Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

By Hamish Gill

The Leica Monochrom is a camera that provides something rarely found in digital cameras – it provides a completely unique shooting experience. I’ve been fascinated by the idea of a purely black & white digital camera since before the Monochrom hit the market, and when it did, I knew I would one day buy one.

My particular Leica Monochrom is the first generation, sometimes just referred to as the MM, or M9M – with the later version being the typ 246. The “M9M” colloquial-nomenclature has been given to this camera as technically speaking it’s based on the Leica M9. I will come back to this point in a moment, but for now I mention it to help give a bit of context to this review. The Leica M9 was a camera I loved whilst I owned it; really loved. I’m also getting on fantastically well with the typ-262 I replaced it with. But however good those cameras are, and however much I enjoyed shooting them, the Leica Monochrom has provided me with a much more inspiring experience over the last few months. In fact, despite the novelty having now worn off, broadly speaking I still find using it more satisfying than any other other digital camera I’ve owned. And whilst that might sound like hyperbole intended to keep you reading, it really is no exaggeration!

The technical bit

For the uninitiated, I suppose I’d best first point out that the first generation Leica Monochrom is a full frame CCD based rangefinder camera which is, as I’ve mentioned, based on the M9. It has an 18mp sensor just like the the Leica M9, it also has the same body shape as the M9, and – short of the features to do with colour photography being removed – it has the same menu system and controls as the M9. But unlike the M9 the Leica Monochrom is lacking the Bayer colour filter array that sits on top of the sensor.

The Bayer filter is the part of the sensor that allows the camera to interpret colour. These filters are actually made up of millions of tiny colour filters, 2 green, 1 red and 1 blue per each 4-pixel-square. Through computer wizardry, the camera interprets the intensity of light measured at each pixel through each filter, then by combining it with the information received from adjacent pixels creates a colour image. That is to say, colour digital cameras don’t measure colour, they simply interpret it through algorithms based on the intensity of light through colour filters. You can read a better explanation of this over on Cambridge in Colour here – a website has to be one of the best source of technical information about digital photography online.

Unlike most digital cameras, Leica Monochrom doesn’t have a Bayer filter. The result of this, as you might gather, is that it doesn’t have the ability to interpret colour. The only thing it can do is measure the intensity of light. The resulting images are of course black and white. Or Monochrom(e). For some people limiting a camera to shooting only black & white might sound like a crazy thing to do, but for me there’s much more to it than there might initially seem.

Intent

Just to give a bit more context, I want to talk a little bit about one of the primary reasons I like shooting film. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t going to turn in to some protracted comparison between the images the Leica Monochrom produces and what my film images look like, or indeed how using this Leica is the closest thing I own in physical form and function to a film camera – though actually, the latter is definitely true (something I will briefly touch on later). What I want to compare is a specific part of the shooting mentality that comes along with using this camera. Intent.

Digital photography had a profound impact on the mentality of the photographer. In the days of film the photographic process began with intent. Given any particular subject matter the photographer had to decide upon the outcome before the shutter button was pressed. Film choice, be that colour or black & white, or even type of colour or black & white film was vital. You committed to the decision the moment you loaded the film, and you had to live with it. Load colour film, and ok you can still create a black & white image if you wish, but if you loaded black & white film and decided you wanted colour later – short of some very long winded colourisation process – you were pretty screwed.

These days, digital cameras are pretty much all colour. The most modern ones – to a greater extent than ever before – you hardly even need too worry too much about exposure. I can point my Sony A7Rii in the general direction of the subject matter, mash the shutter button with my forehead, and provided my monkey fingers haven’t gotten in the way of the lens I can (with sufficient understanding of software) process my way to pretty much any desired colour or black & white image I’d like. The issue is, there is a bit of a sense of endless possibility, and without strict personal discipline, you can end up with the feeling that you’re just making it up as you go along.

This is one of the greatest draws to film photography for me. If I chose Portra 400, which I do regularly, I know the sort of colour image I’m going to get. If I choose ilford HP5+, which I do regularly, I know that I’m going to get a black & white image with a certain look to it. I make this decision often before I’ve even left the house. My creative process starts before I press the shutter button. I have intent.

