dfarkas Posted September 17, 2007 Share #1 Posted September 17, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Inspired by the theoretical digital MP thread: How about a B&W digital M? No bayer pattern, just true 16-bit grayscale capture. 32k shades of gray instead of 256. Kodak made a B&W version of the 14n, why not Leica? Any takers? David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 17, 2007 Posted September 17, 2007 Hi dfarkas, Take a look here B&W Digital M?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
sm23221 Posted September 17, 2007 Share #2 Posted September 17, 2007 I would buy one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicashot Posted September 17, 2007 Share #3 Posted September 17, 2007 I heard they 'actually are' making one..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M6J Posted September 17, 2007 Share #4 Posted September 17, 2007 How much? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
norm_snyder Posted September 17, 2007 Share #5 Posted September 17, 2007 While I suspect it is vaporware, it would be an excellent idea. What would be even better, is if true to the tradition of previous cameras being upgradable [e.g. non-RF screw mount cameras could be upgraded to model III, or ST added to a camera without it from the factory], an existing M8 could be converted by the factory. NS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted September 17, 2007 Share #6 Posted September 17, 2007 .............too many regrets with a B&W camera these days, there is always that shot.....I wish it was colour........... sadly there is no real market Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
norm_snyder Posted September 17, 2007 Share #7 Posted September 17, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Admittedly, DNG+jpeg gives me a B&W preview, but as, in my case, I can't really recall the last photo I printed in black and white, I'd like the option of a B&W only chip, with more data. By the way, Imants, the website looks terrific with the updates. Norman Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted September 17, 2007 Share #8 Posted September 17, 2007 imants, I love your portrait photography, but many of your shots seem slightly soft. I can see that some are done in dark situations, and it adds to the atmosphere, but in shots like that on the front page, I think I would prefer a sharper image. Was it also taken in a dark room, or a studio with lighting control? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 17, 2007 Share #9 Posted September 17, 2007 ... nice device ... hard to sell ... they surely won't do IT : how many years from the last BW only camera ? A shock in the market... maybe in tech terms a modification of M8 could be someway possible... they could make it available a "factory retrofit"... costly, for lovers of BW (and probably, owners of a pair of M8s...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Flatline Posted September 17, 2007 Share #10 Posted September 17, 2007 At some point technology will have evolved far enough that they can't get the consumer with the newest mega-pixel count, etc. At that point they will introduce things like a thought-out B&W mode, possibly with various licensed settings to mimick things like Tri-X. But a B&W-only camera at this point? Also, I wish I had the skill, but there are people doing unbelievably-good B&W conversions in Photoshop that far exceed anything that can be captured on a roll of 35mm film. THAT is where the B&W development will come from, not from inside the camera. Leica never produced a B&W-only film camera, why should they produce a B&W-only digital camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted September 17, 2007 Share #11 Posted September 17, 2007 Yea you are right about the soft images, laziness and forgetting is the cause. The softer ones are straight RAW (LIghtroom or Raw Developer) conversions with no sharpening as I usually selectively sharpen just before printing. I downsize images for the and then it is too late to sharpen after the event. I'll try to remember........... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 17, 2007 Share #12 Posted September 17, 2007 USM, radius 0.4,threshold 0 amount 50-100% will restore the original look to downsized images. (But it is inconceivable that this is news to you ).. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted September 17, 2007 Share #13 Posted September 17, 2007 ..yea it works but...... I prefer Photokit Sharpener,,,,,,,by then I have pushed too many pixels too far and at 72dpi 500x430 sharpening basically adds unwanted noise as well as it sharpens the whole image. I use sharpening brushes.......... preferring the selective and subtle changes, something that works well at higher dpi/size etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy Posted September 17, 2007 Share #14 Posted September 17, 2007 I'd buy one, too. If there was adequate differentiation between it and the colour model (eg, noticeably higher resolution as a result of dropping the bayer interpolation stage; wider greyscale gamut; greater exposure latitude etc etc). It's a very fair point that Leica never made a B&W-only film camera. But for those of us who really like shooting in B&W, it would be hugely tempting... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted September 17, 2007 Share #15 Posted September 17, 2007 It's a very fair point that Leica never made a B&W-only film camera. But for those of us who really like shooting in B&W, it would be hugely tempting......especially if we could use colour film and turn it into..............................gold perhaps Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
krabat Posted September 17, 2007 Share #16 Posted September 17, 2007 Yes, a BW-M8 would be a nice thing... in particular because no Bayer pattern would be necessary. A REAL 16-bit DNG would be important in such a case, instead of this "crutchy" square-root conversion into 8 bits we have presently. Well, and with a BW-M8, all the colour filters could be used again we once knew from old-fashioned film times... ...although I anticipate that several people again would grumble about filters... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eoin Posted September 17, 2007 Share #17 Posted September 17, 2007 Apart from the die hard B&W fans, I doubt a one trick camera would have wide appeal outside that circle. Anyhow as it's been pointed out many times, what's considered the "art" of B&W comes not only from the negative but also from the paper / process. I suspect a monochrome or grayscale M8 will always be shunned by those "true" to their art. Personally speaking, I'm ignorant as far a B&W is concerned, but I'm quite happy with the results the current M8 files can produce in post with monchrome adjustment and inkjet printing. They look fine to me, hardly any reason to consider an alternative. YMMV . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoskeptic Posted September 17, 2007 Share #18 Posted September 17, 2007 krabat, I still use my old bw filters on the M8. The images look like crap until you convert to bw in PS, then all the special effects that you used the filters for in film show up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic vic Posted September 17, 2007 Share #19 Posted September 17, 2007 how much bla bla bla....... and how much disrispect to real b/w photography........ . 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! 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/33636-bw-digital-m/?do=findComment&comment=355391'>More sharing options...
Eoin Posted September 17, 2007 Share #20 Posted September 17, 2007 how much bla bla bla.......and how much disrispect to real b/w photography......... I was waiting for you to add your 2c worth. Critical as ever and reinforcing your publicly stated opinion that here in digital land we some how disrespect B&W. "Kitsch" I think is the term you use and imply the only righteous path is B&W film and a darkroom. So I take it you also would have no interest in a B&W digital M, eh Vic?. Oops, slip of the tongue, I should have said Grayscale Digital M. Sorry! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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