Fresh attempt

[benqui]

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I could never use my M9 Monochrom for portrait shootings because of the defect sensor. I was thinking to sell it and to buy a M10M instead. But I really liked the „old“ Monochrome although sometimes it is really a diva. It is a kind of love/hate relationship. But with a new sensor, it works now without any problems and I just love the the results again.

Lígia, M9 Monochrom, 2/50 Apo Summicron

 

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[fotografr]

The CCD sensor is unbeatable in my opinion. You sure put it to good use here. 

Brent

[benqui]

vor 40 Minuten schrieb fotografr:

The CCD sensor is unbeatable in my opinion. You sure put it to good use here. 

Brent

Thanks a lot Brent! I also like this sensor, and with an higher ISO, the photos almost look analog

[spassig123]

vor 17 Stunden schrieb benqui:

…But with a new sensor, it works now without any problems and I just love the the results again….

Lígia, M9 Monochrom, 2/50 Apo Summicr

 

The repair was successful, I see it in the expressive portrait.

How expensive was the repair and how long did it take?

Jochen

Edited March 11 by spassig123

[stuny]

Superb!

[M8X2]

It has to be the sensor that makes this image stunning. It probably has nothing to do with the artisan behind the sensor or the expressive subject in the frame. 

Very well done, dear Marc!

[benqui]

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vor 8 Stunden schrieb spassig123:

 

The repair was successful, I see it in the expressive portrait.

How expensive was the repair and how long did it take?

Jochen

Thank you very much Jochen. The repair was done by Kolari Vision and took approx. 4 weeks. I have to say that it was perfectly organized, also with instructions how to send the camera to the US from abroad without getting trouble with the customs. You can choose between different sensor glasses (mine was a Schott BG61 glass). Finally I ppayed 1914,98 Dollar. To me it was worth the investment because I had some many spots on my photo (also wide open) that I could not use the camera anymore 

vor 7 Stunden schrieb stuny:

Superb!

Happy to hear Stuart!!!

vor 4 Stunden schrieb M8X2:

It has to be the sensor that makes this image stunning. It probably has nothing to do with the artisan behind the sensor or the expressive subject in the frame. 

Very well done, dear Marc!

Thanks a lot for your kind words! But the sensor really made my photos better, because before the repair I had to remove so many spots from the faces of my models. The camera was more or less useless

[spassig123]

Am 12.3.2025 um 00:54 schrieb benqui:

Thank you very much Jochen. The repair was done by Kolari Vision and took approx. 4 weeks. I have to say that it was perfectly organized, also with instructions how to send the camera to the US from abroad without getting trouble with the customs. You can choose between different sensor glasses (mine was a Schott BG61 glass). Finally I ppayed 1914,98 Dollar. To me it was worth the investment because I had some many spots on my photo (also wide open) that I could not use the camera anymore 

Thanks for quick and helpful answer.

What are the difference between sensor glasses?

I suspect a repair in Wetzlar would have taken longer than four weeks. Have you contacted Wetzlar regarding the price and delivery time before?

Jochen

Edited March 13 by spassig123

[demourne]

Guys, are you serious? It's a good portrait of a beautiful woman and you're talking about a sensor. 

One stop down would have improved the thing, because eyes, nose and mouth are out of focus. The sharp hairline is irrelevant. 

Second question would be: why does the hair on the left side of the face have no details?

 

[fotografr]

6 hours ago, demourne said:

Guys, are you serious? It's a good portrait of a beautiful woman and you're talking about a sensor. 

One stop down would have improved the thing, because eyes, nose and mouth are out of focus. The sharp hairline is irrelevant. 

Second question would be: why does the hair on the left side of the face have no details?

 

I disagree with you on two points. First, with the eyes being sharp ( I mean, I can count eyelashes!), and the rest of the face pleasantly soft, attention is pulled immediately to the model's eyes. You may not think that's important. I do. In my opinion, the eyes are the single most important element of a portrait. I've seen enough of Marc's portrait work to know that if he had wanted the entire face and hair to be tack sharp, they would have been. He knows exactly what he's doing and why.

Second, the discussion about the sensor is completely valid because the CCD sensors in the M8 and M9 have unique qualities that are not shared with the CMOS sensors. Unless you have used these cameras throughout the progression to compare your results to the current lines, I really don't think you are qualified to be so dismissive about the differences and their impact on both portrait and landscape work. The digital noise produced at higher ISOs with the CCD sensor looks much more like film grain than the noise produced but the CMOS sensors. The result is an image that has an analog look, as Marc pointed out. Many of us find that quite appealing.

Edited March 14 by fotografr

[benqui]

vor 16 Stunden schrieb spassig123:

Thanks for quick and helpful answer.

What are the difference between sensor glasses?

I suspect a repair in Wetzlar would have taken longer than four weeks. Have you contacted Wetzlar regarding the price and delivery time before?

Jochen

I contacted Leica but they told me that they don’t not have new sensors for the M9 Monochrome anymore. They don’t  repair M9 cameras with a defect sensor anymore. Have a look at the Kolari Vision website and you can choose between different options between sensor glasses. If you are in a hurry, they do sometimes a faster replacement but it will cost you extra money. But in comparison to the Leica repair in Wetzlar, 4 weeks is very fast.

vor 10 Stunden schrieb demourne:

Guys, are you serious? It's a good portrait of a beautiful woman and you're talking about a sensor. 

One stop down would have improved the thing, because eyes, nose and mouth are out of focus. The sharp hairline is irrelevant. 

Second question would be: why does the hair on the left side of the face have no details?

 

No problem at all Peter, I can understand that there are some remaining questions concerning the defect sensor which unfortunately can not be repaired by Leica anymore. I tried to focus on the eyes wide open to blurr the rest of her face. Maybe i did not get it to 100% but I like the result a lot. Btw congrats to your drawings on your website. I always admire artists with such a talent for painting. Maybe my photo is like your drawing „under the groud II“

vor 4 Stunden schrieb fotografr:

I disagree with you on two points. First, with the eyes being sharp ( I mean, I can count eyelashes!), and the rest of the face pleasantly soft, attention is pulled immediately to the model's eyes. You may not think that's important. I do. In my opinion, the eyes are the single most important element of a portrait. I've seen enough of Marc's portrait work to know that if he had wanted the entire face and hair to be tack sharp, they would have been. He knows exactly what he's doing and why.

Second, the discussion about the sensor is completely valid because the CCD sensors in the M8 and M9 have unique qualities that are not shared with the CMOS sensors. Unless you have used these cameras throughout the progression to compare your results to the current lines, I really don't think you are qualified to be so dismissive about the differences and their impact on both portrait and landscape work. The digital noise produced at higher ISOs with the CCD sensor looks much more like film grain than the noise produced but the CMOS sensors. The result is an image that has an analog look, as Marc pointed out. Many of us find that quite appealing.

Thanks a lot for your kind words Brent, I agree, the photo was taken wide open to get this result. The discussion about the sensor replacement is important because there are two possibilities if you have a defect sensor: you leave it as it is, but you can not use the camera anymore or you replace it. And I was happy to see photos with the new sensor without removing dozens of spots on the computer.