Anyone done M10M comparisons vs M11?

[Likaleica]

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On 6/15/2022 at 2:39 AM, sergiomarried said:

Guys, believe me, I’ve been there before: wondering how the special monochrome sensor would look any different from a color conversion to B&W… It’s a difficult mind game to follow, a highly deceiving in my experience. For anyone who’s trying to figure this out let me please throw my 2 cents here: It’s not only about the look result you’d get out of the monochrome sensor images, there’s also a lot to regard in terms of the following points:

• Monochrome raw files are unique, never seen anything similar before. I’m not saying they’re better, but certainly different to color ones. The tonality handling of the files, the ability to push them to infinity, the hidden dynamic range…it’s all about the luminosity value game, no color channels involved, no temperature stories… all down to the essentials.
• The low light performance of these monochrome sensors is simply unpaired in the photographic industry. Sometimes I feel that the more I push ISO the more gorgeous files I get… the grain, the organic texture… small details that perhaps only absolutely freaks of B&W timeless photography can appreciate but it’s real.
• There’s something about how unique color filters render the overall tonality that you can’t get close with other software/alternative solutions. It’s a bit of pain as well having to deal with filters, yeah, but you also get gorgeous results, I usually have an orange filter attached to my 35mm most of the time.
• Last but not least: the forced mindset change of having only the possibility of capturing B&W is also present and has an impact in the way you look at any given scene. You start looking for tonal luminosity contrast, shadow-lights, shapes, textures… they move into other thinking dimension. Of course, in reality you don’t always have the time to go through this mental list of things, but they become more and more natural instinct to you…

These are my main observations and like with any tool: you need to use it at the end of the day yourself to make your best opinion. 

Here’s a recent work piece I put together while documenting Ravi Coltrane’s Quartet at NYC Birdland Jazz venue. Can’t think of any better example of a situation where Leica Monochrome (M10M) would be better suited for. 

Birdland Jazz - Ravi Coltrane & Quartet

Cheers

Sergio

Outstanding!

 

[geoffreyg]

There are some factual matters involved here and some subjective ones.

No doubt having more color mixing flexibility allows for more tonal variation in the BW from the M11; use of filters helps, but may not provide the same flexibility. Also to be considered are the better high ISO capabilities of the M10M. 

Have oft considered changing the M10M for an M10R, for this very reason - but as someone else noted, many of my color shots are not so interesting, while shots with the M10M "get" to another place, another level. And its this subjective aspect that intrigues.Somehow, shooting with the M10M is a different experience: not trying to "capture the scene", rather more of "how will these tones and shadows look?". I pay more attention to light and the graphic quality of the image (its 2D aspects) than I do with a color sensor, where there is the trap of pursuing a representation of the real. Working in BW only helps to take mild hunches about  composition and somehow out come photographs I wasn't sure about at the time; the imagination not only gets extended, it gets supported. All a bit odd, but somehow it seems that way.  

A good disciplined photographer could surely get great similar results from an M10R or M11. But I'm just not sure I would. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by geoffreyg

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