Leica Looks

[PaulJohn]

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I hope Leica start adding these thick and fast as I quite like to shoot SOOC (straight out of camera)  jpegs. It's more like shooting film where the creativity has to happen at the point of shooting rather than after the fact post processing.

I believe that Panasonic's latest S9 has the ability to create your own Looks (LUTs) with Full HSL control. I hope that is coming to Leica. Would be amazing if we could upload Lightroom presets into our Leicas. I think that would attract a lot of sales for Leica.

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[Leicalook]

Well, I do not use the Leica looks. Maybe this might change in the future - but I do not think so.

I love to have the raw file. And then decide what to do with it.

Starting with my SL3 - I started to play around with DxO PhotoLabs, like I used to do with my Nikon D800.

2nd step (after only 800 shots) I omit sharpening and almost every postprocessing most of the times. The quality is that good that I do not need/want that anymore.

So, when photographing I do not want automatic implemented looks. Playing with some kind of AI I also want to have full control.

It is absolutely OK if you prefer it - I do not.

Best wishes

Stefan from Germany (just to explain my not 100% perfect English)

[LocalHero1953]

I’ve never considered Leica Looks because I see post processing as an essential part of the creative process. And baking Leica Looks into a jpg is only one step beyond a pack of enprints from the local Snappy Snaps. I don’t see where creativity comes into Leica Looks.  In film days there was actually a creative process in the darkroom.  Shooting in raw gives me the maximum flexibility for post processing. 

But the result is where it counts: if you can develop a personal style to your photos using Leica Looks, then that’s all good. 

Edited October 6, 2024 by LocalHero1953

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, PaulJohn said:

I hope Leica start adding these thick and fast as I quite like to shoot SOOC (straight out of camera)  jpegs. It's more like shooting film where the creativity has to happen at the point of shooting rather than after the fact post processing.

That was never true for negative films. Ansel Adams famously said:

"The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print is the performance."

Creativity happens both when shooting and when processing.

[SiggiGun]

vor 8 Minuten schrieb SrMi:

That was never true for negative films. Ansel Adams famously said:

"The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print is the performance."

Creativity happens both when shooting and when processing.

This is very true

[pippy]

1 hour ago, PaulJohn said:

I hope Leica start adding these thick and fast as I quite like to shoot SOOC (straight out of camera)  jpegs. It's more like shooting film where the creativity has to happen at the point of shooting rather than after the fact post processing...

Odd point of view.

If it works for you then, of course, that's perfectly fine but I couldn't possibly disagree more with that approach.

Philip.

Edited October 6, 2024 by pippy

[M Street Photographer]

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Why shouldn't you use the JPEGs from the camera? It doesn't just have to be the looks. I have a setting for b&w in the camera and I like using it. It would just be nice if the looks could be changed in the camera too. I'm hoping for a firmware update.

[PaulJohn]

5 hours ago, pippy said:

Odd point of view.

If it works for you then, of course, that's perfectly fine but I couldn't possibly disagree more with that approach.

Philip.

Think of it as a creative constraint like having only Kodak gold in your film camera. 

[LocalHero1953]

5 minutes ago, PaulJohn said:

Think of it as a creative constraint like having only Kodak gold in your film camera. 

But what did you do with the Kodak Gold after exposure? Develop and print yourself?

Edited October 6, 2024 by LocalHero1953

[pippy]

36 minutes ago, PaulJohn said:

Think of it as a creative constraint like having only Kodak gold in your film camera. 

Why?

That's like buying a Bechstein and deciding to only play the notes from the middle five keys.

Philip.

Edited October 6, 2024 by pippy

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, pippy said:

Why?

That's like buying a Bechstein and deciding to only play the notes from the middle five keys.

Philip.

Do you play piano? A great player can create music on the middle 5 keys is a way that lesser players can only dream of. Similarly, a great photographer's JPEGs will be far superior to that that the vast majority of we RAW hackers can produce.

