The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Monochrome D800

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Lloyd is a friend, but I'm gonna say this anyway -- if you're going to "test" a modified camera, then post identical example images from the same model camera not converted so we can compare them directly. It's the only way for me to know if the cost of conversion is worth it.

I suspect we'll see a net gain in accutance that is equivalent to roughly 20% more pixels over a Bayer D800E. But then we loose the ability to do creative color filtration after-the-fact in post, and must make any filtering decisions at the time of capture. This latter is really the deal breaker for me on a monochrome camera for landscape work, since often minor tweaks to color response can have a large effect on the mood of the image. But for applications where desired filtration is going to be relatively well established for the subject matter from the outset, like Street, Portraiture or Studio, I can see there might be some benefit.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Fair comments, Jack.

I can see the enthusiasm in getting a 36MP monochrome in a great platform and the quick announcement. As indicated in the blog, one major headache is how to handle the RGB output as a true monochrome output (though hardware wise it is a true monochrome output). I will wait to see how this transpires.
 

RVB

Member
Lloyd is a friend, but I'm gonna say this anyway -- if you're going to "test" a modified camera, then post identical example images from the same model camera not converted so we can compare them directly. It's the only way for me to know if the cost of conversion is worth it.

I suspect we'll see a net gain in accutance that is equivalent to roughly 20% more pixels over a Bayer D800E. But then we loose the ability to do creative color filtration after-the-fact in post, and must make any filtering decisions at the time of capture. This latter is really the deal breaker for me on a monochrome camera for landscape work, since often minor tweaks to color response can have a large effect on the mood of the image. But for applications where desired filtration is going to be relatively well established for the subject matter from the outset, like Street, Portraiture or Studio, I can see there might be some benefit.
Jack,there is no actual conversion cost,you can only buy the camera as complete product for $6500,you can't send in your own D800 for conversion..

Rob
 
M

mjr

Guest
I'm not sure I see the point, the MM feels to me like it has heritage in the entire package, not sure why I feel that but it seems that for people who are in to Leica, it is just part of the whole thing.

The D800 to me is just a tool, a very good one but not the same thing at all. Buying a monochrome D800 doesn't really make sense to me, especially at that price. But then I would never buy an MM either.

I actually convert quite a lot of shots to black and white and have never felt that there's anything missing from the D800 files.

Horses for courses, I'm sure some will buy it just because it's there, nothing wrong with that.

Mat
 
V

Vivek

Guest
I'm not sure I see the point, the MM feels to me like it has heritage in the entire package, not sure why I feel that but it seems that for people who are in to Leica, it is just part of the whole thing.

The D800 to me is just a tool, a very good one but not the same thing at all. Buying a monochrome D800 doesn't really make sense to me, especially at that price. But then I would never buy an MM either.

I actually convert quite a lot of shots to black and white and have never felt that there's anything missing from the D800 files.

Horses for courses, I'm sure some will buy it just because it's there, nothing wrong with that.

Mat
What do you think about the Achromatic back? Is that a tool or an ornament? ;)
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
What do you think about the Achromatic back? Is that a tool or an ornament? ;)
It's clearly a tool. But a very expensive tool unless you have a specific application for it. Keep in mind, it is also full spectrum. And you can get the MaxMax D800 in FS, and if you have a specific application then it may make sense too ;)

However, if all you're after is higher resolution monochrome, I'm not sure the juice is worth the squeeze with either. But then that's me...
 
M

mjr

Guest
I don't think anything about it, it's just a tool as well.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
It's clearly a tool. But a very expensive tool unless you have a specific application for it. Keep in mind, it is also full spectrum. And you can get the MaxMax D800 in FS, and if you have a specific application then it may make sense too ;)

However, if all you're after is higher resolution monochrome, I'm not sure the juice is worth the squeeze with either. But then that's me...
Very true! Especially the last line! A lot of Leica folks, since the APO Summicron 50/2 was announced together with the Leica MM thought (actually believed) that it needed such special high resolution lens. Many users have since found out that old beat up lenses do much better, pictorially as well as clarity wise on the MM.

About the "Full Spectrum" conversion: It is not very useful without the exclusive use of live view. That is why the mirrorless cams have an edge there over the DSLRs.

FWIW, the first Sony sensor that Dan (MaxMax) converted successfully to monochrome is a NEX-5N (mine).
 
Top