If all you owned was an Mx Monochrom, would you be satisfied?

[chasdfg]

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I'm gonna try this for a year. 

I purchased a M10M not long after its release and always had a colour camera with me, either in the form of the SL, Sigma FP or the SL2 (non-rangefinder so as to differentiate it from the M10M even more). During this time, I've only used the colour cameras for paid shoots or for colour specific subjects like sunsets, though they've been getting a lot more use lately as my M10M has gone back to  Germany due to some calibration issues. It's still there now, so its been 2 months and counting of just colour shooting...when I was hoping that the M10M take over as my primary camera in 2020.

During my short time with the M10M so far, I've seen my photographic eye shifting in terms of what I look out for and how I shoot, so I see the value in committing to pure B&W shooting for a year just to see what I get out of it at the end of the day and thus when the M10M is back I'm aiming to sell the colour cameras. I don't shoot for a living, so this commitment is just for myself (i'd just have to turn away colour projects and shoots) and would allow me to focus on shooting and processing in B&W.  I think it is quite "daunting" or off-putting to imagine shooting holidays and occasions solely in B&W, but there is also a sense of excitement in such a commitment.

I never had the discipline to convert my colour pictures to B&W when when I displayed them in B&W on my previous M240, so a pure B&W camera is a great way to immerse myself in this idea. I think by removing the distraction and choice of a colour camera I'd really be forced and I see it as a good thing, just like how shooting manual focus and shooting with primes have been beneficial to my shooting and my enjoyment.

[snooper]

Yes definitely happy with just a Monochrom, and nothing else, providing I could take the Q2 along 😁😁😁😁

[T25UFO]

A very good and thought provoking question.  Perhaps an extension to the question: could you live with one lens?

My answer, after a lot of thought, is similar to @snooper.  A Monochrom on its own - probably not - but I could easily live with the M10M and one lens (50mm APO) coupled with a Q2.  Indeed, that is what I have!

[Drmat]

I owned the M9M/M10 combination.  I found that I was always converting my colour images to BnW or I had wished I made the photo with my monochrom.  So I sold my M10.  Thinking I should try colour again, I later bought the M10D.  Again, I found myself converting all my photos to BnW.  When I purchased the M10M I sold the 10D.  I miss the feel of the camera more than the colour images.

Whenever I go for a walk with my wife I point out colours that I like and say things like “that would make a good colour photo”, followed a few minutes later by “but then I would probably get bored of the photo because the colour is not enough to overcome the bad subject or composition”.  Or maybe I am just bad at colour!

So to answer the question.  I could live without colour in my photography.  I find that in my work, colour is a cheap thrill and my best photos are in monochrom.  I also think that living in Canada and NYC has something to do with it.  Maybe if I lived in the Southern Hemisphere or on the West coast where things are more colourful I might have a different perspective.  Then again, I am a hobbyist photographer, so I suppose that has an impact as well.

[david strachan]

I wouldn't be happy with a stricktly monochrome camera, much as i like B&W.  I shoot nice film for that with my M6 or IIIc...and really enjoy these older cameras, and other formats too.

Also converting the colour images, and using the sliders in colour channels Lightroom, is as good as it gets..in fact fabbo truly amazing wunderbar.

...

Edited October 14, 2020 by david strachan

[Likaleica]

yes

[Stef63]

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No.  I have had the two discontinued monochrom cameras and now have the M10M.  When I took/take them out It was/is always a rewarding journey.  But when I look out the window today and see nature collapsing into fall... the M10M stays at home and the M10 and SL2 is my camera of choice.  You simply cannot capture the essence of this fabulous season in b&w. 

[Cayenne]

On 10/7/2020 at 6:50 PM, bcapphoto said:

Curious - if all you owned was a Monochrom (any variety) - would you be satisfied? Would you feel ok not shooting colour, or at least not with an M-body?

Thought it'd be an interesting discussion.

I'm currently awaiting my first ever Leica and it is the M10 Monochrom.

If asking if I'd be happy with only monochrome with a Leica, well, I'll know better Friday when it gets here....but so far I'm guessing at the start yes....as that I have other cameras that cover color. 

For color I have a GFX100 for B&W the Leica will be a blast....and for film, well, I'm in love with my Hasselblad 501CM....I have some other cameras, but these are my trifecta of camera love right now.

LOL...this covid thing has really broken my wallet for some time to come...I've had bad GAS, and it has to end with this M10M for quite awhile.

cayenne

[bcapphoto]

This has all been really fun to read - thanks for sharing!

As some of you may have seen, I recently entered the Leica digital game with an M240. It was the simplest and easiest "entrance" for me to try out a digital Leica and see how it fits into my shooting style. TL;DR - I absolutely love it! 

But I find myself converting most of the images to B&W. I love my Fuji gear for colour - and I use that for my professional (non-film) work. So now I can't help but think that an M246 may be the best fit for me. We'll see - I'm in no rush - but I love the idea of intentionally setting out to create an image in B&W and not having the crutch or fallback of being able to go back to colour. Sort of like shooting B&W film. 

[a.noctilux]

On 10/15/2020 at 4:52 AM, bcapphoto said:

.. - but I love the idea of intentionally setting out to create an image in B&W and not having the crutch or fallback of being able to go back to colour. Sort of like shooting B&W film. 

Decades long Kodachrome fan, I never "saw" pics in monochrome, but appreciated a lot what nice B&W can be.

Now, after I converted some Kodachrome into B&W, I dip into B&w world with pleasure.

