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Monochrome with D850

jlancasterd

Active member
Now that I'm using a Z6 as my 'go to' camera for colour work, I'm thinking of setting up my D850 for monochrome work.

Does anyone have any recommendations about settings for general, architectural and landscape work? I intend to shoot in hi-res JPEG mode.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Now that I'm using a Z6 as my 'go to' camera for colour work, I'm thinking of setting up my D850 for monochrome work.

Does anyone have any recommendations about settings for general, architectural and landscape work? I intend to shoot in hi-res JPEG mode.
Here's what I've done with my D810 and Z7 for mono. Note for either, I set Mono up as one of the custom user settings.

Sharpening to taste, I found +3 overall and +2 mids (not certain the D850 has that) pretty good for my uses. Contrast, I bump up to +1. With the Z7, I also add +1 point of Clarity, also not sure if the D850 has that. Brightness at 0. I turn On the G filter -- I find it helps moderate the Red sensitivity just enough and helps skintones without ruining sky tones. I will also at times turn on Sepia to +1 -- I find it pretty pleasing for a warmtone incam jpeg.

Here is a jpeg sooc from my Z7 with those settings except no sepia. JPEG sized to 1200px, a little vignette and a slight exposure bump added for web in C1 before posting here. ISO 64, f1.8, slight haze but almost full sun lighting. (PS: I'm also shooting the Z7 in 4:5 aspect):

 

jlancasterd

Active member
Here's what I've done with my D810 and Z7 for mono. Note for either, I set Mono up as one of the custom user settings.
Sharpening to taste, I found +3 overall and +2 mids (not certain the D850 has that) pretty good for my uses. Contrast, I bump up to +1. With the Z7, I also add +1 point of Clarity, also not sure if the D850 has that. Brightness at 0. I turn On the G filter -- I find it helps moderate the Red sensitivity just enough and helps skintones without ruining sky tones. I will also at times turn on Sepia to +1 -- I find it pretty pleasing for a warmtone incam jpeg.
Thanks Jack – I'll use these settings as a starting point.
 

jlancasterd

Active member
From my back door during Covid-19 lock-down. Using Jack's recommended settings on a D850, including G filter and sepia. Nikon 24-120 f4 lens. Developed using Lightroom and Photoshop.

Mono tree 21-3 small.jpg
 

jdphoto

Well-known member
I used the Z7 for monochrome, but had the Leica M to Z adapter. It was actually amazing because of the short/wide flange and M lenses. The D850 should do nicely too.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
From my back door during Covid-19 lock-down. Using Jack's recommended settings on a D850, including G filter and sepia. Nikon 24-120 f4 lens. Developed using Lightroom and Photoshop.

View attachment 149011
John,

Tone, brightness and contrast all look really good! To my eyes though, the image appears maybe a tad over-sharpened and appears to have gotten just a little bit "crunchy" - thoughts???
 

jlancasterd

Active member
John,

Tone, brightness and contrast all look really good! To my eyes though, the image appears maybe a tad over-sharpened and appears to have gotten just a little bit "crunchy" - thoughts???
Probably because I had to reduce the size so much to get it onto the website. Some of what might appear to be over-sharpening artefacts on the branches is actually sunlight on very pale bark.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Probably because I had to reduce the size so much to get it onto the website. Some of what might appear to be over-sharpening artefacts on the branches is actually sunlight on very pale bark.
Makes sense, re lighting. Also, just in case you downrezzed an already sharp file in PS, and did it all in one step using "bi-cubic sharper" that can add some crunchiness; best to do it in steps using a mix of regular bi-cubic and bi-cubic sharper ;)
 

jlancasterd

Active member
Makes sense, re lighting. Also, just in case you downrezzed an already sharp file in PS, and did it all in one step using "bi-cubic sharper" that can add some crunchiness; best to do it in steps using a mix of regular bi-cubic and bi-cubic sharper ;)
Thanks Jack, I obviously need to take more care when downsizing – especially give the huge size of D850 files even in JPEG format.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Thanks Jack, I obviously need to take more care when downsizing – especially give the huge size of D850 files even in JPEG format.
Exactly -- that was my point: Working with these relatively huge files to get them to web-size takes a little extra care ;)
 

jlancasterd

Active member
Another effort using Jack's settings, take during an exploration of local footpaths and pack horse tracks during our officially-mandated daily exercise. This is only a couple of hundred yards up the hill from where we live. D850, 24-120 f4 lens, I've applied a little vignetting in Lightroom to darken the corners.

Stile 21-3 RGB.jpg
 

jlancasterd

Active member
Having successfully set up Monochrome user settings on the D850, I decided to do the same on a Z6 and have been delighted to find that the electronic viewfinder goes into monochrome, allowing one to see the effects of different filters whilst one is actually shooting. I've now got user settings for colour, yellow and orange filters, and may add red.

All a far cry from 'press the button and hope' with a Brownie model D box camera and Verichrome Pan in 1955…
 

jlancasterd

Active member
Dolbenmaen cliffs 27 April 2020.

A Z6 shot taken on our daily exercise outing, about half a mile from our house, from the road that links the village to the main Porthmadog-Caernarfon road. 24-70 f4 Nikkor-S lens with yellow filter and minimum sepia toning enabled in software.

Dolbenmaen cliffs 27-4.jpg
 

jlancasterd

Active member
The countryside around Garndolbenmaen is very attractive, but the rock is very close to the surface and the 'pasture' is suitable only for hardy sheep or Welsh cattle. This photo was also taken from the road up to the village from the main road. The rocky hill is Graig y Garn.

Graig y Garn 27-4.jpg
 
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