Leica M Monochrom: best pics

[ashwinrao1]

Lovely captures, airfrogusmc, jcrutcher and Vince!

[ashwinrao1]

A few more silly 85 mm f/1.8 LTM shots from today...this lens really shines for BW work...

[menos]

Haha Ashwin - the first one is way cool!
I am just editing photos on rainy sunday and listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORYO0atB6g

I love these portraits, you do with the lenses.
regarding Canon 100/2 vs 85/1.8 (which have a lot in common image wise), I end up using my 100/2 much more, as there is simply no other lens like this, that has such a fantastic handling, great imaging and performance (the Nikon 105/2.5 is a bit slower and has an completely different look - more modern).

For 85mm I now absolutely prefer the 85/1.5 Nikkor LTM over all other lenses in that range (75/1.4, 85mm Canon, 90mm Leitz, …) - the 85 Nikkor is simply magic (just a tip in case, you look to try out other 85mm options - hehe).



facade - people running by teknopunk.com, on Flickr


street cleaner with cart on e-bike by teknopunk.com, on Flickr


reading newspaper by teknopunk.com, on Flickr

[Vince Lupo]

Judging by everyone else's photos, looks like I still have a lot to learn about this camera!

One more shot from yesterday with the Noctilux -- I'm slowly getting used to this lens, but I wish it didn't vignette so much at f/1. I was actually thinking of recoding the lens as a 35 Summliux so the vignetting would be less!


ISO 640

[xdayv]

Originally Posted by ashwinrao1

Oh my, so this is what helps you focus accurately on a Rangefinder?

[xdayv]

A couple of high ISO shots:

"Studying at the Park" (ISO 3200)


"Checkmate at the Waiting Shed" (ISO 5000)

[jcrutcher]

Thank you airfrogusmc and ashwin

I agree lots of good mono photos on this tread, I like your work also.

[jcrutcher]

ISO 3200, F2.8, 1/45. Summitar PP includes slight crop, set black point, small clarity, medium s-curve, backed off of highlights all in LR4. NO noise reduction or sharpening.



Tulips by rootbeer2004, on Flickr

[airfrogusmc]

Menos nice set and more good stuff Dave, Vince, Ashwin and jcrutcher...

[Vince Lupo]

Lee

[jcrutcher]

Originally Posted by Vince Lupo

Lee

Another excellent shot Vince. Did you use the Noctilux?

Jim

[Vince Lupo]

Yes, it's the Noctilux, ISO 800 @ f/1.

Not a big fan of the degree of vignetting it gives at f/1. Maybe if I manually set the lens coding to a 35/1.4, it might be a bit better. Thoughts on this?

[cam]

Originally Posted by Vince Lupo

Yes, it's the Noctilux, ISO 800 @ f/1.

Not a big fan of the degree of vignetting it gives at f/1. Maybe if I manually set the lens coding to a 35/1.4, it might be a bit better. Thoughts on this?

i love the vignetting and actually get a bit cranky when it gets corrected

have you tried the lens correction feature in LR? (don't know if it works, just throwing that out.)

[Vince Lupo]

No I haven't tried lens correction in LR. I don't mind a bit of vignetting, but at F/1 it almost looks like I'm using the wrong lens hood or something (and I'm not even using one at the moment).

Two more from today...

[airfrogusmc]

I agree nice Vince. I shot this wide open 35 1.4 lux FLE taken last night.

[jcrutcher]

I have a Noctilux .95 and have not noticed vignetting to that degree. Then I realized I have not mounted it on the MM so that will give me some new ideas for tonight. I believe Dirk has a Noct F1.0, maybe he can help. Either way you will love then Noctilux once you get used to it.

Jim

[cam]

Originally Posted by jcrutcher

I have a Noctilux .95 and have not noticed vignetting to that degree. Then I realized I have not mounted it on the MM so that will give me some new ideas for tonight. I believe Dirk has a Noct F1.0, maybe he can help. Either way you will love then Noctilux once you get used to it.

i think Vince is quite used to his Noctilux (judging from his photos)... the Noctilux is a strange beast -- sometimes you get huge vignettes. other times it's barely noticeable. a lot of that depends on the light.

Vince -- another way to get rid of vignetting is to dodge the corners and/or use a program that will do it for you and adjust to taste. again, my preference is to leave it in and sometimes even enhance it... maybe it's because that is always the way it behaves on film? (i don't have a hood either, btw. some mix-up when i bought it -- i got the one for an E60 but my lens is an E58.)

[xdayv]

Jim - the shot of the tulips still has excellent tonality at ISO 3200.

Vince - I think you are getting the hang out of the Noctilux, the bokeh on that portrait of Lee is to die for.

Allen - well captured smile!

[menos]

Hey Vince, regarding the vignetting of the Noctilux ƒ1 - it is, as people say.
It is one of the characteristics of this very lens - it's always there, easily up to ƒ2.8 visible, strongest up to ƒ1.4.

In some light it doesn't look so obvious, but it has it.

Most people, who bought a 50/1m, tried it, fell in love and kept it love the vignetting too and leave it (myself included, while I often also alter the vignetting slightly in Lightroom = add more).

If you want to remove or lighten the vignetting, I found the vignetting tools in Lightroom extremely powerful.
First, you should find out, which vignetting shape fits your Noctilux best (it is not a truly round vignetting setting, that works best, but more like a setting of −55 to −65 in Lightroom).

Then you can lighten the vignetting step by step, until it matches the brightness of the frame, then play a bit with the flow setting, to have the corners look smooth in terms of lighting.

