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Fun with the Leica M Monochrom
- Thread starter bradhusick
- Start date
pegelli
Well-known member
A few more from the St. Fredegandus cemetery in Antwerp. It's still in use but with a lot of neglected areas falling apart. The city plans to restore most of it, but lots of work ahead!
Still a great place for a B&W photographer walking around
Broken:
Alone again
Leaning cross in a forgotten corner
As you can see, still a lot to restore
All M246M + Voigtländer Nokton 35/1.2 II + orange filter
Still a great place for a B&W photographer walking around
Broken:
Alone again
Leaning cross in a forgotten corner
As you can see, still a lot to restore
All M246M + Voigtländer Nokton 35/1.2 II + orange filter
pegelli
Well-known member
Lillo is a small historic village along the Schelde downstream of Antwerp close to the Dutch border and really the start of the Antwerp harbour.
Here's some harbour views:
Pilot cutter
Waiting jetty
Looking over the river towards Antwerp
MS ICE Pano of three handheld photos
The main jetty
All Leica M246 Monochrom + Summaron 35/2.8 + orange filter
Here's some harbour views:
Pilot cutter
Waiting jetty
Looking over the river towards Antwerp
MS ICE Pano of three handheld photos
The main jetty
All Leica M246 Monochrom + Summaron 35/2.8 + orange filter
Godfrey
Well-known member
Abstract triptych today ...
Plants Against Cracked Wall – Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Pentax SMC 43mm f/1.9 Special
Green filter
ISO 250 @ f/4 @ 1/60
Foot Steps By Pavement Crack – Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Pentax SMC 43mm f/1.9 Special
Green filter
ISO 250 @ f/4 @ 1/60
Letter On Concrete Sidewalk – Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Pentax SMC 43mm f/1.9 Special
Green filter
ISO 160 @ f/4 @ 1/60
Enjoy! G
Plants Against Cracked Wall – Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Pentax SMC 43mm f/1.9 Special
Green filter
ISO 250 @ f/4 @ 1/60
Foot Steps By Pavement Crack – Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Pentax SMC 43mm f/1.9 Special
Green filter
ISO 250 @ f/4 @ 1/60
Letter On Concrete Sidewalk – Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Pentax SMC 43mm f/1.9 Special
Green filter
ISO 160 @ f/4 @ 1/60
Enjoy! G
Godfrey
Well-known member
The secondhand Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH I ordered arrived a week or so ago, I only just had a moment to go test it yesterday...
Unicorn & Crocodillians - Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH
ISO 1000 @ f/2 @ 1/60
Green filter
It works well! I suspect I'll be using it a lot..
Enjoy! G
"No matter where you go, there you are."
Unicorn & Crocodillians - Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH
ISO 1000 @ f/2 @ 1/60
Green filter
It works well! I suspect I'll be using it a lot..
Enjoy! G
"No matter where you go, there you are."
Godfrey
Well-known member
I was so delighted with the Summicron-M 28 ASPH the other day, it piqued my curiosity to do some test shooting with the most maligned Leica lens, the ancient Hektor 135mm f/4.5.
I had an older version of this lens, once upon a time, that was part of my father's dental work recording kit. The one I found a few years ago, for the princely sum of $180 in near mint condition (the correct lens hood and cap were actually more expensive than the lens!) is a 1960 example.
So I fitted it to the camera with an orange filter and hood, added the Visoflex 020, set it to f/8 with auto exposure and AutoISO, and went for a walk.
Bicycles For Sale - Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Hektor 135mm f/4.5
ISO 2500 @ f/8 @ 1/750
Orange filter
I made 40-some exposures and at least 25 of them are very satisfying! I certainly wouldn't call the old Hektor "bitingly sharp" like a modern lens, but on the other hand it certainly is not a bad performer, and it's light and even hand-held usable.
Probably the most difficult part of getting a critically focused image with this lens is the fact that the focusing helicoid is very fine threaded and you have to concentrate carefully on the RF image alignment to get it right on the money. Live View with the M10-M provides another focusing option that provides an easier critical focus capability...
Note: this photo was focused with the rangefinder.
Enjoy! G
I had an older version of this lens, once upon a time, that was part of my father's dental work recording kit. The one I found a few years ago, for the princely sum of $180 in near mint condition (the correct lens hood and cap were actually more expensive than the lens!) is a 1960 example.
So I fitted it to the camera with an orange filter and hood, added the Visoflex 020, set it to f/8 with auto exposure and AutoISO, and went for a walk.
Bicycles For Sale - Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Hektor 135mm f/4.5
ISO 2500 @ f/8 @ 1/750
Orange filter
I made 40-some exposures and at least 25 of them are very satisfying! I certainly wouldn't call the old Hektor "bitingly sharp" like a modern lens, but on the other hand it certainly is not a bad performer, and it's light and even hand-held usable.
Probably the most difficult part of getting a critically focused image with this lens is the fact that the focusing helicoid is very fine threaded and you have to concentrate carefully on the RF image alignment to get it right on the money. Live View with the M10-M provides another focusing option that provides an easier critical focus capability...