Intent with the Leica Monochrom

I’m sure it’s pretty obvious where I’m going with this. For all of the other gains that I feel I get from shooting the Leica Monochrom – much of which I will get to later – when I pick it up, I pick it up because I want to shoot black & white.

Of course, I am aware that a large percentage of those reading this will be mumbling about how much of a moron I am. I could just set any digital camera to black & white – these days many cameras will even show a black & white live-view image. But for me, this doesn’t suffice. There’s something so deliberate and purposeful about the choosing to shoot black & white when there’s no going back.

As I’ve highlighted, if I pick up the Monochrom, there’s no changing my mind later. I can’t change the settings to colour, and actually I can’t even change the roll of film. If I pick up this camera and walk out of the house with nothing else, it’s black & white or bust. And I love that feeling. That feeling of removing choice. That self imposed limitation. I’ve talked about it a lot on this website, and the Monochrom really gives me all of this in droves.

Working with the Leica Monochrom files

What I’ve found particularly interesting beyond the limitations of the shooting experience is the limitations and indeed the strengths of the files the Leica Monochrom produces. There’s a hell of a lot online about the files that come from this camera, with the most regular comments being how flat they are, how readily the highlights clip, how it’s better in lower light compared to the M9 and how sharp the output is. All of this is true, though I have some of my own thoughts on all of these points that I shall do my best to back up with images I’ve taken.

Norah

I wouldn’t usually make such a point of highlighting the fact that I’m going to back up the things I say, but if you’ve ever been interested in one of these cameras and searched for results online, you’ve probably found yourself somewhat overloaded with what appear to be a lot of very over-processed files?

There seems to be very little correlation between one set of photos and the next; short of them all being black & white of course. I wonder if this is a little down to the fact the the output files are so flat that some users find themselves more inclined toward processing the hell them…? Or perhaps it’s a bit of that digital shoot-now-make-the-photo-later process impacting on how some people use the camera. I suppose being fair, the reality is, everyone just has a different style. The issue is, at least from a prospective purchaser point of view, this range of styles doesn’t give good idea of what the output from the Monochrom is actually like.

Fortunately for me I was a little more aware of the sort of files to expect, simply because a mate of mine had sent me a couple to play with some years ago just after this camera was released. That being said, this didn’t really prepare me for the reality of shooting the Monochrom day to day.

Flat files

If you’re not into flat looking black & white photography, it’d probably be quite hard to not be a little disappointed by the output from the Leica Monochrom when you first see it. If you take your first snaps on a hazy day like I did, it’s probably harder still. Fortunately, I was mentally prepared for the flat looking images, and knew that I would need to do some post process to get an image I liked.

Straight out of camera – the first photo I took was far from inspiring (in many ways).

As is quite often mentioned about these flat files, they actually provide a really good starting point for post process. It is of course a lot easier to add contrast to an image than it is to take it away. This is quite an obvious thing to say, but actually I found that once I got used to the files, I really started to find the ways in which they’re an advantage. Once I got my eye in, I found benefit in seeing the detail in areas of the image that would be lost to shadow were I to have started with a higher contrast image.

I’ve found this particularly beneficial when shooting in lower light. The output from the camera can look a little muddy, but it allows you to better see parts of the image where you might wish to retain detail as you start to work on the file.

The above is an early photo I took with the Leica Monochrom without any post process applied – it’s a muddy and fairly unattractive image, but thanks to a lack of overall contrast out of camera, detail is really nicely retained in shadow areas.

Lightroom starter preset

Sometime in the few months I’ve had the camera I made myself a very basic starting-point preset in lightroom. I’ve found this very useful in the process of getting my head around how to work on the files. My preset simply gives me a more “normal” contrast look to the more flat files. I quite often apply it then click the backslash (before/after) button in lightroom. Certainly in the early days of getting use to the files I found this really useful for setting me on the right path to the final outcome I want.

