Herr Barnack Posted June 23, 2021 Share #1 Posted June 23, 2021 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I happened to discover this online essay today - the author offers some interesting insights into the M246 Monochrom and why it is still a viable choice: Why I bought a Leica M246 Monochrom https://mwwphotography.co.uk/blog/leicam246monochrom Edited June 23, 2021 by Herr Barnack 10 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 23, 2021 Posted June 23, 2021 Hi Herr Barnack, Take a look here Why I bought a Leica M246 Monochrom. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
pippy Posted June 23, 2021 Share #2 Posted June 23, 2021 Yup. I suspect that pretty much all of us here can identify completely with everything he wrote / experienced. Interesting article and nice snaps to boot. Thanks for posting! Philip. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyboy Posted June 25, 2021 Share #3 Posted June 25, 2021 I bought....actually...I upgraded to M246 from my MM1. I found a really good deal as second hand from Leica Store London. Although many told me to stick to the MM1 (rendering...rendering...rendering) I'm actually extremely happy with my M246 and I'm not looking back at all! 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtai Posted June 28, 2021 Share #4 Posted June 28, 2021 I had the M9M but didn’t use it much because I still shot a lot of film at the time and when the sensor corrosion hit I sold it after it was replaced. Recently I sold all my film Leicas even the Barnacks and all the two dozen classic Wetzler lenses to go full digital with the M10M and a set of current lenses. My observation about rendering is that it is more influenced by the lens you are using, the lighting, whether your exposure is correct and the amount of post processing. The Monochrom sensor is unique regardless of which Leica model and any of those will do. I would buy based on other features. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmradman Posted June 28, 2021 Share #5 Posted June 28, 2021 On 6/25/2021 at 11:09 AM, jonnyboy said: I bought....actually...I upgraded to M246 from my MM1. I found a really good deal as second hand from Leica Store London. Although many told me to stick to the MM1 (rendering...rendering...rendering) I'm actually extremely happy with my M246 and I'm not looking back at all! Rendering is all well and good when discussing merits on internet forum but for day to day use having serviceable camera is plus. Having said that I wish as many M9 and M9Ms to remain in working order. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmradman Posted June 28, 2021 Share #6 Posted June 28, 2021 7 hours ago, rtai said: I had the M9M but didn’t use it much because I still shot a lot of film at the time and when the sensor corrosion hit I sold it after it was replaced. Recently I sold all my film Leicas even the Barnacks and all the two dozen classic Wetzler lenses to go full digital with the M10M and a set of current lenses. My observation about rendering is that it is more influenced by the lens you are using, the lighting, whether your exposure is correct and the amount of post processing. The Monochrom sensor is unique regardless of which Leica model and any of those will do. I would buy based on other features. +1 Newer models do offer wider ISO range and other refinements but captured image is primarily influenced by Lens and Light plus PP is so flexible these days that almost anything is possible. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 30, 2021 Share #7 Posted June 30, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) On 6/25/2021 at 11:09 AM, jonnyboy said: ...Although many told me to stick to the MM1 (rendering...rendering...rendering) I'm actually extremely happy with my M246 and I'm not looking back at all!... On the subject of rendering... Yesterday (as it happens) I was printing out a dozen or so A3 monochrome 'fine art' photographs. Each of the images had been snapped on either my M Monochrom or my M-D Typ-262 (which shares the sensor with the regular Typ 246) and these latter ones had been converted to B'n'W when processing-out the files in Photoshop. Once the images were laid out do you think it was possible to tell which pic had been snapped on which body? Not a chance. When shooting I was swapping between a 1959-ish 21mm f4 Super-Angulon and a 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH on both bodies and whilst I could tell which lens was used for any particular image I had to check the original DNG files to confirm on which camera the photograph had been captured. I am, of course, fully aware that there are 'distinct differences' between the rendering of the CCD and CMOS sensors and the lack of a Bayer Array on the Monochrom bodies makes yet another difference (etc...etc...) and am also fully aware that these differences can be noticed when the files are viewed at 100% on a monitor but, seriously, once the images were printed-out (I favour Canson Infinity Baryta) it was absolutely impossible to see any tell-tale differences whatsoever even when inspected at very close-range. By the time the prints were framed behind glass and hung on a wall?....... Philip. 