robsonj Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Andrew CD wrote:
Good discussion!
What @robsonj@ says about tonal range and resolution is quite correct, in my opinion. I had an M246 Monochrom for three years, before exchanging it for an M11. In no way do I regret having done so (I simply don’t feel that I have time to make good use of two M digital bodies) but, in the same breath, I would also say that I did (and do) greatly appreciate the discipline of shooting in B&W. Very much what @RustyRus@ says about the workflow and @airfrogusmc@ about the B&W process.
So I do sometimes shoot with the M11 with the intention of converting to B&W. I’ve attached a couple of examples here. Would I have been more pleased had these been taken with an M10M or M11M using filters? Perhaps a little. Could I have discerned much difference? Possibly not.
However …. It’s arguably even more satisfying to take a good B&W photograph using film. I have had an MP since just before I bought the M246 in 2019. Although I don’t use it that often, when I do, it is almost always with B&W film. Do scanned images from film have the same resolution or tonal qualities as the same shot would have had if taken with an M11M? Possibly not. But I don’t really care. The salient point, for me, is that I really enjoy using it, when I have time. I might, conceivably, be able to justify an M11M to myself if and when I have more time, perhaps in a couple of years but, for now, an MP is a great option for B&W. If film is something you would countenance, it might just be worth considering ….
By the way, @saxguy@’s point about APO lenses is important. Some people seem to take the view that, with film, it doesn’t matter if the lens is a little less sharp or contrasty (although lower contrast can be good in some light conditions). I don’t think this; although it may sound counterintuitive, for film, I tend to use my sharpest lenses, such as the CV 50/2.0 APO and ZM 35/1.4 Distagon. (I realise that saxguy was making the point about B&W, not film, I’m simply saying that I think it applies just as well to B&W film.)
Andrew
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That first image is exquisite!
One thing not mentioned with regard to post processing and contrast. The monochrom images are generally quite flat to start with, just like a good negative, you can use a on lens filter to address some of that at the time of shoot, but in Lightroom, just like you would do in a traditional darkroom, the dodge and burn tools are an excellent companion to the on lens filters, as are the masking tools.
My journey to the M11m was to own a Q2m, to sell it after not getting to grips with the post processing aspect, adobe then release their new masking tools in Lightroom, me repurchasing a Q2m and use for a couple of years, before upgrading to a used M11m to, as others have mentioned, streamline batteries, chargers, share lenses etc with my M11.
There are often nearly new M11m’s available on here for a good price (how I bought mine), as people quite often buy the idea of a monochrom, but don’t like living it.
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