my Leica M9 Monochrome arrived :)

[rossb]

<p>Nice pictures and a super camera. Enjoy it. </p>

[dierk_topp]

<p>Nozar,<br>

thanks for the hint!<br>

I grabbed the camera at the dealer and let him mail the box to me. So I noticed two days ago, that Leica calls it<strong> Leica M Monochrom.</strong> I renamed my files and pictures before they are too many.<br>

In the moment my M9 is collecting dust :)</p>

<p>Anuar,<br>

are you asking, if it really is the Monochrom? Yes, it is, as the EXIF says.<br>

And: it is the most aesthetic and pure camera outside and inside, I ever saw (and possessed) :)</p>

 

[tom_higgins3]

Cheers for your first one there Ray. I just spat a sandwich at an iPad :)

[nozar_kishi]

<p>Dierk<br>

I envy you. I have also placed order for one, and B&H says August 28th.<br>

May I ask wich dealer you ordered yours?</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Perhaps someone will eventually post an intricate and tonally wide ranging image as details of 16 x 24 inch or larger blowups from both the M9 and the M monochron at low ISO (yes the Monochron has higher high quality ISO performance from what I understand), and with identical lens, its settings and other conditions, so we can get some idea of the differences in resolution and tonal rendering. Only then will I, and maybe some others, be able to judge whether it is really worth the price. Advertising literature and unsupported critiques don't really do it for me.</p>

<p>Having made those comments, I do wish Dierk and other Monochron owners some great B&W photography.</p>

[nozar_kishi]

<p> Arthur<br>

Speaking for myself, I do not need a 16X24 enlargement to see the difference; I can imagine it, right now. Bayer filters make it necessary for green pixel i to have its blue and red colors from averaging of those of pixels i+1 and i-1, in two orthogonal directions. Monochrom, like film, uses information from i-th pixel for i-th pixel. As far as Monochrom has signature of a film, it is enough for me to have it (of course the price is ridiculous).</p>

[rjm photo]

<p>Brian - Does this mean you are minus a few SPs?</p>

[dierk_topp]

<p>I just loaded 2 images from today in full res.,<br>

no +- exposure correction in the camera<br /> <strong>no PP what so ever</strong> (no sharpen, exposure..., no sharpen for JPG export in LR 4.1)<br /><br />the first one is a bit blurred, 1/60 sec. is too long, some PP could be ok, but I want to show, what you get directly out of the MM :)<br /> (click on the images for full size)<br /> <a href=" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7850769948_ccaf490e85_z.jpg" alt="" width="426" height="640" /></a></p>

<p>one more<br /> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7850775344_f93782c91a_o.jpg"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7850775344_bd3ed412d5_z.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>

[ray .]

I'd suggest anyone seriously interested in the camera invest the 30 or so bucks to get access to the Sean

Reid site. He's got lots of examples from the Leica Monochrom. Not trying to advertise for him; it's just

one way, short of trying the camera yourself, to get a fairly good idea of what its capabilities

are. There are a lot of other reviews there as well, including M9, M8.2, M8, etc...<p>

 

btw, with all due respects, I think the posted photos above are not good examples of what the camera is capable of.

Exposure, lighting, etc choices are limiting factors for these photographs.

[dierk_topp]

<p>Ray, these images should not show, what you can make from the MM but <strong>what you get directly out of the camera!!!</strong><br>

These images are full res and anybody may feel free to play with them (as a few people where asking for).</p>

[dierk_topp]

<p>Nozar, I got the MM from my dealer in Hamburg, it was the first one, he got. The second MM will arrive in two weeks for an other customer.<br>

I bought me fist SLR Edixa Reflex in 1960s from his father :)</p>

 

[aplumpton]

<p>Dierk, thanks for these. There is some very fine resolution on the tailor's tapemeasure or forearm hairs. Can you (or someone so equipped) do a comparison between your M9 and M monochrom of a similar shot. I know this is asking a lot, but like listening to good stereo sound reproduction, it is only when a direct comparison can be made of two loudspeakers under like conditions that one can get an idea of the differences. </p>

[Allen Herbert]

<p>A humble M8 photo and just a jpeg.<br>

Just for comparision.</p>

[Allen Herbert]