14 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jankap Posted June 30, 2021 Share #8 Posted June 30, 2021 I believe you. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedaes Posted June 30, 2021 Share #9 Posted June 30, 2021 9 minutes ago, pippy said: once the images were printed-out (I favour Canson Infinity Baryta) it was absolutely impossible to see any tell-tale differences whatsoever even when inspected at very close-range. Just after the original Monochrom came out we were in Solms on a TLS visit organised by FDS of this Forum. Leica had had some photos taken on the M9 (then current) and new Monochrom and printed as A2's so you compare side by side. They had prepared a clear acetate overlay to identify the places where the monochrom gave more shadow detail etc. It was very marginal difference, which in truth would not be noticed if you were not comparing them. I think a key attraction is taking/thinking B&W rather than output. 10 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 30, 2021 Share #10 Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, pedaes said: ...I think a key attraction is taking/thinking B&W rather than output... I agree completely. In fact for the snapping-session mentioned above I had an Orange filter on the 21mm and a Yellow on the 28mm which reinforced this "B&W mind-set" from the very start. Philip. Edited June 30, 2021 by pippy 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmradman Posted June 30, 2021 Share #11 Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) Apart from personal preference for using dedicated mono camera I see advantage over colour models when shooting in poor light. Before buying M246 I was doing conversion from M9 and M240 a lot, also recorded Mono JPG trying to maximise mono effect, also B&W film at the same time. Eventually became intrigued by better ISO performance offered by M9M. Tried M9M but sat on the fence due to erratic file writing behaviour of my M9P at the time and when M246 became available chose it as technically more accomplished camera. Edited June 30, 2021 by mmradman 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
didier Posted July 2, 2021 Share #12 Posted July 2, 2021 On 6/30/2021 at 1:38 PM, pedaes said: I think a key attraction is taking/thinking B&W rather than output. I fully agree. I went from M(240) to M10M. high-iso is amazing with the Monochrom but the M(240) was a good camera as far as output is concerned, but the main reason to get the M10 generation is more about the huge progress in ergonomy / joy to use / reaction time Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kivis Posted July 8, 2021 Share #13 Posted July 8, 2021 Crazy as it sounds, I am sticking with the M240 series (I have an M-P 240) because I love, love the battery capacity. That being said I would love to hear a comparison between a 246 and an M10 Monochrom. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdmesa Posted August 5, 2021 Share #14 Posted August 5, 2021 On 6/23/2021 at 11:48 AM, Herr Barnack said: I happened to discover this online essay today - the author offers some interesting insights into the M246 Monochrom and why it is still a viable choice: Why I bought a Leica M246 Monochrom https://mwwphotography.co.uk/blog/leicam246monochrom The article reinforces what I see in these forums: photographers keep their monochrome Ms longer than they do their color Ms. The Monochroms seem to be better suited for skipping one or more generations between purchases because they are all so good in their own ways. I wish with color Ms they would go straight to the "-P" model, then second and third releases as safari and black paint. 5 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasdfg Posted August 6, 2021 Share #15 Posted August 6, 2021 21 hours ago, hdmesa said: The article reinforces what I see in these forums: photographers keep their monochrome Ms longer than they do their color Ms. The Monochroms seem to be better suited for skipping one or more generations between purchases because they are all so good in their own ways. I wish with color Ms they would go straight to the "-P" model, then second and third releases as safari and black paint. I think it's cause you buy the concept (the idea of shooting purely in B&W), after that it's just tech specs, though on paper the monochroms offer higher iso performance and more acuity than their colour counterparts too.The higher price of entry is for buying into a niche idea, in return, if one is committed to owning a camera that shoots purely in B&W long term, it can last several generations without feeling the urge to "upgrade". If one doesn't gel with B&W shooting, it can be an expensive trial... I think the M10M offers a very future-proof B&W camera option and I hope to keep mine right through the M12M and beyond. The M9M and M246 would make me very happy too, but with 40mp bayerless sensor + the M10 body size, I couldn't ask for more. On the red dot base M models, I'm personally ok with them. I actually think the Ms with a black dot rather than red, with clean aesthetic and no script (like the monochroms) can look quite sexy. When the P versions come out, the base model would have matured 1.5 to 2 years, and it's definitely a more polished product. