b&w: passion is back!

[kengai]

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I'm rediscovering the pleasure of black and white, going back to the years when I was developing the TRI-X exposed at 1600/3200 ASA and in print I was still pulling for very contrasted blacks and whites. 
Now I'm thinking about whether to convert in b&w the M10 files or make some sacrifice to buy a used M246?

[maron]

Why Not Tri-X again? 

[a.noctilux]

Kengai, had you converted M10 files into b&w ?

This may answer your question or not 😉.

...

I have some opinions as I do use the two Ms:

- since my first Monochrom (that I always use), I prefer B&W mindset when I use a Monochrom

- using colored filter in the field ( in the flow ) to enhance or diminish some "b&w colors", with Monochrom is something very different than PP color file to have B&W result

- when I plan to have monochrome results with the M10 files, I lost myself in PP, too many choices that bother me a lot

 

As side note, each case may be good choice and only some practices can answer.

 

Side note 2 : now I experience something new to me as I'm scanning some films with my M246 + Beoon + Focotar.

With my old taken some years ago Agfa Vista Plus 200 (negatives in color) when I scanned them as color photos, the results are just barely acceptable,

but when scanned in b&w, the results please me much better, I don't know why (b&w mindset not applicable here ! ).

 

One example

this color negative Vista Plus 200 taken with M-A and Summicron 35 (8 element) some years back

"scan" with M246, Beoon, Focotar 50, no filter ... some days ago

 

 

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Edited April 4, 2020 by a.noctilux

[analog-digital]

vor 25 Minuten schrieb a.noctilux:

Kengai, had you converted M10 files into b&w ?

Do you think there is any difference in the Mono Files and the converted to B&W Files? If YES, what are is the difference(s)?

[a.noctilux]

4 minutes ago, analog-digital said:

Do you think there is any difference in the Mono Files and the converted to B&W Files? If YES, what are is the difference(s)?

As I don't use them at same time color/b&w M for some years, I can't answer, sorry.

 

I can add that the perception of differences may be minimal, but I insist in "B&W mindset" which is the most difference in use one color or Monochrome M

[Stevejack]

I have an m262 and Q2. The conversions to b+w are fine, but far, far short of M10M quality. 
 

If you don’t ever crop heavily or print big it really just comes down to tonality. I find the m10m easily superior here as well. I can’t pull off the same shots with my other Leicas that I can with the M10M. Will you see it in my work? Don’t know... but I certainly see it in my workflow. 

I don’t have an attachment to the camera due to money spent or anything like that, I would sell it if I was unhappy with it and move on to something better. Right now, I’m 100% content with the M10M. 
 

 

 

[otto.f]

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On 4/4/2020 at 11:13 AM, kengai said:

I'm rediscovering the pleasure of black and white, going back to the years when I was developing the TRI-X exposed at 1600/3200 ASA and in print I was still pulling for very contrasted blacks and whites. 
Now I'm thinking about whether to convert in b&w the M10 files or make some sacrifice to buy a used M246?

Having owned the M10 I can say that I never found such a nice noise on digital M’s as with the M10 between 1600 and 3200 ASA, but that was in color. And it is a very decent noise. The TriX images from 1600/3200 ASA are very rough and coarse are a whole different style. I don’t think you can attain that with an M10 and I doubt if that’s possible with an M246. It will all come out too decent I guess. It could be possible with the MM1. The first introduction of the MM1 in LFI showed a series a photographer who had made it very rough, harsh and ‘grainy’ but I can’t say I direct associated it with TriX on 35mm film. More with Anton Corbijn’s medium format pushed TriX with Hasselblad. 
Of course you have to find your own outcome for your longings, but I agree with maron in post #2. You never loose with buying an M4 and start with TriX again in Rodinal. This developer and the camera have a sheer endless useability. And the M4 can always be sold with profit of you turn out to look for something else. Our memory is not very trustworthy. Maybe what you visualize in your head has been altered by 15 years of digital photography already and cannot be replicated anymore. We might now be used to a certain level of cleanliness of photo’s since the digital era started.