(First) 5 Frames with the Leica Monochrom and 7Artisans 50mm f/1.1 – By Rob MacKillop

After a bit of a windfall, I suddenly found myself able to indulge in a camera I 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 iteration, based on the M9 body. The 7Artisans 50mm f/1.1 was available at a much lower price than the Leica lenses, so I ordered one from this website. It too arrived the next day. Great service all round.

I won’t waste time repeating the technicalities of the sensor, suffice to say that this camera shoots only in b&w. I believe it to be the only 35mm format digital camera in the world designed purely for black and white photography. I would say as much as 90% of my images these last ten years have been b&w, so naturally I was drawn towards it. Despite a decade of shooting with many cameras, the Monochrom is my first rangefinder…

I had never appreciated the skills required for snapping at speed with a rangefinder, though I suppose zone focussing is widely used, more so than with auto-focus cameras. For my first shots I spent most of my time trying to understand how best to achieve focus, and came to an understanding that it is best to have the moving image cross back and forth before nailing onto the static image. I dare say my technique will improve.

I think this was my first attempt, and the focus is a little out, but the softness of the 1.1 aperture made my choice of focal point – the white handle of the white cup – all the more difficult to get sharp. Despite that, I immediately noticed that the image was in sepia – yes, I was apparently shooting jpegs. So, I then choose both dng and jpg files from the menu, with the intention of comparing them later on. I do like this image, despite my somewhat poor focussing technique. The softness of the image is lovely, with nice, subtle contrast.

This time I focussed on the iron, still at f/1.1 (if it’s there, you might as well try it out) and I was very impressed with the out-of-focus parts – again very subtle and smooth. I’m already in love with the camera and lens…

Something more nebulous (pun intended) with a puff of cloud between two silhouetted trees. The dng file is extraordinary in its cloud detail. I do like a camera and lens combo that gives me good clouds, after all, there are a lot of them about Edinburgh. Seen in its full-screen raw glory, the cloud rendition is very impressive.

Number 7: lucky for some, but I had a bit of difficulty getting focus just right. Had the owner of the house not suddenly appeared, asking in a loud and aggressive voice why I was photographing his gate, I might have nailed it better! I decided to go visit some less boisterous neighbours. But before that, a little word about the “grain” in this “7” image. It’s not film grain, of course, but digital noise, yet noise has rarely looked so beautiful and natural. It beats any digital noise I’ve had from other cameras.

Ah, my first cat shot – something I’d been resisting, but this one just walked up to me as I was in the garden practising rangefinder focussing. As the Monochrom is my first experience of a rangefinder, I need to practise basic skills, and to keep focussing on a subject that is moving directly at you is not the easiest of tasks. I took eight shots, and this is the best. I had thought the lens was set at 1.1, but it must have moved, or I accidentally bumped it to 1.7, which, on reflection, gave a little more definition in the centre of the frame.

All the above shots were in-camera developed jpegs of around 6 or 7 mbs. The dng files show a LOT more of everything, but for online viewing I find the jpgs to be rich enough – print would be a different story. I’m pleased with the in-camera sepia rendering – selenium and “cool” also available. Of course, this toning is not preserved in the dng files.

The camera is superb, has a wonderful heft, feels solid and reliable, and is straight-forward and intuitive to use, simple really. I’m looking forward to what images we can produce together.

The 7Artisans lens seems very capable, is tuned specifically to Leica’s rangefinder, and looks perfectly at home on the Monochrom body. Together they seem to make a good team.

I might invest in an after-market thumb rest and grip, and eventually another lens or two, as well a small collection of filters – I am, after all, shooting black and white…

Rob MacKillop
Edinburgh, 2019
https://imagesrm.com

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