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SL2 Monochrom on the horizon.


Slender

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53 minutes ago, _Michael said:

I think the Monochrom solutions fit that well for those who are still a bit crazy from the fumes of the darkroom and shot more bricks of Tri-X that we might ever remember. I'm finding the results of the Q2M quite satisfying, and a simple yellow or yellow-green filter can produce a fantastic baseline to apply minor adjustments. As one who historically spends too much time "developing" digital images, I like it less and less all the time. Less is more for me. 

Exactly.  The Monochroms with the proper color filter do 85% of the work in making the final image for me.  I spend so much less time faffing around than I would otherwise do with color conversions.  I loved the experience so much that I returned to shooting film alongside digital.  Mostly mono negative stocks at that!

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Am 10.10.2021 um 19:24 schrieb Leicaiste:

This kind of results are exactly why I asked that question.

 I don’t see them as really nice b&w pictures. 

... with seeing eyes they do not see...
and with hearing ears they do not hear ...

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It seems to me that the mono cameras are primarily about workflow, with the added bonus of cleaner files and better ISO performance. If you primarily work in B&W or like to have two cameras, one with B&W and the other with color, then the monochromes are a great solution. If you are questioning how much better they are or whether a color conversion is good enough, they are probably not for you. To date, they have not been for me, but that is really primarily because I mostly stick to film for B&W.

Trying to justify a monochrome body on top of a color body if you are just interested in how it is better than the color conversions is unlikely to be worth the cost for most people.

I know at least one artist who shoots beautiful B&W on the monochromes, but he is an artist and does not really focus on equipment, so I would rather not name him. I also have worked as a printer for him, and I can confirm that the mono files certainly are better than their color equivalents...if they are better enough to justify a totally different camera is another story and one that only the user can answer.

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19 hours ago, Jeffra said:

I certainly hope a monochrome SL is NOT on the horizon! Otherwise, I'd have to go buy it. :) 

Lmao same here. I finally was able to resist the urges for the q2m and decided to use my funds on other things. If this comes out I'm gonna have a hard time. Can you imagine those apo sl lenses with monochrome files 🤤

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4 hours ago, cheekz4dayz said:

Lmao same here. I finally was able to resist the urges for the q2m and decided to use my funds on other things. If this comes out I'm gonna have a hard time. Can you imagine those apo sl lenses with monochrome files 🤤

Yes, I can and that’s the problem!

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13 hours ago, cheekz4dayz said:

...Can you imagine those apo sl lenses with monochrome files 🤤

Yes, they will look just like the Q2M files but with sharper corners and the option to change lenses. I would want one if I hadn't already picked up a GFX 100S. Ok, maybe I still want one anyway 😂

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/11/2021 at 2:22 AM, Slender said:

You may have heard it first here: according to indiscretions  from some Leica salespeople in Paris, the Monochrom version of our beloved SL platform should be around the corner. It makes sense since the sensor already exists (Q2M) and it would be quite a thing of delight to finaly see what those SL lenses can do on what should be the most stringent Leica sensor yet... funny to imagine Multishot in a bayer-free sensor... and 10 (12?) bit log would make for some out of this world cinematography for Black and White lovers.

Ohhhhhhh! I am certainly hoping this is true! Would love a SL2-M with the SL APO primes.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/10/2021 at 4:22 PM, Slender said:

You may have heard it first here: according to indiscretions  from some Leica salespeople in Paris, the Monochrom version of our beloved SL platform should be around the corner. It makes sense since the sensor already exists (Q2M) and it would be quite a thing of delight to finaly see what those SL lenses can do on what should be the most stringent Leica sensor yet... funny to imagine Multishot in a bayer-free sensor... and 10 (12?) bit log would make for some out of this world cinematography for Black and White lovers.

I would so love this to be true. I love the M10M but a Monochrom Sl2 would address some of the practical niggles I have with shooting an M camera. Fingers crossed it becomes a reality 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've been using my Q2M quite a bit and really like the way I can push files taken in low light.  When I had the SL2 I loved my monochrome conversions but ultimately use the SL2-S now since I do a lot of low light photography.  Having the flexibility of better low light performance with higher resolution in a SL2 Monochrom would be nice understanding that the major tradeoff is lack of color.  I don't know how the math works out, but I'm thinking that I'm still better off cropping my Q2M to 50mp vs cropping the SL2S to 50mm using the 35 APO-SL when considering resolution and greyscale depth.  I see better in 35mm vs 28mm and usually crop and frame the Q2M to 35mm, so I'm throwing pixels away 95% of the time anyway. 

Any more chatter from the rumor mill on this? 

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  • 2 weeks later...

If I'm telling the truth, and with you lot I must, when it's critical focus time on the M246, I reach for the EVF.

Mind you, I love the mono output of my SL2. But I still reach for that M246 an awful lot. Maybe because of the time 'n miles spent with rangefinder Leicas.

I'm about to get an M10M, finally, Lord help me, after putting it off, dithering, rationalizing for and against, and ultimately realizing the decision comes down to the fact that I will use it, lots and lots. I bet I'll make some of the best pictures of my remaining lifetime with it, and that's a cheery thought!

But the electronic viewfinder, what, the 020? That'll be the first accessory I buy. 

So that's practically a Mono SL2 (right?), but without the rangefinder and image stabilization. 

Whether they bring out an SL2 Mono, or whether they wait and one day bring out a 60 megapixel SL3 Mono, or M11 Mono, I'll be there. And yes, I'll buy. I'd love to see how those SL lenses really look! And I can't wait to haul out my antiques, the LTM stuff and the early M stuff, and try it on a modern, high-res sensor. You wouldn't believe how good even the ancient, beater 135 Hektor I've got looks through the M246! I remember my Dad screwing it onto his IIIg (which is right here with me still). This is the "Keeper-est" bunch of gear I've ever encountered in a lifetime of photography!

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  • 1 month later...

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