Sometimes a corner in a frame, that looks darker than the others, as of lighting can be helped by using a grad filter setting in just that corner (place the filter just in that corner and lighten exposure by +0.2 to +0.3).
I absolutely love Lightroom for the flexibilities and no nonsense UI.

There is another user of the Noctilux ƒ1 here, can't remember his RFF nick - his name is Carsten (a fellow German).
He does landscape stitches with the Noctilux ƒ1 wide open, that leave me speechless.
I am sure he has some magic tips regarding removal of vignetting as one would see any inconstancies of illumination in his stitches.

Oh and no offence, but I am with Cam - I too get a little funny, when somebody wants to touch the vignetting of the Noctilux ƒ1 - haha ;-)

Vince, I hope, you find what you are looking for - the Noctilux is a wonderful machine!

[Vince Lupo]

Thanks for all the input guys -- I've decided that I am going to keep the lens (plus the lens hood is arriving tomorrow, and I just bought two filters for it yesterday at the Leica store in Washington, DC). Perhaps I'll learn to fall in love with the f/1 vignetting as it is, but I might play around with some manual lens coding options in the camera to see what the differences might be.

Thanks for the compliments on Lee's photo -- he definitely has one of those faces that photographs well!

Here's a bigger version of the shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/directi...@N25/lightbox/

[ashwinrao1]

Originally Posted by menos

Haha Ashwin - the first one is way cool!
I am just editing photos on rainy sunday and listening to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORYO0atB6g

I love these portraits, you do with the lenses.
regarding Canon 100/2 vs 85/1.8 (which have a lot in common image wise), I end up using my 100/2 much more, as there is simply no other lens like this, that has such a fantastic handling, great imaging and performance (the Nikon 105/2.5 is a bit slower and has an completely different look - more modern).

For 85mm I now absolutely prefer the 85/1.5 Nikkor LTM over all other lenses in that range (75/1.4, 85mm Canon, 90mm Leitz, …) - the 85 Nikkor is simply magic (just a tip in case, you look to try out other 85mm options - hehe).

Great shots, Dirk, and thanks for the tips. I agree that the Nikon 105 has a very different, more "Sonnar" look to it, while the Canon 85 and 100 have smooth defined...The Canon 100 seems a tad more refined, while the 85 seems to have a bit more moodiness to it...I suspect that I'll end up with both down the road.

Speaking of Nikkor 85's, how much did you pay for the Nikkor 85 mm f/1.5? You can PM me...I am trying to guage the market...I have heard that they are mainly collectors, and that the Nikkor 85 mm f/2 is really a fantastic performer...I am intrigued, and love your shots of the model with the Nikkor 85...I have the Leica 75 lux, that gives me the character lens that I like in this focal length, but the Nikkor is intriguing, for certain!

[ashwinrao1]

Originally Posted by xdayv

Oh my, so this is what helps you focus accurately on a Rangefinder?

LOL...that's it ...

[xdayv]

[airfrogusmc]

The last one is killer Dave.

[C_R]

Originally Posted by menos

Hey Vince, regarding the vignetting of the Noctilux ƒ1 - it is, as people say.
It is one of the characteristics of this very lens - it's always there, easily up to ƒ2.8 visible, strongest up to ƒ1.4.

In some light it doesn't look so obvious, but it has it.

Most people, who bought a 50/1m, tried it, fell in love and kept it love the vignetting too and leave it (myself included, while I often also alter the vignetting slightly in Lightroom = add more).

If you want to remove or lighten the vignetting, I found the vignetting tools in Lightroom extremely powerful.
First, you should find out, which vignetting shape fits your Noctilux best (it is not a truly round vignetting setting, that works best, but more like a setting of −55 to −65 in Lightroom).

Then you can lighten the vignetting step by step, until it matches the brightness of the frame, then play a bit with the flow setting, to have the corners look smooth in terms of lighting.

Sometimes a corner in a frame, that looks darker than the others, as of lighting can be helped by using a grad filter setting in just that corner (place the filter just in that corner and lighten exposure by +0.2 to +0.3).
I absolutely love Lightroom for the flexibilities and no nonsense UI.

There is another user of the Noctilux ƒ1 here, can't remember his RFF nick - his name is Carsten (a fellow German).
He does landscape stitches with the Noctilux ƒ1 wide open, that leave me speechless.
I am sure he has some magic tips regarding removal of vignetting as one would see any inconstancies of illumination in his stitches.

Oh and no offence, but I am with Cam - I too get a little funny, when somebody wants to touch the vignetting of the Noctilux ƒ1 - haha ;-)

Vince, I hope, you find what you are looking for - the Noctilux is a wonderful machine!

Thanks, Dirk :-) Since the MM is not supported by Capture One, there is no easy lens correction. LR4 has a built-in profile for the Nocti 0.95, to correct for distortion and vignetting. My solution to avoid artifacts when stitching Nocti 1.0 images is overlap of at least 50%.

A possible solution for LR4 is the "DNG flat field" plugin, free download from the Adobe Labs site. You can correct color only or color plus vignetting, from a reference shot you make with your own lens, here, the Nocti 1.0. Chose the reference shot (white disk, but a Melitta filter paper does the job, too...) and the Nocti shot in LR4, then run the plugin and you get a corrected DNG file in the same folder, with vignette completely fixed. Works, but sometimes it is nice to have the vignette undercorrected.

For lens-specific and fine-tuned vignette control, the only solution for MM files is "cornerfix", a free program that reads Monochrom DNG and can fix the vignette as much as needed.

Carsten