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Fun w/Digital M Images

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Woody Campbell

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
re: Fun with the New Leica M

erudolph said:
Woody, since you've shot so much with the MM, can you share some thoughts on your reactions to producing B&W with the new M?
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Ed - Still very preliminary. I've only shot a few hundred frames with the M - when I get to a few thousand I'll be able to report with a bit more nuance. In terms of processing I'm basically pressing Command-V in LR and then proceeding as I do with the MM, taking my foot off the contrast a bit and using the blue and yellow sliders to simulate a yellow filter. With some time I should be able to improve on this. People I respect say that the MM out resolves the M slightly; I haven't done side by side tests; I'm fairly busy and side by side tests aren't high on my to do list because both cameras perform brilliantly.

For a committed Leica user the M is an major step forward. The changes are incremental but important. I sold my M9 at the beginning of the year in anticipation of the M. The move to the M cost me $3k+. The shutter feel and sound is dramatically better than the M9. The M is the digital M that should have been - it's much closer to M3/M4 experience than previous digital Ms. The M8.2 style frame lines (optimized to 2 meters) make framing more accurate. For me these two items are worth the cost of the change - the rest is gravy.

My impression of the high ISO is that it is roughly comparable to the MM. This is a case where side by side comparisons are on my agenda - how does the M compare with the MM in terms of the look of the "grain".

There will be a debate going forward on ccd vs. cmos - The M9s will always have a different look than cmos cameras which some people will treasure. I don't have a view on the issue.
 
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robertwright

New member
re: Fun with the New Leica M

I love your NYC scenes- could you share with us how you shoot these for stitching?- I have stitched in Ps before gotten unexpected results- especially when you combine frames that have distortion and frames that don't. Sometimes odd things happen- either buildings get overly tall and thin, then scaling makes them fat. You seem to be getting consistent results that feel like you used a single focal length, ie; 28mm shift. Mine tend to look like 17mm with distortion. It's hard backing up' in NYC as you know.

tia

Woody Campbell said:
M240 + 21mm SEM 3 frames stitched

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Woody Campbell

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
re: Fun with the New Leica M

robertwright said:
I love your NYC scenes- could you share with us how you shoot these for stitching?- I have stitched in Ps before gotten unexpected results- especially when you combine frames that have distortion and frames that don't. Sometimes odd things happen- either buildings get overly tall and thin, then scaling makes them fat. You seem to be getting consistent results that feel like you used a single focal length, ie; 28mm shift. Mine tend to look like 17mm with distortion. It's hard backing up' in NYC as you know.

tia
Click to expand...
It's very hard to stitch images that were originally wide in Photoshop and get the perspective to be anything like natural. I use PS when shooting 50 or 90mm; collapse the layers and use "distort" to correct perspective.

When I shoot wider lenses I export full sized tiffs with lens and vignetting corrections applied. I then do the stitching in dedicated stitching software. I.m very happy with PTGui which produced the image above.
 
D

D&A

Well-known member
re: Fun with the New Leica M

jonoslack said:
HI Vivek
Thank you for the link. As you say, tough to manage things photographed many times before.

And no distress - I didn't see the banding - let's try this shot instead

50 AA 2000 ISO


For those interested, here's what it looks like in the daytime:

50 AA

And here's a shot from the top floor inside one of the Toulus


WATE
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Jono, I know absolutely nothing about Toulus, but from the pictures they look fascinating, especially when shown in the daytime juxtaposed in what appears to be in a out in the farmland. Are they the equivalent of apartment type dwellings housed in the larger greater sized structure(s)? If so, the pic of what appears to be the stoned central court, apparently has a circular group of dwellings (apartments) too, that appear at first glace to possibly more costly or reserved for those who possibly have obtained a certain level of status or possibly income?

If some of my assumptions are correct, are Toulus or these structures supposed to contain tenants of the farming community, replacing scattered single house structures throughout the nearby countryside? Of course all of my assumptions may be wrong? Thanks for any insight to these.

Dave (D&A)
 
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robertwright

New member
re: Fun with the New Leica M

simply panning three horizontal images from ground level to the sky is going to make three different distortions? is it not? would you not have to keystone first and then collapse second?

hats off you are a magician!

I'll have to give it a try.

Woody Campbell said:
It's very hard to stitch images that were originally wide in Photoshop and get the perspective to be anything like natural. I use PS when shooting 50 or 90mm; collapse the layers and use "distort" to correct perspective.

When I shoot wider lenses I export full sized tiffs with lens and vignetting corrections applied. I then do the stitching in dedicated stitching software. I.m very happy with PTGui which produced the image above.
Click to expand...
 
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docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
re: Fun with the New Leica M

Woody Campbell said:
Same.

Click to expand...
Woody,

Comments on the M240 files and PP would be most appreciated....you have posted some very compelling examples quite quickly...looks like you have a feel for the camera already.

On another point...can you compare the 18 to the 21 SEM...I would prefer to buy one not both as they seem so close in FL....

Great posts as always,


Bob
 
C

ced

Member
Bruno same as Ceh & Vivek for me but I would inject some light into the colour image as it comes across a tad flat, I would put a lasso around the black dress and remove the white specks in PS with Filter >Noise >Dust & Scratches... You know all this I am sure:)
Nice though!
 
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