LEICA M MONOCHROM : keep sharing pictures, guys, ....

[Allen Bourgeois]

I finally got my MM 246 a couple of week back.  It is certainly the best looking digital camera I have owned, and initial results looks good, but I need some time to do some more serious photography, and I won't get that over the holidays.

Congrats Peter. There really isn't a better B&W digital tool out there for street work.

[BrianVS]

None. Once its on and up. I couldn't get the shots I get if there was shutter lag.

Warm November Day by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

I agree with that. Shutter Latency is minimal, like using the M3. Shutter lag on the Olympus u43 seems like forever compared with the M Monochrom.

[drmike]

If you don't mind me asking how much 'stuff' does it do before the shutter fires? I assume no AF or exposure or is it just so quick it's insignificant?

[Allen Bourgeois]

The MM is as soon as I push the shutter button. It is right now.

[BrianVS]

If you don't mind me asking how much 'stuff' does it do before the shutter fires? I assume no AF or exposure or is it just so quick it's insignificant?

I use it on Auto exposure most of the time. It has to power up the CCD.

StarBurst by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

It's quick for a hand-held camera, digital or film... but I've never put it on a logic analyzer. I've had my hands on a Beckman and Whitley framing camera. That is fast. and big and expensive.

[drmike]

Interesting that AE doesn't slow it down. I will investigate the Fuji but I think it will meter on half press and that takes time. Sounds to me that the Leica meters all the time so is quick off the blocks.

Beckman and Whitley framing camera - Google will be busy

Mike

[Allen Bourgeois]

Leica M is manual focus. (thank gawd)

Lenses with great DoF scales. When working on the street I usually am hyper focused and have my exposure pre set. No auto focus in the world is faster than being pre focused. I never use auto exposure either. I can always make better exposure decisions than the meter can make. The meter sees the world as 18 or some say 13 % gray. Interesting photographs will many times fall outside those parameters.

[Allen Bourgeois]

[drmike]

Leica M is manual focus. (thank gawd)

Lenses with great DoF scales. When working on the street I usually am hyper focused and have my exposure pre set. No auto focus in the world is faster than being pre focused. I never use auto exposure either. I can always make better exposure decisions than the meter can make. The meter sees the world as 18 or some say 13 % gray. Interesting photographs will many times fall outside those parameters.

Thanks that's cleared that up for me. The Fuji would also be instant used that way. I used to be able to evaluate exposure but I lost that knack years ago. That said I could do it from a base measurement I think. I also chimp

Incidentally of the photos #3 is best for me. How open are to questions about images?

I am regularly told I am a wordy PITA when evaluating photos and I don't want to cause any offence

Mikie

[Allen Bourgeois]

Mike, I'm not easily offended...

I picked up the new M 262 today and a used old 90 cron....

[Rob C]

Mike, I'm not easily offended...

I picked up the new M 262 today and a used old 90 cron....

I hope you meant that!

I have a question: have you ever thought of letting go the hi-tech 'look' of the digital thing and degrading some of your shots to look a bit more filmic? I don't mean pushed Tri-X, I mean just less smooth and more into the organic?

Sure, I date with the dodo, but I can't help thinking that some of your shots have terrific content/timing but fall into the trap of looking too perfect for the genre.

Maybe nobody else sees it a trap - that's not a problem either.

Rob C

[drmike]

I'm butting in here before Allen can reply and I see what you suggest Rob but I don't think it would add much as the tones are so beautifully smooth which personally I always strove for with film

And if we are risking offending the man I'd be interested to hear what attracted Allen to the second image above, the pointing lady? It doesn't seem his usual well controlled style.

Mike

[BrianVS]

Some of us shot Panatomic-X and developed in Microdol when shooting the Dodos. The M Monochrom is pretty close to being that smooth.

Back to low latency.

Manassas, Christmastime by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Faster than a speeding locomotive shooting with a Nikkor 8.5cm F2, wide-open, yellow filter.

[Rob C]

Some of us shot Panatomic-X and developed in Microdol when shooting the Dodos. The M Monochrom is pretty close to being that smooth.

Back to low latency.

Manassas, Christmastime by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Faster than a speeding locomotive shooting with a Nikkor 8.5cm F2, wide-open.

It's the smoothness and pretty empty shadows that disturb me with the street shots.

Pan X was a dodgy choice at the best of times. As with Pan F and Kodachrome 24 - or 25, or whatever it used to be, not to mention Velvia 50, it's the inherent contrast that inevitably brings the unsettling feeling of something important being lost along the way, as in the locomotive in the piccy above. Some might argue artistic, creative qualities... who's to say whose right or wrong? I just raised a question that seemed important regarding the Leica products.

Rob

[BrianVS]

You have raised a film versus digital question. Both have a different look.

If you don't like the digital look- shoot film.

[Allen Bourgeois]

I hope you meant that!

I have a question: have you ever thought of letting go the hi-tech 'look' of the digital thing and degrading some of your shots to look a bit more filmic? I don't mean pushed Tri-X, I mean just less smooth and more into the organic?

Sure, I date with the dodo, but I can't help thinking that some of your shots have terrific content/timing but fall into the trap of looking too perfect for the genre.

Maybe nobody else sees it a trap - that's not a problem either.

Rob C

Hi Rob,

I shot film for decades. In fact for a while in college I shot a lot of large format 4X5 and 8X10 and learned the zone system (yes I did all the tests). I also owned and shot with Hasselblads for a couple of decades. I also shot 35mm film some Leica mostly Canon F-1s tri-x developed in Rodinal (definitely gritty). I have seen some amazing street work shot with med format and also some amazing grainy street images. At this point in time I prefer shooting digital and I really like the look. It is great to be able to shoot with a small camera  at really high ISOs and get images that in 12 X 18 prints look as clean or maybe even cleaner than medium format images with AMAZING dynamic range. The tools allow me to achieve that so why wouldn't I use those tools to their fullest potential. Also to be able to shoot one frame at 320 ISO and the next at 6400 just adds flexibility.

If I wanted the film look I would shoot film.

Don't make the mistake of judging the shadows from a 80kb compressed jpg on a computer monitor.. Take my word for it the prints from the MM are spectacular.

Thats why I prefer shooting B&W with my MM at this point in time.

[Allen Bourgeois]

I'm butting in here before Allen can reply and I see what you suggest Rob but I don't think it would add much as the tones are so beautifully smooth which personally I always strove for with film

And if we are risking offending the man I'd be interested to hear what attracted Allen to the second image above, the pointing lady? It doesn't seem his usual well controlled style.

Mike

Hey Mike I thought it was interesting that when she pointed the lady on the street kinda lines up and she seemed to point at her and she was in stride. I just thought it was an interesting juxtaposition.

[drmike]

I guessed that might be your thinking, just curious as in general you don't tilt so much.

I've just realised - do you never crop?

You poor deprived man, no square crop

Mike

[Allen Bourgeois]

I try to see it in camera but I will crop if it makes the image stronger to my thinking.

[drmike]

Phew, that's a relief. You can share the joy of square