The is a before/after of my lightroom preset – as you can see, it’s nothing drastic, but it does help. Actually, this was taken with a slightly lower contrast lens, which has slightly added to the muddiness of the out-of-camera file.

Useful for lens experimentation

Whilst on the subject of lenses, what’s also really nice about the flatness of the files is that they somehow lend themselves to giving a really clear idea of how a lens is performing. I found this out really quickly through my experiences with a few elderly Sonnar formula lenses. Compared to shooting black & white film where there are a lot of variables that can impact on contrast in the processing chain, the Monochrom feels like a very consistent and reliable machine. For some reason, compared to shooting colour, it feels very easy to see the impact of shooting one lens over another. Of course, this is probably quite a niche advantage to someone with a penchant for trying lots of different lenses, but then, I’m very much into that niche…

The lower contrast and propensity of this lens to flare when shot wide open was very evident. Processing it, I was able to still capture a large portion of the feel of the lens whilst still bringing back enough overall contrast for my tastes.

White clipping

White clipping is so often mentioned in discussions around this camera as a negative. Because of this, I feel quite strongly about wanting to spin the positives I’ve found. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s easier to loose highlights with this camera than with a colour camera – especially a modern one – but actually with the right mental approach, I’ve found pleasure in working with the way the camera works. As I’m sure you can imagine, this once again comes down to the imposition of a limitation… I know, I’m like a broken record sometimes… but bear with me.

The above shows a straight out of camera file with clipped-to-white area highlighted – actually, some if not most of the detail was recoverable, but it shows how even a flat grey day can catch you out.

Why it clips

First things first, I think it’s useful to understand why the Monochrom clips highlights to white so easily. Going back to my earlier description about how a colour sensor works though effectively interpolating colour by combining information from multiple pixels, it might be easier to understand how more highlight information is retained by colour digital cameras. The answer is in the fact that if one red pixel clips from a lot of bright near-red light, the information might be retrievable by interpolation of the information from adjacent blue and green pixels that will by their nature filter some of that near red light out.

In the case of the Leica Monochrom, there are no red green and blue pixels so it doesn’t matter where in the spectrum the bright light comes from, it has the potential to clip to white. With no adjacent differently filtered pixels, there’s no extra information to help interpolate highlight details. When it’s lost, it’s lost.

A scene with this dynamic range would test any camera. This is a straight-out-of-camera file – the red shows clipped highlights, the blue shows where the shadows are currently lost.

Shooting within this limitation

The answer is of course to be more careful about your highlights. How this has manifested itself in me is just to use the camera in the opposite way to how I shoot film. With film I take care of my shadows, with this camera I tend to take a little more care of the highlights. Ironically, I’ve found this to mean it feels a lot more like shooting a film camera. With my Sony A7rii with its 14 or so stops of dynamic range I can shoot with little care. With this camera, exposure feels a little more like it’s something I need to consider – and I get a kick out of that.

Again, don’t get me wrong, it’s actually not a hard camera to shoot with. Reading some of the reviews online, you’d think that pretty much any lighter area within the frame will clip. This isn’t the case at all, in most normal shooting circumstances, bearing in mind the need to understand how to use the simple centre weighted meter, you can almost just snap away in aperture priority letting the light meter do its thing.

To give a bit of added protection, if I’m shooting like this I quite often set the camera to underexpose a bit just to help retain highlights a bit more when there is a harsh light source somewhere in frame. Thankfully, there always seems to be stacks of detail to be pulled out of shadow areas, and actually, even without exposure compensation dialled in, the Monochrom seems slightly underexposure biased anyway. As such, dialling some in just feels like an extra precautionary measure that takes advantage of the room for manoeuvre in underexposure.

Using the same image as above as an extreme example, by applying some very heavy handed post process you can see that the highlights are well and truly gone, but there is stacks to play with in the shadows. Obviously trying to extract that much out of the shadows has added a lot of noise, but regardless there’s a lot more detail to be played with.

