Q3 Monochrom ...Yes / NO

[M11 for me]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

vor 54 Minuten schrieb jimtong:

mentality

This is to me THE main point for having a B&W camera. The rest lies in the last bit between 99,9 and 100%.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[vitrail]

2 hours ago, blaaberkat said:

First, I really don’t like it when people tell others that there isn’t a need for something(Q3M) because of some other thing(Q2M). We all have different needs!

 

Answer at the initial question of this post : Q3 Mono, Yes or No ?

Edited January 18, 2024 by vitrail

[blaaberkat]

39 minutes ago, vitrail said:

Answer at the initial question of this post : Q3 Mono, Yes or No ?

I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at here? I answered that I believe it is coming, and I’m not sure if I want the upgrade? That was the questions in the initial post…

[Le Chef]

4 hours ago, jimtong said:

No, the mindset is different. I get what you mean though.

Not sure that makes sense. When I look through the EVF that I have setup to show B&W then I’m not thinking in color: I’m thinking in B&W. Conversely if I’m shooting with an M10M then the rangefinder shows the image in color because that’s all it can show. So does that mean I can’t think in B&W with an M10M?

Edited January 18, 2024 by Le Chef

[SrMi]

2 hours ago, Le Chef said:

Not sure that makes sense. When I look through the EVF that I have setup to show B&W then I’m not thinking in color: I’m thinking in B&W. Conversely if I’m shooting with an M10M then the rangefinder shows the image in color because that’s all it can show. So does that mean I can’t think in B&W with an M10M?

When shooting with color sensors, you always ask yourself whether that image is better in color or B&W. When shooting with a monochrome sensor, that "temptation" is avoided.

[vitrail]

In the days of argentic film, when you put a TriX in the camera, you "saw" and composed in B/W even through the M6's viewfinder! And you had to slip in a Kodachrome to get the color.

With a Q3, this gymnastics is still possible but I think it requires more effort of abstraction and even with the viewfinder set to monochrome, we know that somewhere we will be able to have the Raw file in color and this may bring a little confusion.

Edited January 18, 2024 by vitrail

[jimtong]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

6 hours ago, Le Chef said:

Not sure that makes sense. When I look through the EVF that I have setup to show B&W then I’m not thinking in color: I’m thinking in B&W. Conversely if I’m shooting with an M10M then the rangefinder shows the image in color because that’s all it can show. So does that mean I can’t think in B&W with an M10M?

Key reason for having a monochrom only camera is that I do not want to ask myself if I should shoot in color or monochrome, having shoot Q2m for a while, I can confirm that (at least for me) kind of feeling.

[Le Chef]

4 hours ago, SrMi said:

When shooting with color sensors, you always ask yourself whether that image is better in color or B&W. When shooting with a monochrome sensor, that "temptation" is avoided.

I never ask myself if I'm shooting in B&W or color. I assume that it's going to be B&W because that's what I see in the EVF. It only possibly changes once the image is in LightRoom, and then I might let it be color.

What I find confusing is shooting with an M where all I see is color in the rangefinder window. That means I have to do the work of imagining the shot in B&W which I find much harder.

[SrMi]

18 minutes ago, Le Chef said:

I never ask myself if I'm shooting in B&W or color. I assume that it's going to be B&W because that's what I see in the EVF. It only possibly changes once the image is in LightRoom, and then I might let it be color.

What I find confusing is shooting with an M where all I see is color in the rangefinder window. That means I have to do the work of imagining the shot in B&W which I find much harder.

I have been shooting B&W with OVFs since 1973. I guess I got used to that without getting confused.

