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Fun with the Leica M Monochrom

D&A

Well-known member
Some lovely warm and inviting holiday candids Ashwin! Whats most striking in this thread is the many varied and different looks to an MM image. As you wrote elsewhere, the choices one makes with regards to processing their MM Raw files, has a profound effect on the presentation of the image.

Dave (D&A)
 

D&A

Well-known member
Yat, the top half of your 1st image almost looks like an artist's sketch (often viewed in museums) of what Rome looked like centurys ago. ..especially with the capture of the bird in flight. Nice!

Dave (D&A)
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
A couple of different shots...Leica Monochrom


Monochrom and Summicron 35 ASPH


Autumn Oaks







Wood and Tin






Bob
 

erudolph

Member
28mm Cron ASPH, no filter

Here is a cropped shot taken at the Union Square ice skating rink yesterday just after noon. The day was extremely bright. Below the shot is an outline of the post.



1. I use ACR 5.7 and PS CS4 with Silver and/or Color EFEX v1.
2. Shot opened in ACR with Fill set to 15 and Recovery to 30 (this recovery probably wasn't necessary). Default sharpening set down from 25 to 15.
3. With shot open in Photoshop, I used the ColorEfex filter Tonal Contrast to open and define the shadows some. Maybe the setting were something like Highlights 10, Midtones 7, Shadows 10-15.
4. Back in PS I then selected the mid to shadow range using the Cmd-Opt-2 command and inverting the selection and used this selection to brighten that range (note that this selection creates a mask that will affect most of the image to some degree).
5. That's it.
 

woodyspedden

New member
Thanks Ashwin

Your writeup was spot on with explanations and examples of what I have seen from the mm.

However final results (i.e. after processing) show great promise to me. I have never seen digital black and white files where shadow detail in very black areas are so well preserved while at the same time in the presence of severe highlights. Seems to be a new definition of dynamic range!

Thanks for you writeup which to me was really helpful

Woody
 

woodyspedden

New member
Nice work, Ed. Love the poses that you have captured across the board

Bob, I enjoyed the footie goal box...


Here are a few images to share from this evening's Thanksgiving Festivities:

C-Sonnar 50:










35 summarit


One with the 35 Summilux LFE (taken by my friend Joe, but it is my finger)
Ashwin

After reading your article on Steve Huff's site I really see interesting tones from the older rigid summicron. I don't have this lens or a 50 Summarit but I will be taking some photos (just as soon as I get my MM) using the Voightlander 75 1.2 Heliar. Should produce much less clinical results than my Leica aspheric lenses but I will be anxious to compare with yours.

Again thanks for the most interesting and informative article

Woody
 

erudolph

Member
After reading Ashwin's thoughts on MM with older lenses I tried a couple today. A Summitar and an f/1 Noct. Didn't shoot anything worth posting. The Summitar was surprisingly sharp but with unlikable bokeh. The Noct showed its glow wide open and stopped down to about f/4 became a different, somewhat clinical lens... clinical in B&W. In color it's great stopped down. Of course, reading Ashwin's post at the Huff site made me recall every lens I've ever sold.

What's the current thinking on trying to collapse a Summitar on the M9 or the MM? This one is M-mount.
 
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KurtKamka

Subscriber Member
In regard to Leica's latest lenses, I think that it will continue to take awhile for people to feel accustomed to what looks best to them with the combination of the MM and modern lenses ... especially as they continue to experiment with their approach to post processing.

I've shot a lot of images with the S2 and a combination of older lenses like the Zeiss 110/2 and Mamiya 80/1.9 lenses. In fact, I spent nearly 6 months with the camera where I rarely used S lenses. I think it was because I was used to trying to get a look that I was familiar with the M9.

But over time, I've gravitated back to shooting with S lenses extensively as I've really begun to like the crisp modern Leica look that is attainable with Leica's latest lenses. It's an aesthetic that is different from film and the approximation that some try to get with digital files by playing with sliders in software including adding grain. Maybe one just has to give their mind an opportunity to become more familiar with the look. I believe that it is a look that stands well on its own ... after all, we've become a high definition digital world.

Of course, it's fantastic that MM is available with an M mount so that no matter one's tastes, the only limitation to how the final image looks truly rests with the photographer.
 
In regard to Leica's latest lenses, I think that it will continue to take awhile for people to feel accustomed to what looks best to them with the combination of the MM and modern lenses ... especially as they continue to experiment with their approach to post processing.

I've shot a lot of images with the S2 and a combination of older lenses like the Zeiss 110/2 and Mamiya 80/1.9 lenses. In fact, I spent nearly 6 months with the camera where I rarely used S lenses. I think it was because I was used to trying to get a look that I was familiar with the M9.

But over time, I've gravitated back to shooting with S lenses extensively as I've really begun to like the crisp modern Leica look that is attainable with Leica's latest lenses. It's an aesthetic that is different from film and the approximation that some try to get with digital files by playing with sliders in software including adding grain. Maybe one just has to give their mind an opportunity to become more familiar with the look. I believe that it is a look that stands well on its own ... after all, we've become a high definition digital world.

Of course, it's fantastic that MM is available with an M mount so that no matter one's tastes, the only limitation to how the final image looks truly rests with the photographer.
I like Kurt's thinking. I'm more interested in working in a new aesthetic than trying to replicate the looks of yesteryear. I just got my MM and am deciding whether I should trade in a Noctilux for the 50mm APO in following Kurt's word.
 
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