Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/06/10

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Subject: [Leica] Re: B&W from P&S cameras
From: lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)
Date: Sun Jun 10 07:07:12 2007
References: <200706100917.l5A9HFY6056157@server1.waverley.reid.org>

On Jun 10, 2007, at 5:17 AM, Mitch wrote:

> On 09/06/07, mitcha@mac.com <mitcha@mac.com> wrote:
>> The grain factor is the reason that I've stuck to small-sensor
>> cameras (the Ricoh GR-D and Leica D-Lux 3) rather than getting an M8,
>> with which I would have to shoot at ISO1250 or 2500 to get a grain
>> effect -- I don't like to put in grain artificially because, although
>> I do a lot of post-processing, I like to work more "directly" with
>> regard to grain.
>>
>> At the url below you can see a "slideshow" of 112 B&W pictures, my
>> "Bangkok Series", of which 48 were taken with the Leica M6 (mainly
>> with Tri-X, HP5 and some Fuji 1600) and the rest with mainly with the
>> GR-D, and some with the Leica D-Lux 3. Granted that they're only
>> small jpegs, but I think they nevetheless show the qulaity of B&W
>> that you can get with small-sensor digital cameras:
>>
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/sets/72157594271568487/ 
>> show/
>>
>> Incidentally, this series is in four "chapters", but without any
>> chapter titles.
>>
>> ?Mitch/Bangkok


I enjoyed the sequence, although like Mark says, the images came up  
no bigger than a 4x6 print on my computer. At that size I saw little  
evidence of the grain effect that you were aiming for. I can't tell  
the difference between the Leica shots and the GR-D shots. What did  
stand out is the reduced tonal range, almost characteristic of old  
time drugstore processed B&W pictures. They are what my long ago  
picture editor desired for newspaper work since they would show up so  
nicely behind a 65 lpi halftone screen. Very good work.

Now for a technical question. Do you shoot the pictures in the GR-D  
camera's B&W mode or do you convert to grayscale in Photoshop? Does  
it make a difference?

Larry Z

Replies: Reply from jsmith342 at gmail.com (Jeffery Smith) ([Leica] Re: B&W from P&S cameras)