[intangiblethings]

14 hours ago, AussieQ said:

Lately I have been curious of the monochrom cameras and so I downloaded RAW DNG files from Q2M and M11M. I know this may seem offensive to monochrom owners, but when processing and even assessing the RAW files in photoshop, I really couldn't find anything that stood out in the fashion that monochrom youtube influencers rave about. I find I am able to achieve the similar results in just converting my RAW Q3 files to monochrom and realistically, I can make them look as dramatic as I choose. I was a tad cheeky and even posted some Q3 raw converted to monochrom on social media groups on the M11 Monochrom and they got rave likes. But nobody knew the photos were actually taken with a Q3 and converted to back and white. I appreciate the extra dynamic range and lower iso noise, but in this age of noise reduction and amazing dynamic range on most cameras, is a Monochrom camera even worth while having such a limitation of only shooting in BNW? I would rather have the option of colour and be able to convert. Not being rude, just can't get my head around buying a monochrom Q3 and be limited.

I have an M10M and M10-P. Shooting f/8 @ 1/125 at night would yield some not-so-great results on my M10-P. 

During the evening, I almost always grab my M10M for this reason. 

[Le Chef]

13 hours ago, SrMi said:

I have been shooting B&W with OVFs since 1973. I guess I got used to that without getting confused.

“I have been shooting B&W with OVFs since 1973. I guess I got used to that without getting confused.”

So you “think” in B&W rather than “seeing” in B&W, correct?

[Snipe10]

Don't have a Q3 but my Q2M is fine, maybe that'll change if and when I get to play with the Q3

[Aram Langhans]

On 1/17/2024 at 1:06 AM, vitrail said:

Hello,

The Q2 Monochrome is more than enough, the 60 MP is superfluous as well as the mobile screen not adapted to the more composed photography of Black and White.

 

 

 

You must not have a bad back like I do, or never shoot low.  I am amazed at how often I use the tilt screen on my Q3 though I never use the screen for upright photography preferring an viwefinder.

[Aram Langhans]

On 1/18/2024 at 5:41 AM, jimtong said:

You may be right that the color and the monochrom are very close but one thing you miss out is the mentality when you hold a real monochrom camera in your hand. You have no choice but only think in black and white mindset. I have a Q2M and every time I pick it up and out shooting, I have to think in a black and white composition.

Kind of like when I would carry two film bodies around.  One with B&W and the other with color film.  When the B&W camera was in hand it was a total mental shift, or as you say, B&W mindset, that came over me and my vision was attuned to different things than when I held the color film body.  That said, I don't think I will ever do that again as I do not want that kind of weight to carry around with my 73 year old back and knees, and it is too expensive for the use a dedicated B&W body would get when converting to color is do darn good now.

[Le Chef]

My point is it’s a mindset. You could shoot with a color camera and have the same mindset. The only real difference is output if you’re shooting with a mono camera. But equally you could convert to B&W in Lightroom. So mindset is what matters more as input.

[junix]

As an owner of the Q2M (almost 3 years now, splendid camera..) I’m sure Leica will at some point release a Q3M. As far as I can see (not really following closely..) the Q3 is still back ordered almost everywhere so until demand drops a bit I’m sure Leica will not release a Q3M.

The M is my “main camera” so the Q2M is not being used nearly enough as it deserves.. because of this I often think I should sell it, then I use it for a couple of days and remember why I love it so much.
I’m not interested in the Q3 but when a Q3M gets released I might be very tempted to “upgrade”.

[AaronMRamsey]

I find this to be a very interesting topic...as someone who is incredibly fortunate to have both a Q2M and a Q3, I often find myself debating whether or not to sell the Q2M as it sometimes feels redundant. There's this natural gravitation to the Q3 for me as it has a tilt-screen, and as a landscape photographer, I am CONSTANTLY finding myself shooting from low angles. I know that before I had either the Q2M or the Q3, I had a Q2, thus I knew I could convert a color image to black & white in post, and do it well enough for my own liking. But, as it has been stated previously, there is something about using the Q2M and the resulting image(s) that remind me of why I have not sold it yet. Is it a look? Is it a smoother tonal transition? Is there something about the blacks that just looks smoother and darker without looking underexposed? (If that makes sense). In my own experience, it is all of the above.