Fork lift

The above image is how I post processed for the final photo. There was no pulling back that sky, but I exposed well enough to retail detail in the tarmac outside, and then used the room in the shadows to pull out a bit more detail in the forklift and foreground areas. As I say, this is an extreme example, but hopefully it gives a bit of an idea of what the files are like to work with.

The histogram

If you’re really worried about the exposure, there is also a raw based histogram that can help. This is something often mentioned as being a work of wonder in the Leica Monochrom – though I must be honest and say that I don’t really use it. If you’re into reading histograms, my advice would simply be to expose a bit more to the left than you might with a colour digital camera.

Low light photography

The interesting thing about the shooting slightly underexposed is that it feels like it gives you an extra boost when shooting in lower light. When I’ve shot with the Leica Monochrom in low lit bars with fast lenses and a touch of underexposure I’ve felt almost like there’s no limit to how dark an environment this camera can be used in. Especially compared to the M9.

Actually, as you can see in this post, my approach to getting the most out of the M9 was to underexposed a bit too. The difference is, with the M9 1600iso felt like the line between where the noise was acceptable and where it became ugly. With the Monochrom, that line is more like 5000iso. At 10,000iso (it’s limit) you tend to start seeing banding in shadows… but as I say, I’ve rarely, if ever, felt the need to shoot that high… I hardly ever go as 5000 in fact.

Beers & Cameras in the Paul Pry

The above image was shot at 4000iso – the highest I can find in any image I have seen fit to do anything with. Click on it to go to flickr to zoom right into the high resolution file if you feel inclined – you’ll see a really nice level and quality of noise.

Sharp files

The topic of sharp files is another one that comes up a lot. It’s true that it does produce sharp files at low ISOs, but to be honest, I’m not especially phased by this. One of the first experiments I did with this camera was to stop down one of my sharper lenses a bit just to see how sharp the output would be. It was sharp, but I can honestly say, that was the last time I thought about it as part of my photography – I can’t even be bothered to demonstrate the sharpness, sorry if that’s something you’re into…

Working with the M9 Monochrom

Outside of the photos it takes, as you might expect, shooting the Leica Monochrom is little different to shooting with the M9. Short of my repeating myself, you can read my M9 review here. Most of my experience with the M9 was positive, and all of the positivity in user experience terms translated across to the Leica Monochrom. That said, the same issues I find with the M9 can be found here too – though for fairly personal-to-me reasons they’ve not felt as big a deal.

The screen is just as terrible as that on the M9, if fact, despite it being the same bit of technology it’s possibly a little worse on the Leica Monochrom once you take into account the fact that I underexpose more with it. This makes assessing the images using the crappy screen even harder. Most of the time, to use the screen in any meaningful way, I have to look at it under my coat or in the shade at about a 45 degree angle. The jog wheel for control of exposure compensation is just as crap too – though thankfully my shooting style with the Leica Monochrom is entirely un-reliant on using it. Beyond these minor niggles – just like the M9 – provided you’re used to shooting a rangefinder with the very minimal controls they offer, there’s very little to report.

More photos

One other thing I had planned on talking about was tonality – I wrote a bit of waffle about it, but it didn’t matter which way I went I felt I was talking about it too subjectively. As such, I deleted the couple of paragraphs with the idea in my head that I would just share some images. The gist was, there is something very wonderful about the tonality of the images that this camera is capable of, but actually, I think as much as anything that comes from the fact that the output is so gentle, you can almost go where you like with your representation of tone, contrast and structure. Hopefully some of these images illustrate that point.

Norah

Hannah & Murph
Taken with a Jupiter lens wide open – the typical sonnar veiling flare and subtlety of the Leica Monochrom file allowed me to make an image that a few have commented is washed out. I love it.

