[jeverettfine]

Just read an interview of Ralph Gibson in "Black and White" magazine talking about his move from film to digital with the Leica M Monochrom ($8000 for the body). Very nice images and he seems excited about the possibilities. He is especially excited about how easy printing is. Said he would have needed 6 assistants to do his recent printing in a conventional darkroom.

This has inspired me to work more with digital b&w. While I have been a long term Leica user, I certainly am not buying a Monochrom. Any great monochromatic tips on techniques etc with my new K-3?

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Last edited by jeverettfine; 03-03-2015 at 11:58 AM.

[mrNewt]

These two cameras are from completely different worlds for completely different crowds... I doubt one is a challenge for the other to be honest...

[LensBeginner]

Set a B/W preset and shoot RAW.
You should thus have a BW preview and the full color RAW to manipulate afterwards.
Do proper BW through HSL panel instead of desaturating.

[jeverettfine]

These two cameras are from completely different worlds for completely different crowds... I doubt one is a challenge for the other to be honest...

True they are not the same animal at all. The price is no barrier for many, any more than some musicians I know who think little of spending 10K on a new instrument. The most interesting aspect is Bob Gibson going digital, not only with the camera, but also with the printing. When it comes down to it, it is the image that matters, not how you achieve it.

[Na Horuk]

The Leica Monochrom is special because it actually has a BW sensor, which allows it to gather data and have a higher resolution. All other current DSLR cameras have a CMOS bayer array sensor (exceptions might be some CCD and Foveon sensors), which inherently have some weaknesses - and some strengths, there is after all a reason why they are the most common.
Anyway, any Pentax DSLR can take BW photos. You can select the jpeg mode (Info menu) to black and white, monochrome, even sepia. You can even adjust these modes to some extent, like adjusting contrast, sharpness, tint, etc.
Your other option, which has more potential, is to shoot raw and post process the photos in black and white. You need some raw developing software (Silky Pix, Lightroom, Aftershot, FastStone,...) and then you simply import the raw file (dng), select BW, and go hog wild.
Black and white is.. in some ways it is simpler, but it has its own complexity. It can be quite tricks. Your first raw photos will probably seem too grey, too busy.. but you will get the hang of composition and contrasts eventually. Just keep in mind that there is no simple "BW" - black and white is always an interpretation, which can be darker, brighter, grey, more contrasty, less contrasty, and so on.
Oh, one more thing. For film BW, you would probably need some filters to improve the look of the photos. These filters are not needed for CMOS DSLR cameras. You can imitate their effect in post production, but they would only discolour the photo if you use them. The only filter that makes sense is a (circular) polarizer, and maybe ND filters (graduated or not)

Also, search sites like Flickr or 500px for your camera model (if you want, in the end effect CMOS DLSRs are all quite similar these days) and "black and white" category. Im sure you will find many samples to show you what is possible, from lowly snapshots to real art!

[AldaCZ]

https://www.maxmax.com/b&w_conversion.htm

[clackers]

Suddenly, your subject's tones and dynamic range become even more important. The Nik Silver Efex plugin will help.

[Savas]

''The Nik Silver Efex plugin will help.''
I agree, the best plug in for b/w...

[stevebrot]

Leica M Monochrom...a Pentax Challenge?

Well, I guess so...in the same sense that security cameras are a challenge. All three use digital capture.


Steve

[Digitalis]

Set a B/W preset and shoot RAW.

It's not the same thing, you're still shooting with a bayer sensor.

Do proper BW through HSL panel instead of desaturating.

Not the same thing - depending on what channels you use from your RGgB bayer mosaic original you will lose more than 50% of your sensors resolution. On the Leica monochrom you can use coloured filters for contrast like real B&W photographers used to do. Rangefinders make this easier to do because you aren't viewing the image through the lens itself, but through the rangefinder. So the use of Strong IR filters or dark ND filter cannot disrupt image composition.

All other current DSLR cameras have a CMOS bayer array sensor (exceptions might be some CCD and Foveon sensors)

The biggest difference between the Leica Monochrom and a majoprity of DSLR cameras is the absence of a Bayer CFA*. It wouldn't matter at all of the Sensor was a CCD or Cmos. What the removal of the CFA means is the Sensor on the Monochrom is able to record pure scene luminance and also because the CFA isn't present the quantum efficiency of the sensor is nearly doubled. The Base Iso of the Leica M9 is 160 - the base ISO on the Monochrom is 320, and the highest ISOs on the Monochrom(ISO 10,000) does not suffer as badly from noise as the Leica M9 ISO 2500 does.

*Colour Filter Array. BgRg colour array that allows cameras to respond to different components of visible light. Without it cameras would be just like the monochrom - B&W only.

[LensBeginner]

Which is ironic, considering the dynamic range on the Monochrom is terrible. It's a highlight-blowing machine.

Even more ironically if one considers that there was a great talk of fantastic advantages to be had only by removing the Bayer array in front of the sensor.

[Digitalis]

Which is ironic, considering the dynamic range on the Monochrom is terrible.

yeah, 10 stops is terrible.The Pentax K10D has only 8.5 stops of tonal range.

[LensBeginner]

yeah, 10 stops is terrible.The Pentax K10D has only 8.5 stops of tonal range.

So be it, but I still have to see some Leica M-M pictures without horribly blown highlights...

[jeverettfine]

So be it, but I still have to see some Leica M-M pictures without horribly blown highlights...

Ralph Gibson's photos in the "Black and White" interview looked pretty good to me, but they tend to be dark in tone. A test would be to do something that is very high key like textured white paint. Not sure the Monochrom would stand up to that.

See this link: http://www.iso1200.com/2015/01/the-master-of-shadows-ralph-gibson.html
The bicycle shadows was one of his first photos with the Monochrom and the highlights look pretty good.