Monochrom: Love or Not?

[Tadeyev]

In my view the Monochrom is the 1st digital camera that can achieve the quality of film.
That being said, I can buy an awful lot of film for that price, and that makes one question if it is worth it.

The real deciding factor for me were the results at high ISO settings.
High ISO films are disappearing fast, and the ability to work without flash is really important for me.

I will continue to shoot film regularly, but I am saving for a Mono for sure
Damn you Leica !

[airfrogusmc]

LOVE MINE!!!!!!

That and the 35 lux FLE, heaven.....

[C_R]

Love it. Needs less postprocessing than M9. This was one of my first shots with the MM, almost no pp with Photo Ninja

MM and Nocti 1.0, 1/125 @ ISO 320

Carsten

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Beautiful shots indeed, but you don't need a M-monochrome to make such beautiful shots

[kxl]

I like shooting B&W; hence, I shoot B&W film.

I have way more than $8K sunk into my DSLR gear alone, but my DSLR gear offers me A LOT of flexibility.

Would I buy a Monochrom? Not if it means giving up the above. I will have to shell out additional $$$$$, and it would be awfully difficult for me to dedicate $8K to one piece of equipment regardless of how exquisite that one piece of equipment is.

[C_R]

Originally Posted by Ron (Netherlands)

...but you don't need a M-monochrome to make such beautiful shots

Thats the question. Do you have your own experience with the MM ?

Carsten

[Richard G]

MM
I don't have one.
I am being very disciplined and won't buy one for some time.
Hate? That would not be rational.
Worth it? Yes. It's all here one RFF:

Resolution
Tonal range
High ISO, perfect useable very high ISO.

See C_R's landscapes and weep.
See Jazrm's Scary Faces and marvel.
See many others' pictures in the long MM best pictures thread.

[Vince Lupo]

I just got mine this past week, and I do love it already!

I will be very interested to see how prints from my camera will look, and not simply scrutinized on a computer screen. Having said that, the baryta print that's included with each Monochrom package is pretty darned impressive (still debating whether I should mat and frame it or not!). However, I did check the prices of baryta prints from WhiteWall (the lab that has the 'exclusive' arrangement for Monochrom owners) and between printing and shipping, an 8x10 would be in the neighbourhood of $70+. Weldon Color Lab in California is $50 for an 8x10 print on Ilford Galerie Digital FB, plus shipping. Guess I shouldn't complain though -- if you have an $8k camera, then I guess I shouldn't be quibbling about a $50 print. If I ever get a shot that's worthy of printing to that degree, I'll probably give Weldon a try. Not there yet though!

Have any MM owners made any prints from their files? If so, how do they look to you???

[airfrogusmc]

Originally Posted by Vince Lupo

I just got mine this past week, and I do love it already!

I will be very interested to see how prints from my camera will look, and not simply scrutinized on a computer screen. Having said that, the baryta print that's included with each Monochrom package is pretty darned impressive (still debating whether I should mat and frame it or not!). However, I did check the prices of baryta prints from WhiteWall (the lab that has the 'exclusive' arrangement for Monochrom owners) and between printing and shipping, an 8x10 would be in the neighbourhood of $70+. Weldon Color Lab in California is $50 for an 8x10 print on Ilford Galerie Digital FB, plus shipping. Guess I shouldn't complain though -- if you have an $8k camera, then I guess I shouldn't be quibbling about a $50 print. If I ever get a shot that's worthy of printing to that degree, I'll probably give Weldon a try. Not there yet though!

Have any MM owners made any prints from their files? If so, how do they look to you???

I've printed a couple images, printed them on 13 X 19 Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper Epson 2880 printer and they look great.

[MichaelToye]

I swapped an entire Canon system for the MM and a lens. Best decision ever

Michael

[douglasf13]

Originally Posted by Tadeyev

In my view the Monochrom is the 1st digital camera that can achieve the quality of film.
That being said, I can buy an awful lot of film for that price, and that makes one question if it is worth it.

The real deciding factor for me were the results at high ISO settings.
High ISO films are disappearing fast, and the ability to work without flash is really important for me.