Canal

Norah

Beers & Cameras in the Paul Pry

Beers & Cameras in the Paul Pry

Beers & Cameras in the Paul Pry

House on a hill

House on a hill

Final thoughts

I was asked the other day if I had considered upgrading to the later Leica Monochrom 246; I upgraded my M9 to the 262, so did I have any desire to do the same with this camera? My answer was simply, no. As I outline in my M9 review, my justifications for upgrading that camera were thin enough. I just about wanted a slightly better screen, but that really was about it. I suppose in some ways it might be nice to have a better screen here too, but I can’t see I’d really gain anywhere else – I certainly don’t need live view, video modes or anything else along those lines. As with the M9 and indeed 262, so much of the joy is in what these cameras don’t offer, rather than what they do. My entire approach to shooting this camera is so specific – and as I outline at the beginning of the post – so intentional, that I just can’t imagine wanting anything else from it.

That said, there is really no getting away from the fact that the Leica Monochrom is an incredibly specialist bit of kit. It’s so far from being a camera for everyone, that when I tell most people about it – especially those who aren’t aware such a thing exists – I often just get odd looks. Most people just don’t see the point, and in conversation about it will just revert to fact that any digital image can be converted to black & white, so where’s the need for such a thing?

Perhaps they have a point too…? There is no doubting that the Leica Monochrom is a bit of an extravagance; a luxury for those who can justify a digital camera purely for such a niche purpose. That’s definitely the case for me too. I don’t need to own this camera alongside my typ-262, but more than just the luxury of it, I absolutely revel in experience of shooting it brings. The simplicity of its function, the vast array of limitations it imposes, and the various wonderful qualities of its output feel so perfectly fitted to me as a photographer that, for now at least, I can’t imagine not owning the Leica Monochrom.

You can find more of my photos taken with the Leica Monochrom here

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About The Author

By Hamish Gill
I started taking photos at the age of 9. Since then I've taken photos for a hobby, sold cameras for a living, and for a little more than decade I've been a professional photographer and, of course, weekly contributor to 35mmc.
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Comments

Jonathan Robson on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Great read Hamish!
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Cheers :)

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Rob MacKillop on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Get behind me, Satan!

I tried one in the Leica store in Mayfair, and all I could do was keep repeating "precious...precious..."
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Haha - this camera is made for you... Actually, the 246 would be better as it would allow you to do you black and white videos! ;)

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Callum Ross on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

How would you go about using colour filters on this? With my Panasonic GF1 I've found I get the best results shooting in colour with no filter then applying a B&W mix in Lightroom which I adjusted to emulate the response of a yellow filter. This only works because the camera is recording colour information. I assume with the Monochrom, if you want the look of a colour filter then you have to use a physical one whilst shooting? The reason I'm interested is that I essentially use my GF1 as a B&W camera: I shoot it in RAW and convert every picture I take with it into B&W using my yellow filter setting in Lightroom, then do slight tweaking with contrast etc. where necessary. The Street Silhouettes comparison of different Leica B&W output shows so little difference between bayer & non-bayer cameras that I wonder if, strange as it may seem, a colour camera may be the best way to shoot digital B&W images because you have far more control over your B&W palette?

Anyway, this review was great and I was genuinely shocked at how clean and lovely the ISO4000 image looks. Cheers!
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Kodachromeguy replied:

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

The early CCD imaging devices were made without a Bayer array and sometimes with a tray that held three color filters. You could do the same with the Monochrom. Mount it on an absolutely rigid tripod and take three exposures, one each with Red 25, Green 58 and Blue 47B filters. Then combine the files with a software package. A fellow on Petapixel tried this with black and white film: https://petapixel.com/2016/11/25/creating-color-street-photo-using-black-white-film/ Years ago, I surplussed a early 1990s camera that was designed to photograph core samples or small pieces of rock/sediment. It had a CCD sensor that moved on a tray above the sample. Color filters mounted on a Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/2.8 lens, and the tray the moved above the lens. That gadget cost in the range of $60,000 in the early 1990s..

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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Hi Callum, simply, you would use colour filters. It is something I intend to try, but actually I find little issue in working the files without the luxury of colour controls. Pleased you liked the review - and yeah, you can see what I mean about not feeling limited in low light?

