Really awesome shots in this forum. I would like to ask a question to all M9 owners. Recently i have started using LR 5.3 for my GX7 files and been impressed how good it does noise reduction. I am interested in buying a second hand Leica M E. I am not a low light fanatic but was wondering : does the new software (LR5) clean the M9 raw files at iso 800 or 1250 for example? I am not a pixel peeper and for comparison with LR5 i use even files taken at 6400 iso with my GX7.
ypras wrote:
Really awesome shots in this forum. I would like to ask a question to all M9 owners. Recently i have started using LR 5.3 for my GX7 files and been impressed how good it does noise reduction. I am interested in buying a second hand Leica M E. I am not a low light fanatic but was wondering : does the new software (LR5) clean the M9 raw files at iso 800 or 1250 for example? I am not a pixel peeper and for comparison with LR5 i use even files taken at 6400 iso with my GX7.
I think you are safe up to iso 1250 and even up to iso 2500 if you expose carefully. The best way with the ME is to underexpose at iso 640 or 1250 and push in post. It gives slightly better results.
airfrogusmc wrote:
Ash I really like all of them. I have been to the Keys many times. Love it there. Usually fly into Lauderdale and drive down to Key West. Usually stay on one night on Key Largo or Isle of Mirada on the way down.
I have never been to Ft Jefferson but have it on the to d olist next time we go down.
Great shots and looks like a great vacation. Thanks for posting them.
The Dry Tortugas excursion was completely last minute, we finalised it while driving down to Key West and just made the last flight on time in the last two seats! It was a great experience. The flight gave us 2.5 hours of island time which was barely enough if you like both lounging/snorkeling and checking out the Fort, so consider the full day trip option (although this is more expensive) and take a packed lunch. You can camp overnight if you bring your own supplies and come via the ferry - now that would be incredible, being there for sunset and sunrise
My ideal trip would be to hire a yacht and spend a week inside the park as the other island offer a lot of options for diving and exploring.
edwardkaraa wrote:
Leonas, very nice set with lively colors but the 1st shot is really outstanding.
Ash, fantastic set, beautiful colors, and the PP is spot on.
Thanks Edward - I'm still getting used to the M240. I love how it is even more functional and usable but I'm still on the fence in terms of what it produces at base ISO. The LCD framelines are just brilliant, and having 1600-3200 ISO there when you need it really extends the usefulness of the camera (having come from an M8), but I can't help but wonder about how these shots would look if taken on an M9...
muc_marlin wrote:
Ash, excellent set...must have been a great trip! Looking at the other pictures, the water in the foreground from the first picture, might need a bit more contrast. In The last picture, did you lift the shadow in the building (right in the middle of the picture)? How much sharpening did you apply? To me it is almost to much, but this might be just my personal taste. The pictures have a pretty impressive 3D pop, what lens did you use?
Great eye
The first shots are through the plastic windows of the Cessna, so they are definitely lacking contrast and sharpness, not too much I can do about that.
The last picture - I think you are right, the shadows are lifted too much.
Sharpening - from memory (I forgot to check last night) about 30 on LR5, so not excessive. However, looking at the pictures again I feel I could back off a touch from whatever I used - so I agree with you there.
Most of the photos are with the 28mm Summicron ASPH at f/8. I'm not really seeing the pop - interesting that you do...
Thanks for the feedback - you really nailed it.
burningheart wrote:
AshNZ - terrific series, love the colors you captured in the blue waters and also the greens of the grass contrasting with the brown-red bricks of the fort.
That location makes it easy, my wife's iPhone pictures are terrific! The azure waters are incredible - who needs fly international when you have that right here in the US
charles.K wrote:
Ash, amazing series!! I love the higher key effect, and great PP'ing
Thanks Charles - you've made me go and look up 'color key' just it make sure it was what I thought it was
Ash, I agree with you about the low/high iso remarks. I think the M9 had a very special, but not always pleasant, color palette. The M has a more mainstream color palette, more in line with other CMOS cameras, but less special and more universal. I am more happy with the M color rendering at base iso in landscape photos as it has a nicer rendering of blue skies and vegetation, but maybe in reportage shooting, the M9 produces more interesting colors. Also, the flat M files require boosting the contrast, which invariably boosts noise too, so while the flat files at base iso show very little noise, any advantage over the M9 is lost while trying to reach normal contrast levels. I think the real M improvement over the M9 is rather mechanical, with the quieter shutter sound, and the more shock resistant RF mechanism, and the better viewable frame lines that are calibrated for 2 meters framing distances vs the 1 meter distance of the M9. IQ wise any improvement over the M9 is really negligible.
First shot, nothing special, just to demonstrate ISO2500 at 1/30 sec on an M9 w/40 cron, for those who think high ISO on the M9 sucks. Straight RAW to JPEG conversion in LR4. No editing at all
Great pictures everyone, I apologise for not commenting individually but I've really enjoyed the posts and discussions.
Charles really love that first baptism shot, the rigid renders it so beautifully and love your BW conversion!
Edward good to know you're enjoying your M. I also like the colour palette from the M8/M9 hence why I bought the former. After playing with it a few times I feel that its quicker to get the look that I want from the M8 files but my post processing was very limited in style. I like the flexibility of the M but loved the conservative look from the M8. I don't travel with two cameras but I think they complement each other very nicely.
AshNZ wrote:
Annoyingly, you have to click on the 'view all sizes' in flickr and then copy the url. Paste the url straight into FM, FM does the rest.
EDIT: Although for Thomas the regular flickr 'share' link works...
Click the more ways to share box (bottom right of the image with the older style flickr, I don't use the new 'experience') and make sure the BBcode box is checked, then just copy and past that code.
Great images! guys. I especially like Gary's sunrise and peter's mountain view, Edward and Joakim's street, Ash's beach shots, Charles's portrait shots...
Sorry I couldn't cover everyone in last few pgs I was missing.