I will continue to shoot film regularly, but I am saving for a Mono for sure
Damn you Leica !

Many would say that color digital surpassed color film a while ago, technically, and it is B&W digital that didn't compete with B&W darkroom prints. It seems to me that the MM brought B&W digital up to speed, although I still don't think that either B&W nor color digital look particularly like their film equivalents.

[Vince Lupo]

Dunno about that -- the print that's included with each Monochrom package looks pretty film-like to me! Guess you have to see it in the flesh to tell for yourself.

[airfrogusmc]

I'm a film lover and the MM is the only 135 format digital camera I would say does B&W justice. The up side is the high ISO and being able to go from 320 to 10,000 with a turn of the dial. I can also do things with quick mask and work on very small areas that I could never do in the conventional darkroom. Still love the look of a beautiful zone system silver gelatin or platinum print made from a large format negative but for smaller formats the image quality reminds me of the B&W images I made from my Blads.

[jcrutcher]

I love mine! Well worth it to me.

[FrankHarries]

Your experiences make me wanting this camera - I thought GAS for me has been cured! Glad, that by no chance i could afford one right now! But well.....

[f6andBthere]

I think anyone who genuinely loves black and white photography and isn't controlled in their thinking by the film v digital platform that constantly rears it's ugly head, will seriously consider this camera for their personal artistic expression.

I think I could love it .... but the price!!!!!

[Pioneer]

Originally Posted by f6andBthere

I think I could love it .... but the price!!!!!

There in lies the rub. That is a lot of Tri-X or HP5. If either of those go away, no problem, I'll be first in line. Until then...the M9 will have to work.

[douglasf13]

Originally Posted by f6andBthere

I think anyone who genuinely loves black and white photography and isn't controlled in their thinking by the film v digital platform that constantly rears it's ugly head, will seriously consider this camera for their personal artistic expression.

I think I could love it .... but the price!!!!!

Oh, I agree. I'm not saying that film is better or worse. I'm just saying that, while you can make digital files look similar to film, they are two different recording mediums with different qualities. The MM certainly seems to be the best B&W 35mm digital, to date.

[Calzone]

Originally Posted by f6andBthere

I think anyone who genuinely loves black and white photography and isn't controlled in their thinking by the film v digital platform that constantly rears it's ugly head, will seriously consider this camera for their personal artistic expression.

I think I could love it .... but the price!!!!!

Love is expensive. I expect mine in January. I'm an old film die hard, and for me the MM is just a separate medium from film.

Cal

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by douglasf13

Many would say that color digital surpassed color film a while ago, technically, and it is B&W digital that didn't compete with B&W darkroom prints. It seems to me that the MM brought B&W digital up to speed, although I still don't think that either B&W nor color digital look particularly like their film equivalents.

Why should they look like film? It will only make them look kitschy. It is a different medium, with a different look.

[douglasf13]

Originally Posted by jaapv

Why should they look like film? It will only make them look kitschy. It is a different medium, with a different look.

You didn't read my follow up comment, jaapv. I don't think the MM files should look like film. I was responding to the poster above who said that the MM competes with film, but the M9 doesn't.

[airfrogusmc]

Originally Posted by ramosa

what i want to know is can you readily tell the difference between b&w images printed at 11x14 taken with the MM vs. the M9? (or are the differences really only seen when you print larger?)

Where you can really see the difference in in high ISO. 3200 is very clean. I'm an old Hasselblad and large format film guy/darkroom rat and the files from the MM are different from film but amazing in their own right and the best B&W I have experienced yet form a small digital camera and the real plus with the high ISO is street work giving you large DoF along with high shutter speeds when you really need to freeze everything.

[airfrogusmc]

Anybody looking for one should try Murphys in Louisville Ky. They might have some. Check with Kevin Murphy.

[jarski]

simply stunning work has been posted here lately from MM!

[bigeye]

I'm testing digital B&W, and my problem is printing, not the camera. The MM looks great, but only gets you half way there. How do you get a true high-quality B&W print?

- Charlie