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Dylan replied:

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Brilliant Link

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Julian on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Very helpful review. Currently toying with the idea of an M10 or a Monochrom 246... Rather like you I can imagine I may end up owning both at some point!
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

DOOOO IT! (in my best pusher voice) ;)

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John Lockwood on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Wonderful write-up Hamish, as expected. Deliberate is a good descriptor for your M9M.I can't help but compare these files to film. Besides Color vs. B&W, we also have ISO to choose before "leaving home" with film capture in mind. The only feature I truly miss when using my M4-P with ISO 100 or 400 B&W film is adjustable ISO. I'm exposing for shadows (dropping its speed at least two more stops), and my B W Orange Filter (another 2 stops).

I'm not at all surprised by the resulting "flat" images. The one of your wife (?) which people complained was "washed out" is very filmic. By that I mean it could have been taken on film and is rendered as such. Other images you've created here with typically British light are low on contrast, because that was the ambient condition!

We've discussed the use of traditional color filters for B&W film work, and I'm wondering how the M9M responds with that traditional approach to contrast control? While their use with a Bayer array sensor is contraindicated, I'd be curious to see what effect it had on your files.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Thanks John - As I understand it, the use of colour filters has exactly the impact you would hope for, it is in fact a recognised approach with this camera. I am yet to try it, but feel as though it is possibly on the horizon!

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Nigel Roberson on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 04/02/2018

Pretty much everything I would say about the MM you have said. Post processing is they key to amazing images. Although only 18mp it makes images at A2 as crisp as my D800. If I ever had to go down to one camera it would be the MM with my 50 sumilux.
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Neil on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

Enjoyed reading this. Look at someone like Michael Kenna, the negative is just the start of the process; he'll work for a long time in the darkroom afterwards too. So the monochrom to me is doing what it should, producing a flat file with which to interpret your vision, it's a camera aimed squarely at the artist and Leica should be applauded for doing that.

I think photographers shouldn't expect to not have to do any work to the image, getting the shot to work with is only the first step.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

I completely agree!

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Terry B replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

Neil, I'm not exactly sure what you are implying about negative development when you appear to be comparing that the monochrom is doing what it should i.e.producing a flat file. I can't decide if you are saying in the same breath this is analogous to what one should strive for in a b/w negative, which it most certainly isn't.

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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

He's saying, unless I am mistaken, more broadly that the negative is just the start. The MM just provides a flat file in the same way that SOME photographers aspire to create a flatter neg. Actually, my approach is to create a flatter scan from whatever I have managed (through my often haphazard approach) to get onto the negative - I then process this to taste.

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Neil replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

That is exactly it.

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Terry B replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

Hamish, I believe aiming for a flatter negative makes a lot of sense when the intention is to scan it. Unless one has access to pro-level scanners most semi-pro and hobbyist scanners are likely to have a lowish D-Max so will handle negs which err on the flat, i.e. lower contrast, better. But if the intention is to enlarge onto photographic paper, then it is better not to aim for a flat negative but to go for one with a balanced range of tones, with correct development. If a flat print is then required this can be made at the printing stage by using softer grades of paper or, more likely today, using Multigrade papers.

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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

I'm talking about my photography that sits somewhere between digital and analogue. I don't aim for a flat negative, I aim for a flatter scan that allows me to post process contrast into the the final image. This is why the MM works for me, as it gives me that same (similar) flat file going into lightroom as I get from my scans

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Terry B on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

Nigel, as you have a D800, you may be interested in this comparative review undertaken by Ming Thein some years back now.
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Terry B replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

Ooops, forgot the link. https://blog.mingthein.com/2012/05/27/leica-m-monochrom-vs-d800e/

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Nigel replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

Thanks. I hadn't seen that. D850 is tempting now but trying to work more with film.

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Alex Hakimi on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

excellent write up sir. i've often wondered about the peculiarities of the M9M, and you've addressed them quite thoroughly. i rented and shot a 262 last year and was quite pleased with the out-of-camera B&W jpeg files. i'd be interested to see a direct A/B comparison between the M9M and 262 B&W jpeg files. nothing requiring too much time, just enough give a quick impression of the output.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 05/02/2018

I'll see what I can do... :)

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Terry B on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 06/02/2018

Hamish, I'm looking forward to receiving updates as you progress/experiment with the MM's output files. From what I have been able to glean from the internet, the MM's files can, indeed, be a challenge and despite being monochrome and you don't therefore have colour channel problems, these files can be more problematic than might be imagined. It's a relatively new challenge for you and I see you are establishing a set of software presets to get you to a basic conversion which you can then tweak to your liking.

