A good article on Leica M (240) by Tim Ashley

[torger]

Rob, the Monochrom come REALLY close to an M6 and film.  The only issue it has, in my test of the camera, is how the highlights clip.  It clips to white very abruptly, doesn't have that film haliation look to blown highlights. 

As digital sensors are linear that's what happens. The solution would be to increase DR further, underexpose, and fake non-linear film response in the raw converter (as already is done to some extent), or like in a patent I saw a while ago from Sony describing a photochromic sensor, where the color filter on the sensor has non-linear response like film and thus compress the highlights before its recorded.

[eronald]

As digital sensors are linear that's what happens. The solution would be to increase DR further, underexpose, and fake non-linear film response in the raw converter (as already is done to some extent), or like in a patent I saw a while ago from Sony describing a photochromic sensor, where the color filter on the sensor has non-linear response like film and thus compress the highlights before its recorded.

Modern sensors are not linear, antiblooming gives them a shoulder which may even be tunable by firmware.

Edmund

[TMARK]

As digital sensors are linear that's what happens. The solution would be to increase DR further, underexpose, and fake non-linear film response in the raw converter (as already is done to some extent), or like in a patent I saw a while ago from Sony describing a photochromic sensor, where the color filter on the sensor has non-linear response like film and thus compress the highlights before its recorded.

The Monochrom can be under exposed, preserving the highlights.  There is lots of "meat" in the darker tones, enabling them to be pulled up, thus avoiding the harsh clipping.

The D800 highlight clipping, if not severe, fades to white.  The best I've seen on a digital camera.  This makes the B&W from the D800 very good, on par with the MM. 

One thing about the 240 that gets little attention is that the shutter release is back to normal (pre M7).  Its smooth and silent, although not as silent as the cloth shutters.