p.2 #2 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
tommmi wrote:
Black and white photography as a broader topic, I'm not very good at it. I don't see in black and white. I'm not used to look at things I photograph in grayscale. But I envy B&W work. I've seen numerous exhibitions from different black and white photographers and I like the stories that individual photographs can tell in B&W.
Maybe I should shoot more in B&W?
It's actually genetic. The majority of people sees in color first (myself included here). Much fewer "see" or interpret a photo composition in B&W first before evaluating colors in it. Latter ones tend to take B&W photos most of the time and rarely using color at all.
I personally came very late to B&W using the detour through infrared first. I still enjoy IR photography but prefer post processing in B&W and not with false colors. This made me later explore B&W film and B&W photography - I took more and more B&W film photos over the course of years and became better and better with it even B&W is not where I would naturally fall back to. So yes, taking more photos in B&W can definitely help you on your route!
p.2 #3 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
Panasonics g9/fz1000ll/g9m2 using L monochrome D setting- the best straight out of camera, non-post processing, b+w results for me. I was really surprised as I had never even considered Panasonic until I saw SOC examples.
Post processing is any nikcanfuji raw file using ACR plus Silver Efex.
Newer iPhones work surprisingly well if detail isn’t a priority
p.2 #4 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
RoamingScott wrote:
I thought it was a gimmick at first, but I've shot more B&W than I have in the last 15 years just because of that silly switch
That makes sense and is a major counter to shooting a monochrome camera, but if memory serves me right, all viewfinders in the B&W film days were in color.
For me, imagining a colorful world as a tonal landscape is one of the joys of shooting B&W, but I understand why others prefer a B&W EVF/LCD.
p.2 #5 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
I've been able to get "okay" b&w conversions from the M10 and M10-R (a couple examples below) but I've never been able to get a tonal range that matches what I can get with the M9M and M10M (also examples below). I'm one of those people who advocate for carrying a b&w dedicated camera in order to develop a better eye for seeing in b&w. When I carry a color body I find myself getting distracted by things like butterflies on flowers, sunsets and so on. When carrying a b&w dedicated body I look for tones, textures and shapes.
I occasionally use SEfex Pro2 to fine tune images from the M10M, but my favorite Plug-in is one that is no longer supported or available. It's the Topaz Black & White Effects 2, which is superb but I've not been able to convince the folks at Topaz to continue to offer it. They apparently see no future in b&w photography.
Brent
M10
LEICA M10Summicron-M 1:2/50 lens50mmf/2.01/1000s200 ISO0.0 EV
M10-R
LEICA M10-RSummilux-M 1:1.4/35 ASPH. lens35mmf/3.41/500s250 ISO0.0 EV
M10M #1
LEICA M10 MONOCHROMSummicron-M 1:2/28 ASPH. lens28mmf/2.01/4000s160 ISO-0.3 EV
M10M #2
LEICA M10 MONOCHROMf/4.81/500s160 ISO-0.3 EV
M9M
M MonochromLeica Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH. lens28mmf/11.01/250s320 ISO-0.3 EV
p.2 #6 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
Another software option that is capable of lovely B&W conversions is/was PhotoNinja. I used it on the example posted here. Unfortunately, it has not been updated in a while.
p.2 #7 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
I don't think I have a favorite, per se. I've got my mono-converted rII and then there's everything else. I don't think any of them make better or worse conversions.
That said, I think Fuji's on the right path for mono conversion, especially if you're using their GFXs. Their (limited) digital color filters, great film mono emulations, and the ability to output TIFFs directly went a long way toward getting it right in camera. I've got a few wall hangers from my 50sII that, with the exception of aspect ratio cropping, went directly from camera to the printer. If they ever expand the filter set and give a little more control over the strength of the filters as well as making it as easy to shoot RAW/TIFF as it is to shoot RAW/JPEG, I'd crown them king of mono conversions.
p.2 #8 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
photonoclast wrote:
90% is Sony A7riii, just because that's what gives me the most versatility and conversions hold up very well. BUT, I have a soft spot for my DP Merrill's, which convert *extremely* well in Sigma PhotoPro (even if it takes a few fortnights to process). The files have a certain grittiness/grain structure that I just really like.
(I think this is where the Foveon really comes through - there is none of that Bayer smear at 100% in a B&W conversion.)
p.2 #9 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
Agree with the earlier mentioned Foveon choice and my limited Pixii time in Monochrome mode was also interesting, but lately it's been all SL2/SL2-S in HC mode. I assume it's similar for same gen M's in HC.
p.2 #11 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
My favorite is the Nikon Df. Maybe it’s the fat pixels and the light gathering capability? The SOOC mono images out of this thing are very, very pleasant, with nice, smooth tones.
I also really enjoy playing with the Hi Contrast BW setting in my Ricoh GRs.
p.2 #12 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
Oldwino wrote:
The sigma SD Quattro made some really nice files in monochrome. Lots of detail, and nice tonal separation.
Yes.
IMHO, any of the non-Bayer Sigma cameras are excellent for monochrome, and some of the "magic" seem to come from Sigma Photo Pro (SPP), compared to a "typical" image processor. SPP has plenty of sliders to play with to modify the image further.
Almost all of the Sigma non-Bayer cameras have an easily removed "dust protector" for full spectrum work.
IMHO, the Quattro cameras are easier to work with than the other earlier models due to live view, but IMHO, the Merrill sensor is better if a 720nm filter is used.
The SD1M, without the dust protector, makes some interesting B&W and color images with a Kolari "hot mirror".
A Pentax 645D can do very good monochrome too.
I saw very good monochrome conversions from the Canon 1D from ~2000.
I suspect that the CCD sensor has a little to do with it.
That said, I haven't been disappointed by monochrome files created from any digital camera I have tried, but only the Sigmas can be enlarged quite a bit with little apparent loss of detail.
p.2 #13 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
pingflood wrote:
I'd say the Panasonic S1R. The combination of high res files with excellent dynamic range is probably what makes it work, much like the GFX mentioned above.
Any comments on how well Lumix performs with human skin? Or comments about in-camera, simulated film grain?
p.2 #14 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
I have been happy with my M11 monotone conversions. I had a M10-M for a while but didn't find the difference in most conditions to be worth keeping it so I sold it. I found that the real advantage of the M10-M was in very low light situations. In post I found having access to individual color channels to be a ln advantage for the M11 files.
p.2 #16 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
Like others, I'll throw in a vote for the Zf, Yeah the BW switch may seem a bit silly or gimicky, but man it sure does offer a true BW camera aesthetic. I've also had decent results with the Ricoh GRiii.
Just recently (2 days ago) I acquired a Z5 II, most reviews I've read talk of how it's a Zf wrapped in a more contemporary camera body, and on par with the Zf in most respects. I'll miss the BW switch of the Zf, but I set up my Z5 II with U1 as my dedicated BW mode as a substitute.
p.2 #18 · Your Favorite Color Camera, for Mono Images ...
Is this ‘BW switch’ a hardware button that is like changing the picture profile like on a Sony? I do that often - have a menu item for it, make the change - viewfinder and back screen show the BW image. Shoot RAW, images come into Lr BW and I can adjust to taste.