With 4 decades plus of doing my own b/w d&p, I stopped in 2003, so when the MM arrived I was naturally very interested, but after seeing images posted on the net, and even downloading two to play with that Leica made available and marvelling at the resolution and sharpness, I had to face reality: was the price worth it for what is a one-trick pony? Also, I hadn't seen in these images the "sparkle" I got from my photographic prints. From later reading, this seems it may be because the highlights clip early. Ming Thein has shown, though, that it is possible to develop to retain overall sparkle and, indeed, manages to pull just a fraction more from the Monochrom than the Nikon D800E he used for comparison. The difference, whilst noticeable, is subtle. But if this sort of quality can be extracted from a colour camera, maybe that is sufficient? Whatever, you don't buy the Monochrom on a whim, you must want it.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 06/02/2018

I think there's a different set of thought processes here to my main focus. I've read some of Ming's content about it and it is fascinating, but I think ultimately most of the "advantage" in this camera is the subtlety in overall process rather than any subtle technical difference in image making capability. It's the process I really enjoy.

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Saptarshi Guha on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 08/02/2018

I completely get your 'intent'. So true. And when one has intent, it's like a burden has been lifted for the entire photographic process.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 08/02/2018

Indeed - I am now finding this through the process of starting a project or two...

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Geoff Fricker on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 08/02/2018

Hamish,
Thank You.
I really enjoyed this piece you wrote on the Leica Monochrome.
After over 40 years of making low contrast 8X10 Ilford negatives, everything you said about the greater possibilities of a flat image made total sense. My question is about determining exposure...I assume you adjust in manual mode and bias a bit to the under exposure if the scene is very contrasty. Then, since it does't seem there is a live view, you would check the image after the exposure. I don't know much about what the screen indicates. I suppose there is a histogram that would indicate clipping. Is that how you would work the exposure system?
My eyes are not the best, so I wonder if I could operate without having to rely too much on the viewing screen.
I would like to understand your exposure process, since I have only used M cameras that were for film and have never used a digital Leica.
Thanks again,
Geoff Fricker
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 08/02/2018

Hi Geoff, the screen isn't live view, and as mentioned it's also rubbish. I have experimented with the histogram, but I'm just not a frequent user of them so didn't find it to fit me. It's just taken a bit of time and experience to use the screen to judge where it's needed, but actually most of my ability to obtain correct exposure has come from experience with the centre weighted meter. It's quite a simple meter so it's quite easy to use it to obtain an understanding of the frame, fi that makes sense? is that helpful?

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Guy Wheater on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 14/02/2018

Hamish,
I went to see a small Leica exhibition here: https://leicastore-mayfair.co.uk/pages/metropolis-by-alan-schaller

Really beautiful compositions, but it wasn't the experience I was expecting (much like youtube falling well-short of a live performance). I found the photographs flat & clinical, and I'm wondering why? (Perhaps something as simple as the paper employed?) Felt like I was looking at screens instead of photos (providing no encouragement to move me in the digital direction). Your thoughts on print quality and recommendations appreciated.

Rgds - Guy
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 14/02/2018

A very hard question to answer. I would look to c-type for printing - it's an analogue process and in my experience looks nicer than inkjet. But it's not something I know much about, I'm afraid.

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Karl Valentin on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 21/02/2018

The Monochrome is a awsome camera focused only on the technics inside
but looking at the pictures I miss something I only can get with film.
Comparing the results of a Kodak Tri-X 400 with the output of the Monochrome
I feel like the first monkey hitting a stone with a stick while listen to a drum solo
still I love the handling of old analoge cameras.....
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Arie replied:

Comment posted: 21/02/2018

Sorry for the late reply to this post, but I was looking at some images produced by Jacob Sobol from Magnum and his Leica MM images from a project he did a few years back were pretty close to his analog images. He is obviously a special photographer with settings high iso and flash.

