Leica improved the tolerances and the magnification of the viewfinder once again - I think very sufficient. The first thing I did after getting the M10-M was testing the focus accuracy. It was perfectly calibrated with my Apo-Summicron 2,0/50 mm. I had no problems focussing in practice too. And I never noticed anything negative due to the higher resolution of the sensor: Not more blur, no need for higher shutter speed to avoid blur, no problems with sharpness. I shot nearly all photos at f 2,0.

All photos are from Berlin.

Bit surprised you didn’t notice better resolution with the 41mp, maybe it was the lens?

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On 1/17/2020 at 11:18 AM, Likaleica said:

Sean Reid

https://www.reidreviews.com/article-content.asp?ArticleID=513&PageNum=1&newwin=1

Jono Slack

http://www.slack.co.uk/leica-m10-monochrom.html

 

As I mentioned on the M10M Image thread, I was quite pleasantly surprised when I was granted the opportunity to beta test the M10 Monochrom camera.  I tested it against the MM1 and M10 and have put some images on the M10M Images thread.

I am very happy with my MM1, “Henri,” and initially did not think I would want to get the M10 version.  However, I really like and prefer the form factor and user interface of the M10 platform.  To me, it is the perfect camera.  And during my brief time with the monochrome version, it fit right in.  I am partially color blind (red deficient), so black and white has always made more sense to me, which is a large part of my affinity toward the camera.

There are no surprises with this camera.  You already know what it is without holding one.  It’s a monochrome version of the M10 with a larger sensor and better ISO performance.  Jono's review is excellent as usual, but look out for noise and resolution comparisons by Sean Reid if that is important to you.  I would have liked the M10D faux film advance lever and I know some hate it, but it makes a nifty little built-in “thumbs up” stabilizer, leaving the hot shoe free.  

One thing I learned from the comparison tests is that the MM1 still is a damn good camera, albeit with several quirks.  I think for handheld work the motivation for upgrade to M10M would be the platform and user interface.  For tripod work, like landscapes, the M10M will offer better resolution in very large prints, as well as an improvement in shadow detail.  It’s kind of like a M6 with Tri-X vs. a 500CM with Panatomic-X.  The M10M files are much more plastic than MM1.  I don’t mean more plastic looking, but more depth with which to work. 

I’ve been sending used camera gear to my dealer for the past two years in anticipation of this camera and I think I’m in striking distance of getting one, depending on availability.  

The M10 Monochrom is not a camera for everyone, obviously, but it is a camera for those to whom it speaks.wrong 

Edited by zoe
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On 1/18/2020 at 4:27 PM, Jeff S said:

For anyone wanting to feed their GAS...

https://www.ultrasomething.com/2020/01/paradox-view-the-m10-monochrom/

Jeff

Thanks Jeff.. This is exactly what it is all about... For me b&w was always more black than white. I would be tempted to say that G. Simpson tested the M10M in its comfort zone, the dark side of the night... Other daylight shots seen so far seem much less impressive...

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Respectfully, I didn't like Hugh's video, but for purely content-related issues.  The video felt like it was targeted towards a buyer of high-end SLRs and mirrorless cameras who was considering the M10M as their first M platform purchase.  He spent a large portion of the video discussing the manual focusing of the M platform and how the average user can get better results with a image-stabilized platform.  Perhaps this is relevant to a new Leica owner but I found it extraneous and distracting.

I'm much more interested in seeing a side-by-side comparison of the M10 Monochrom to the rest of the M10 line.  I would love to hear discussion of the high ISO performance and see some side-by-side image comparisons of M10/M10M with the identical lens and subject.  I want to see a comparison of sharpness at lower ISOs, too.  I want to see some M10M captures side-by-side with color M10 captures that have been de-saturated in post.  Also want to see some image comparisons with the Typ 246.

Edited by Defender110
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1 hour ago, Defender110 said:

Respectfully, I didn't like Hugh's video, but for purely content-related issues.  The video felt like it was targeted towards a buyer of high-end SLRs and mirrorless cameras who was considering the M10M as their first M platform purchase.  He spent a large portion of the video discussing the manual focusing of the M platform and how the average user can get better results with a image-stabilized platform.  Perhaps this is relevant to a new Leica owner but I found it extraneous and distracting.

I'm much more interested in seeing a side-by-side comparison of the M10 Monochrom to the rest of the M10 line.  I would love to hear discussion of the high ISO performance and see some side-by-side image comparisons of M10/M10M with the identical lens and subject.  I want to see a comparison of sharpness at lower ISOs, too.  I want to see some M10M captures side-by-side with color M10 captures that have been de-saturated in post.  Also want to see some image comparisons with the Typ 246.

Agreed, and I tend to like Hugh's work. But there was a bit too much of "hold that thought".... I think (as you hint) he was wrestling with his own non-M direction, towards AF, and not sure where to place this lovely camera in his world. Sympathize with his difficulty, but wish he'd put that on the table more directly.  

David Farkas gets the prize for the most straightforward read. Agree w you about need for better comparisons: not only the M10M against M10, but also vs. the 246 and the MM1. Answering the question:  "if you have one of these, do you need an upgrade or not?" 

Edited by geoffreyg
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On 1/18/2020 at 3:27 PM, Jeff S said:

For anyone wanting to feed their GAS...

https://www.ultrasomething.com/2020/01/paradox-view-the-m10-monochrom/

Jeff

Only part way through the article and I want it more than ever, this is how i would want to use the camera to make the most of it - night time street shooting :D ah I'm going to have to sell some bits... 

Edited by dancook
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  • 3 weeks later...

I’ve been shooting with the 246 for a while and I’m very used to it. Just the other day I took the 262 for a spin at the Leica store and I instantly fell in love. For me the fact that its smaller, has the shutter feel of the M10, and the shutter being quieter, is a deal maker for me. Size is the main beef I have with the 246. 

 

Images look amazing on the post screen too. Granted, I only took it out for about 20-30minutes and shot as much as I could, but my overall impression is that its a very solid piece of kit. I wonder how the batteries last. Any user experiences out there regarding battery life?

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23 minutes ago, Ivanski said:

I’ve been shooting with the 246 for a while and I’m very used to it. Just the other day I took the 262 for a spin at the Leica store and I instantly fell in love. For me the fact that its smaller, has the shutter feel of the M10, and the shutter being quieter, is a deal maker for me. Size is the main beef I have with the 246. 

 

Images look amazing on the post screen too. Granted, I only took it out for about 20-30minutes and shot as much as I could, but my overall impression is that its a very solid piece of kit. I wonder how the batteries last. Any user experiences out there regarding battery life?

Same as M10 / M9...I know the M240 / 246 batteries are larger, but to be honest never had any issues with the M10 / M9 and never ran out of battery. But I also don’t check my screen / use live view, etc...so that might be why. 

Edited by shirubadanieru
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17 hours ago, pedaes said:

This weeks Amateur Photographer (UK) carries a full and very complimentary review of M10M.

Also raises an interesting question  - should Leica fit this sensor to Q2 and SL2.

Deleted.

Tried to link to the AP article but it turns out to be password restricted.

Edited by Keith (M)
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