[pippy]

Just now, Corius said:

Do you play piano? A great player can create music on the middle 5 keys is a way that lesser players can only dream of. Similarly, a great photographer's JPEGs will be far superior to that that the vast majority of we RAW hackers can produce.

I'm rubbish on the piano but I have been active as a guitarist for 48 years if that counts for anything?

I never suggested that music can't be played using just five notes. My point was that to adopt such an approach is unneccessarily limiting.

A great photographer might be able to produce SOOC JPEGs which are "far superior" to RAW files from a talentless hack but, at the same time, a great photographer with great post-prod skills will be able to produce"far superior" results from RAW files than they could manage from a SOOC JPEG.

Do you play the piano?

Philip.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, pippy said:

Do you play the piano?

Philip.

Yes, but only the middle 4 keys. I know my limits! (I've been play classical guitar for the last 30 years, and I do use all 6 strings  )

 

Edited October 6, 2024 by Corius

[LocalHero1953]

5 minutes ago, Corius said:

Do you play piano? A great player can create music on the middle 5 keys is a way that lesser players can only dream of. Similarly, a great photographer's JPEGs will be far superior to that that the vast majority of we RAW hackers can produce.

Name the musician.🙂
Which great photographers only produce unedited JPGs?

[Guest]

1 minute ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Name the musician.🙂
Which great photographers only produce unedited JPGs?

I can guarantee that Lang Lang on 5 keys will beat your best efforts on all 88 keys

I didn't say "only" produce unedited JPGs. My point is that the true photographer has the ability to capture a moment in time, independent of technology. That is an artistic ability and not the ability to post-process. Obviously, being able to do both would be ideal, but I doubt that there are many of us blessed with that skillset.

[LocalHero1953]

6 minutes ago, Corius said:

I didn't say "only" produce unedited JPGs. My point is that the true photographer has the ability to capture a moment in time, independent of technology. That is an artistic ability and not the ability to post-process. Obviously, being able to do both would be ideal, but I doubt that there are many of us blessed with that skillset.

I agree with that, but it is elevating it to a general principle I take issue with. My general approach is to give myself the maximum opportunity to create the photographic vision in my head and eyes. Limiting myself to Kodak Gold and high street enprints, or shooting just JPGs would be just a one-off challenge.

[pippy]

59 minutes ago, Corius said:

...I've been play classical guitar for the last 30 years, and I do use all 6 strings ...

Well that's three strings more than Seasick Steve uses on half of his songs and he does OK with it......😸......

Going back to the JPEG thing; my most-used camera (by far) will only record in DNG form so shooting any other way isn't an option. As it happens I absolutely loved my time in the dark-room so carrying-out post-prod 'work' for me is actually an absolute pleasure.

Philip.

Edited October 6, 2024 by pippy

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, pippy said:

Well that's three strings more than Seasick Steve uses on half of his songs and he does OK with it......😸......

Ok, this hurts, but Seasick Steve on 3 strings sounds infinitely better than my 6. Remember, I play classical guitar so I have no real sense of rhythm or musicality

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Hallo,

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[PaulJohn]

Some people buy a monocrom camera because they believe that the limitation to only shoot in black and white helps creativity. Others take only one focal length for the same reason. Capturing everything digitally with the intention to create later gives you more options but there is a lot of fun to be had trying to be creative at the time of shooting. The finished result might not be as polished but the enjoyment and sense of achievement is reward in itself.

[pippy]

On 10/6/2024 at 10:17 PM, PaulJohn said:

Some people buy a monocrom camera because they believe that the limitation to only shoot in black and white helps creativity. Others take only one focal length for the same reason...

I agree. As it happens I have a Monochrom and often I will carry nothing other than that body with just whichever lens I choose to use for that day.

I'd never, however, consider having to rely on using SOOC JPEGs from a Monochrom. That would be really silly......😸......

Philip.