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A Ricoh GR Digital Review - a Vintage Digital Camera on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 14/05/2018

[…] struggled with this dichotomy, and have only really found a resolution to it in the likes of the Leica Monochrom. You can probably therefore see why the title of Roey’s post initially jumped out at me (it has […]
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Arnaldo Saldanha on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 07/10/2018

Hey there.. I'm not satisfied with my fuji x-pro2 BW files when I start processing them. Do you think it's worth to trade this camera with a M Monochrom v1? Are the files really that better?

Thank you.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 07/10/2018

This is a hard question to answer, it's far too subjective - I prefer the black and white images I get from the monochrom to anything else, but how much of that comes down to appreciation derived from the experience, I don't know

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7Artisans 28mm f/1.4 late-prototype early impressions preview - 35mmc on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 26/11/2018

[…] not done anything else to the images, they are both straight out of my Monochrom, into Lightroom, outputted as JPG and uploaded here. Both were shot at 1/60th, with the camera on […]
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Christopher on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 08/03/2019

Hi - I'm wavering as to whether to get an M9M (I already have M10 and M9P, both of which I love, for different reasons), and though I am still wavering, your article is hugely helpful, one of the best on the M9M I have come across. Thank you. I convert many of my colour images to B&W anyway, so I imagine the Monchrom will be arriving in my life eventually. £3000 is still a lot of money though.
I so agree with you about 'intent' - I have belatedly learned that if I go out with just one prime lens, rather than a bag with two or three, I have a much more enjoyable experience and take better pictures.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 08/03/2019

The joy of limitations!! You should be able to get a m9m for a fair bit closer to £2k than that... ;)

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Daniel D. Teoli Jr. on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 12/05/2019

Great report...thanks!
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(First) 5 Frames with the Leica Monochrom and 7Artisans 50mm f/1.1 - By Rob MacKillop - 35mmc on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 06/10/2019

[…] had been intrigued by, and yes, consequently lusted after since it first arrived on the scene: the Leica Monochrom. I purchased it used from Red Dot Cameras, and it literally arrived the next day. Mine is the first […]
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Adam Nicholas on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 14/04/2020

This is probably a little different from the articles subject by I find after forty years of wanting a Leica and having spent the last twenty or so disabled and considered unemployable, and in truth, fair enough. While that is unlikely to ever change I do find myself in the position of being able to spend around £3000 on a secondhand M. I am curious about these monochrom delights both the first and the M246, so to my some what uninformed question, if you had to choose between either monochrom or say an M240 or some variety concerning longevity which would you recommend and it's unlikely I will find myself in the position again. Ps while I appreciate there will be those quick to point out the need for Leica lens, to begin with I'd be happy with a used Ziess or Voigtlander while I see if I can be adapted back to manual focus rangefinder style at least. Then perhaps sell my Nikon DF and the few lens for something more appropriate.
Sorry if this is a bit long and somewhat off topic but I find much wisdom here at times.
Thanks in advance.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 14/04/2020

The m9 based camera uses a sensor that’s prone to rot. For that reason the later version is a safer bet, I’d say. They’re wonderful cameras though - I hope you enjoy yours when you get it, whichever one you go for ????

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The Peat Bog, Impressions from Another World – by Christian Schroeder - 35mmc on Leica Monochrom (M9M) review – for the love of black and white

Comment posted: 28/04/2020

[…] In the year after our trip to the peat bog, my preferences in photography shifted more and more towards film. When I realized that the Monochrom had been collecting dust for months, I sold it. (This is meant literally, of course – I stored the camera in drawer where it was protected from dust.) In contrast to the film cameras, the Monochrom as a digital camera continuously lost value. So I couldn’t justify to keep it for the day I might want to use it again. Despite my own story, I highly recommend the Monochrom to all rangefinder fans. If you want to know more about this apparatus, have a look at Hamish’s excellent review. […]
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