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenbear Posted December 19, 2021 Share #16 Posted December 19, 2021 (edited) On 7/8/2021 at 10:13 AM, kivis said: Crazy as it sounds, I am sticking with the M240 series (I have an M-P 240) because I love, love the battery capacity. That being said I would love to hear a comparison between a 246 and an M10 Monochrom. https://www.reddotforum.com/content/2020/05/bw-iso-showdown-2020-leica-m10-monochrom-vs-m-monochrom-typ-246-vs-m10-p-vs-sl2/ I chose M246 recently, as useable ISO of 12,500 is more than enough for me, especially with Lux lenses. M10-M performs 1.3 stops better, with incredibly useful files all the way to ISO 100k, but not worth it enough for me at double the cost. Edited December 19, 2021 by goldenbear 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexGig0 Posted December 28, 2021 Share #17 Posted December 28, 2021 After initial enthusiasm about the M10 Monochrom, I, too, am going to try to remain happy with what the Monochrom Type 246 can do. I bought a new M10, in 2018, to start using the M system, but by the next year, a well-preserved, pre-owned Type 246, at the local Leica dealer, was just too tempting, so, I added it to the “team.” Being able to shoot at ISO 10000 to 12500, to produce usable images, is quite a feat, and, the longer battery life, compared to an M10’s battery, does often make itself evident. The subtle difference, in ergonomics, acts as a tactile indicator, when I am carrying both an M10 and a Type 246, to tell the difference between the cameras, without looking at them. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattes Posted January 8, 2022 Share #18 Posted January 8, 2022 Same here. For me, the Monochrome was the reason I considered Leica M at all. Using Fuji X and GFX, I was completely satisfied with the (technical) image quality. But since my images are 75% black and white, I always wanted to try the monochrome sensor. So I bought a M246 and upgraded a few weeks later to the M10M. Being bitten by the Leica bug, I added an M10 as well. A couple of days ago, I used both Ms in parallel at the same location, converting some M10 images to monochrome in Lightroom and comparing them to the images from the M10M. Except for the higher resolution, I wasn't able to find any difference in terms of b&w redering. That makes me think whether it would be better to sell the M10M and get an SL2-S instead. Its EVF would work much better with longer lenses (I own 75 and 90 mm lenses) and would be a good compagnion to the M10. First world problems... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmradman Posted January 8, 2022 Share #19 Posted January 8, 2022 10 hours ago, Mattes said: Same here. For me, the Monochrome was the reason I considered Leica M at all. Using Fuji X and GFX, I was completely satisfied with the (technical) image quality. But since my images are 75% black and white, I always wanted to try the monochrome sensor. So I bought a M246 and upgraded a few weeks later to the M10M. Being bitten by the Leica bug, I added an M10 as well. A couple of days ago, I used both Ms in parallel at the same location, converting some M10 images to monochrome in Lightroom and comparing them to the images from the M10M. Except for the higher resolution, I wasn't able to find any difference in terms of b&w redering. That makes me think whether it would be better to sell the M10M and get an SL2-S instead. Its EVF would work much better with longer lenses (I own 75 and 90 mm lenses) and would be a good compagnion to the M10. First world problems... Or wait for M11, it will be available from next week. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattes Posted January 10, 2022 Share #20 Posted January 10, 2022 On 1/8/2022 at 8:45 PM, mmradman said: Or wait for M11, it will be available from next week. I know, but it will be out of my budget range for sure. In addition, having an EVF camera for the longer lenses seems attractive to me... B&W from the M10 isn't to shabby either (M10 with Elmarit 90 mm f/2.8 using the Visoflex 020): 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! 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/322078-why-i-bought-a-leica-m246-monochrom/?do=findComment&comment=4350252'>More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.