I discovered with Monochrom "B&W mindset" as stated somewhere.

Before that I didn't know what it was, now I learn to know for some years.

With it's "instant show" (if need be) on LCD or EVF when I use colored filters, the M246 is (for me of course ) nice "teacher".

[kinch123]

I don't own an M10M (yet) but do have an M9M.

I also have M9 version of ME and M240. Plus a Nikon Z7 and an adaptor for M Lenses.

My current thinking is that other colour sensor cameras are so good, and computational photography is such a fast-moving and interesting field that I probably won't buy a colour sensor Leica M in the foreseeable future. Right now super keen to upgrade from iPhone XS Max to iPhone 12 Pro Max as soon as it's released.

I'll keep shooting colour with my two old digital Ms and will also shoot more film with my film Ms. It's just a whole other experience and I love it for what it is.

But the M10M is something I'm almost certainly going to buy. I'm not Stanley Kubrick and my attempts to shoot colour in very low light invariably suck. I want the M10M for restaurants, bars, alleyways, plus the things it can do with tonality and textured surfaces at other times of day. Keen to have more low light capability. Extra resolution nice to have but not essential.

Long-winded, but that's my reasoning. M10M is the one offering in Leica's lineup which gives me something I want and cannot get elsewhere.

 

[Herr Barnack]

If the only camera I could own was my M10 Mono, I'd still want to have my Q2 for color.  I am not a 100% B&W image maker.  I still see the beauty in color imagery and I am of the view that there is a place for color in the world of photography (blasphemy to some - I know).

I think the real skill lies in being able to accurately discern which subject matter to shoot in color and which subject matter to shoot in B&W.

I am poking at the idea of B&W for images of people and color for images of cities, towns and landscapes with regard to my travel photography.  But then again, should you mix color and B&W imagery in one book, portfolio or gallery show?  Some do, some don't.  And to take it a step further - at the end of the day,  does it really matter? 

Isn't the segregation of B&W imagery from color imagery just another example of blindly adhered to dogma (like the rule of thirds) taking a change of tack?

[Luke_Miller]

14 hours ago, Herr Barnack said:

I think the real skill lies in being able to accurately discern which subject matter to shoot in color and which subject matter to shoot in B&W.

I agree.  While most of what I prefer to photograph works well in B&W and I could live with only a Monochrom, it is nice to have the option of color when color is important to the image.  Even in people photographs, where I strongly prefer B&W, there are exceptions.  The famous Afghan Girl photo would be  far less striking in B&W IMO.

[Peter_S]

Yes, for digital. The problem is that Portra is soooo good sometimes! 

 

[cboy]

To the OP i think if one had the Q2 monochome and was pure BW enthusiast then he/she would be satisfied....unless they wanted bigger prints hahaha

[bcapphoto]

20 hours ago, cboy said:

To the OP i think if one had the Q2 monochome and was pure BW enthusiast then he/she would be satisfied....unless they wanted bigger prints hahaha

I'm the OP. Curious - why the Q2 Monochrom vs. the M246 or M10M? 

[didier]

I got the M10M very soon after its release in replacement of my M(240). I enjoy it very much. WIth the APO 50, the shooting experience is just about perfect.

Results as well...

Right now, I mostly shoot pictures of my 2 little girls, and this small combo is great.

I am glad however to have my SL to shots such as the one here, even if they represent 10% of my shots (or even less)   

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

[cboy]

3 hours ago, bcapphoto said:

I'm the OP. Curious - why the Q2 Monochrom vs. the M246 or M10M? 

Comment was a little tongue and cheek really. Preferences differ from user to user as evident in this forum. One can argue only from a users experience/perspective and use case, but new tech and gas is a heavily influencing factor here haha. Unless one is really specific on their needs i dont think any of those camera are bad choices. Theyll do equally well unless one is a discerning consumer, which in that case he or she would test each camera and make a valued judgement based on their personal use and workflow. 

Given the gas syndrome here new tech is always exciting. But i guess we need to wait till people can get their hands on then Q2M to take a value judgement and possibly pospone people purchase choice. Im sure a 47mp  monochome will make it highly flexible for a variety of use cases. The never ending pursuit for that holy grail hahaha.

[pippy]

The question as asked can be answered by a simple 'Yes' or 'No'. So far only two respondents have given an unqualified 'Yes'.

Interesting.

Philip.

Edited October 20, 2020 by pippy

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[bcapphoto]

18 hours ago, cboy said:

Comment was a little tongue and cheek really. Preferences differ from user to user as evident in this forum. One can argue only from a users experience/perspective and use case, but new tech and gas is a heavily influencing factor here haha. Unless one is really specific on their needs i dont think any of those camera are bad choices. Theyll do equally well unless one is a discerning consumer, which in that case he or she would test each camera and make a valued judgement based on their personal use and workflow. 

Given the gas syndrome here new tech is always exciting. But i guess we need to wait till people can get their hands on then Q2M to take a value judgement and possibly pospone people purchase choice. Im sure a 47mp  monochome will make it highly flexible for a variety of use cases. The never ending pursuit for that holy grail hahaha.

Ah - thanks for clearing it up. I guess I didn't read that tone through text. I think maybe your assumptions led you to make an irrelevant comment as it relates to my OP. 

I was (am) looking @ the M9M or M246, not the Q2M or even the M10M. So - this has nothing to do with chasing new tech. Instead, it has everything to do with asking and getting others to think and talk about "shooting with intent" and whether they'd be happy shooting B&W only on digital or if they'd miss colour.