The toughest part about shooting with the Q2M is deciding to go out with the Q2M in the first place, and not something else. You have to have a plan for what you're about to shoot, and have a sense of the final (black and white) image in your mind already-a deliberate subject/intent in other words. If I know I want the final image to be black and white, 90% of the time I'm taking the Q2M and not looking back...unless I need some kind of crazy zoom, then I'm taking the "big" camera with interchangeable lenses. 

If and when Leica decides to release a Q3 Monochrom, (and I am sure one is in the pipeline), I will most likely not buy it. The additional investment all for a tilt screen and/or higher megapixel count is not worth it in my opinion since I already have both. If I did not have the Q2M, well then maybe, but as it stands, I am quite content with my current setup.

[jps1]

Le 24/01/2024 à 12:54, AaronMRamsey a déclaré :

Je trouve que c'est un sujet très intéressant... en tant que personne qui a la chance d'avoir à la fois un Q2M et un Q3, je me retrouve souvent à débattre de la question de savoir s'il faut ou non vendre le Q2M car il semble parfois redondant. Il y a cette gravitation naturelle au Q3 pour moi car il a un écran inclinable, et en tant que photographe de paysage, je me retrouve CONSTAMMENT à photographier sous des angles bas. Je sais qu'avant d'avoir le Q2M ou le Q3, j'avais un Q2, donc je savais que je pouvais convertir une image couleur en noir et blanc en post, et le faire assez bien à mon goût. Mais, comme cela a été dit précédemment, il y a quelque chose dans l'utilisation du Q2M et de la ou des images qui en résultent qui me rappellent pourquoi je ne l'ai pas encore vendu. Est-ce un coup d'œil ? Est-ce une transition tonale plus douce ? Y a-t-il quelque chose dans les noirs qui a juste l'air plus lisse et plus foncé sans avoir l'air sous-exposé ? (Si cela a du sens). D'après ma propre expérience, c'est tout ce qui précède.

La partie la plus difficile du tournage avec le Q2M est de décider de sortir avec le Q2M en premier lieu, et pas autre chose. Vous devez avoir un plan pour ce que vous êtes sur le point de photographier, et avoir une idée de l'image finale (en noir et blanc) dans votre esprit déjà - un sujet/une intention délibéré en d'autres termes. Si je sais que je veux que l'image finale soit en noir et blanc, 90 % du temps, je prends le Q2M et je ne regarde pas en arrière... à moins que je n'aie besoin d'une sorte de zoom fou, alors je prends le "grand" appareil photo avec des objectifs interchangeables.

Si et quand Leica décide de sortir un Q3 Monochrom, (et je suis sûr qu'un est dans le pipeline), je ne l'achèterai probablement pas. L'investissement supplémentaire pour un écran inclinable et/ou un nombre de mégapixels plus élevé n'en vaut pas la peine à mon avis puisque j'ai déjà les deux. Si je n'avais pas le Q2M, eh bien, peut-être, mais dans l'état actuel des choses, je suis assez satisfait de ma configuration actuelle.

Excuse me for my question, but is there a difference between Q2M and Q3 in black and white, I would like to see the same shot taken with Q2M and Q3? If this is possible for you, thank you

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[SAronian]

Here are three images - labeled in the bottom of the image. They have been sized to 50% to save file size. Slight camera shift between Q2 & Q3.

1 - Leica Q2 Monochrom - Straight

2 - Leica Q3 - Straight

3 - Leica Q3 - Using Cobalt-Image Leica Monochrom Profile

 

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!

[AaronMRamsey]

On 1/25/2024 at 2:46 PM, jps1 said:

Excuse me for my question, but is there a difference between Q2M and Q3 in black and white, I would like to see the same shot taken with Q2M and Q3? If this is possible for you, thank you

I believe there is a difference-primarily in the shadows. Also, in my humble opinion, the images taken with the Q2M do not look as flat as a converted color image. I will post samples when I can, though I see SAronian may have beat me to it. Thanks, SAronian!