Note: this photo was focused with the rangefinder.
Enjoy! G
pegelli
Well-known member
@ Godfrey, I have the slightly more modern 135/4 Elmar (M-mount, 1960) which (according to the reviews) is a sharper vs. the older Hektor 4.5 version. I was fortunate to pick it up for less than € 100 from an auction site. But on an M camera it's just as hard to focus it correctly. When there's a clear single contrasty line in the frame it's doable, but for instance in a forest with many crossing branches I have big trouble and ususally put the EVF on. Obviously with my M2 that doesn't work .
Good effort with the Hektor on the bicycles with the repeating shapes.
For 28 mm I now use an M-Rokkor 28/2.8 (originally built for the Minolta CLE), only problem is that on M-cameras it brings up the 35 mm framelines and not the 28, but with my glasses I can't see the 28 mm framelines in my M246M viewfinder anyway so I use a stick-on viewfinder for that lens anyway. Rendering is plenty sharp and a nice bokeh and as an added bonus it also works well (with sharp corners) adapted to my Sony A7ii, while most M-Leica 28's give mushy corners on that camera.
Enough talk, it's really about photos here
Somewhere in the middle of a long blind wall around the garden of Westmalle Abbey there's three windows and four buttresses, I think there is a chapel behind it.
M246M + Summicron 50/2 (v1, rigid)
.Good effort with the Hektor on the bicycles with the repeating shapes.
For 28 mm I now use an M-Rokkor 28/2.8 (originally built for the Minolta CLE), only problem is that on M-cameras it brings up the 35 mm framelines and not the 28, but with my glasses I can't see the 28 mm framelines in my M246M viewfinder anyway so I use a stick-on viewfinder for that lens anyway. Rendering is plenty sharp and a nice bokeh and as an added bonus it also works well (with sharp corners) adapted to my Sony A7ii, while most M-Leica 28's give mushy corners on that camera.
Enough talk, it's really about photos here
Somewhere in the middle of a long blind wall around the garden of Westmalle Abbey there's three windows and four buttresses, I think there is a chapel behind it.
M246M + Summicron 50/2 (v1, rigid)
Godfrey
Well-known member
The 1972 Summilux 35mm is a delightful lens, dialing in softness or hardness with a twist of the aperture ring. And beautiful rendering no matter what aperture you use.
Fence - Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Summilux 35mm f/1.4 (1972)
ISO 160 @ f/4 @ 1/250
Green filter
It's such a small, light, fast lens: perfect for meandering about with the camera.
enjoy! G
Fence - Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Summilux 35mm f/1.4 (1972)
ISO 160 @ f/4 @ 1/250
Green filter
It's such a small, light, fast lens: perfect for meandering about with the camera.
enjoy! G
Godfrey
Well-known member
That, for all the world, looks like the church in my neighborhood in NY where I grew up!...
Enough talk, it's really about photos here
Somewhere in the middle of a long blind wall around the garden of Westmalle Abbey there's three windows and four buttresses, I think there is a chapel behind it.
M246M + Summicron 50/2 (v1, rigid)
Yeah, the old Hektor and Elmar 135s are pretty tricky to focus accurately with the rangefinder. It's amazing how well the Hektor worked on the M10-M, though. I've got a number of photos with it, I'm slowly prepping them for posting.
G
Godfrey
Well-known member
This Denny's restaurant is a short block from my home: I've walked past it on many walks and snapped a photo. I did this on two walks in succession last week and was struck by the fact that I'd framed it almost identically with both lenses. Taken in the late afternoon and then in the evening, I thought they would make an interesting diptych...
Denny's Afternoon-Evening Diptych - Santa Clara 2023
Afternoon: Summilux 35mm : ISO 160 @ f/4 @ 1/750
Evening: Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH : ISO 2500 @ f/4 @ 1/60
Green filter on both.
Comments appreciated! Enjoy!
G
Denny's Afternoon-Evening Diptych - Santa Clara 2023
Afternoon: Summilux 35mm : ISO 160 @ f/4 @ 1/750
Evening: Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH : ISO 2500 @ f/4 @ 1/60
Green filter on both.
Comments appreciated! Enjoy!
G
Hi there Monochrom "guys" - may I ask you longterm users - do you feel a tonality difference vs converted color images from M10(r) or M11 ... or is it mainly noise difference in higher ISO ...or the mindset to shoot a b&w camera or anything else make you use and enjoy the Monochrome Leicas?
I use my color M and allways try to tell myself, that I can alllways convert to b&w and that I dont need a B&W only camera.
I use my color M and allways try to tell myself, that I can alllways convert to b&w and that I dont need a B&W only camera.
pegelli
Well-known member
For me it's the "mindset" and just the fun of using such a camera. I don't find a monochrom camera better or worse, just a difference in operation that you sometimes are able to see in the end result. In the end every camera/system you can buy these days is "good enough" to yield excellent results in capable hands, so I just choose what I enjoy using and don't worry about the green-ness of the grass on the other side of the fence.