Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/09/03

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Subject: [Leica] Leica MM and M9 Comparison
From: mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)
Date: Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:16:36 -0400

It strike me a bit unusual for Erwin who normally gives me clarity to be
introducing a number of unnecessary elements... red herrings into the non
understanding of what the introduction of this camera is all about and what
it can do for us.
Just how complicated is it really I wonder?
As I see it the crux of the issue is the simplicity and purity of not
spraying your image through an RGB Bayer screen to get it. Such a thing
would surely make premium lens making like the Leica company is mainly known
for frustrating experience. Maybe they'll shoot a roll of film with it on an
off day and see what its all about?
Can the fine excellence of cutting edge premium optics be recovered by the
use of unsharp mask?
I'm guessing your hairdresser knows for sure otherwise. Is it real or is it
Memorex? Depends on what you mean by real.

Though the images we see as jpegs on our screen and even large scale prints
may seem to lack nothing the optical designers know otherwise as would the
most critical users.
The things that the just out that the optical excellence deal breaker the
Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0 ASPH Lens can do for an image might not be
able to be fully understood after two years of a proper formal schooling in
optical design. But what can be easily understood by us lay users is it all
gets swept under the rug when it goes through and RGB Bayer screen dumbing
it down the oblivious mediocrity. A low common denominator.
But put that new over the top Leica optical marvel on the Bayerless
Monochrom and it makes a hell of a lot more sense.

The optical designers intentions are revealed not just imagined.

When we can stand back and look at 13 x 19's or 17 x 22's printed with
carbon pigment on 100% rag paper we'll know what we're looking at.
Especially when right beside it a print made after careful selective color
to black and white conversions from an M9 but way more to the point a just
around the corner the superly more competitive M10.
Because from a tonal separation perspective what can be parsed  from all
that RGB color information from a file made from an M10 could more than give
what we get from a Monochrom more than a run for its money. And very
possibly this street camera would give us several more ISO's to choose from
on dark streets or rooms. A good many of my captures the auto iso has them
placed at iso 64,000 and this on a camera discontinued last week, (a D700)
I think the Monochrom will for sure exceed M10 or M9 files  when we use a
loupe on the print like we would do with a darkroom print.
But working from a full color file may make for a way more effective base
for black and white image making on the long run.

We may have our favorite green yellow filter on our lens as we grab some
shots but if we'd shot it with an M10 we'd find as we were crunching the
image later one that just the opposite filtration makes for a much more
clear and satisfying image; an in effect red or orange filter. Or as Paul is
suggesting having that wavelength of filtration in the sky while we use
green on the ground. Filtering selections not the whole file.

The issue is that an RGB has a ton of information a Monochrom file has no
way of having even with its direct Bayerless non diffused level of detail.

Put " Bayerless " in your spell check.

Mark William Rabiner
Photography
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/


> From: Tina Manley <images at comporium.net>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2012 09:11:28 -0400
> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica MM and M9 Comparison
> 
> Very interesting!  Thanks!
> 
> Tina
> 
> On Mon, Sep 3, 2012 at 6:09 AM, A. Lal <alal at poly.edu> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> http://www.imx.nl/photo/leica/**camera/styled-8/M%20Monochrom.**
>> htmlhttp://www.imx.nl/photo/**leica/camera/styled-8/M%**20Monochrom.html<http
>> ://www.imx.nl/photo/leica/camera/styled-8/M%20Monochrom.htmlhttp://www.imx.nl
>> /photo/leica/camera/styled-8/M%20Monochrom.html>
>> 
>> ______________________________**_________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See 
>> http://leica-users.org/**mailman/listinfo/lug<http://leica-users.org/mailman/
>> listinfo/lug>for more information
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Tina Manley, ASMP
> www.tinamanley.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information




In reply to: Message from images at comporium.net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Leica MM and M9 Comparison)