<p> </p>

[Allen Herbert]

<p>Try again</p><div></div>

[Allen Herbert]

<p>The crop...</p><div></div>

[nozar_kishi]

<p>Thank you Dierk<br>

Enjoy!</p>

[dierk_topp]

<p><strong>I loaded 3 images from RAW in full resolution JPG for comparison of Leica M9 and Leica M Monochrom with Summilux 35/1.4 FLE@f/8 </strong></p>

<ul>

<li>tripod, self timer 12sec.</li>

<li>exposure automatic with - 0.7 EV</li>

<li>no PP in LR4.1 at all</li>

<li>no sharpening in LR</li>

<li>no sharpening during LR JPG export</li>

</ul>

<p><a href=" M9</a><br /> <a href=" m Monochrom, <strong>no filter</strong></a><br /> <a href=" M Monochrom with filter flter B+W 023 Dark Yellow</a><br /> look for the size "original" with right mouse click<br /> I waited for a cloud to avoid extra contrast from hard sun light and shadow.</p>

<p>I wonder, what you think :)<br /> dierk</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Looks good, Dierk. Not sure how I can right click to seek the crop with my retrograde Apple laptop and finger touch pad. Any ideas? Herbert, the M8 is no slouch either, but I value it for its IR performance with a 093 or stronger IR pass filter. </p>

[richard_john_edwards]

<p>Dierk, I have been following this post with some interest, As a mainly B&W photographer, i have been keen to see the performance of the M Monochrom. I am still not convinced that theimages offer a great deal more than the M9, the images you have posted certainly dont reveal a significant difference. For me the real beuty about B&W is the texture that film grain reveals. Grain has dimension that is hard to find in digital files (in my view). I recently purchased an MP to regain that quality, for meit was either the MP of see what the monochrom could do.<br>

Here is a sample of Film from MP 50 Lux for comparison to tone texture and overall feel.</p>

[richard_john_edwards]

<p>Dierk, I have been following this post with some interest, As a mainly B&W photographer, i have been keen to see the performance of the M Monochrom. I am still not convinced that theimages offer a great deal more than the M9, the images you have posted certainly dont reveal a significant difference. For me the real beuty about B&W is the texture that film grain reveals. Grain has dimension that is hard to find in digital files (in my view). I recently purchased an MP to regain that quality, for meit was either the MP of see what the monochrom could do.<br>

Here is a sample of Film from MP 50 Lux for comparison to tone texture and overall feel.</p><div></div>

[dierk_topp]

<p>Arthur,<br>

you find higher resolutions, when you click on the + sign at the upper right corner of the image and choose "original"<br>

I hope, that helps.</p>

<p>Just in case, somebody doe's not know these sites:<br>

<a href="http://www.reddotforum.com/content.php/226-Leica-M-Monochrom-Review">reddotforum</a><br>

<a href="http://www.imx.nl/photo/leica/camera/styled-8/M%20Monochrom.html">tao of Leica</a></p>

[dierk_topp]

<p>The RAWs are loaded.<br>

you find three RAW files for download and testing here at <a href="http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/href=%22http://the.me/leica-m-monochrom-raw-files-for-download/%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%3Ethe.me/leica-m-monochrom-raw-files-for-download/" target="_blank">the.me</a><br /> <br /> feel free to play with them <img title="Lächeln" src="http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" border="0" /><br /> dierk</p>

[john_r._fulton_jr.]

<p>Arthur - on a mac you hold the "control" button and then your touchpad/mouse and you have a right click.</p>

[jason]

<p>First let me congratulate you on your purchase. May it be always enjoyable.<br>

Thanks for sharing your images. Refreshing to see all the wonderful tones after seeing that Magnum photographer's rendition in Black and white only! <br>

The Japanese magazine Asahi showed a comparison of the MM, the Nikon D-800 and a Leica M6 with film. The M6 after much studying the photos, did yield more detail in a black object in foreground. The Japanese are very much into Analog and film..<br>

I have found using filters from color conversions, that i mostly prefer the Green filter. One i seldom ever used in film days..<br>

The results are light in feel, not exposure. A gentle and very beautiful look.<br>

Enjoy, enjoy.</p>