[Medex]

In April 2021 I started the thread about Monochrome conversion of Pentax K200D.
Pentax K200D monochrome converted camera and pictures - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com

I decided to add some more pictures from Monochrome converted Pentax K200D. Some were shot in summer 2021 and have the visible black frame because not all Bayer CFA was removed. In Autumn 2021 I decided to go further and remove it completely. During this process I found that first attempt to remove Bayer CFA was incomplete not only at the edges of the sensor but also near them. This caused some visible stripes. So, after additional attempt everything was removed and UV-IR cut filter installed on top of the sensor to remove undesirable anti-aliasing effect of original filter and to get maximal sharpness from the sensor.

The last picture is in memory of non-survived sensors (and some are even not in the picture). But things get better - K-5, Ricoh GRii and Sony A6000 sensors were converted successfully and K-3 is waiting in the queue



Cropped:
















After last debayering attempt:




Non-survivors:

[jumbleview]

That's very impressive!

[BigMackCam]

Wow... Those results are incredible! Very nice work indeed... Superb job, and a fantastic outcome

[Medex]

That's very impressive!

Thank you

---------- Post added 01-16-22 at 09:27 PM ----------

Wow... Those results are incredible! Very nice work indeed... Superb job, and a fantastic outcome

Thank you very much. GRii monochrome impressed me as well

[BigMackCam]

Thank you very much. GRii monochrome impressed me as well

The level of detail is quite remarkable... It really demonstrates just how much Bayer and AA filters impact the effective resolution of our cameras.

You're a brave, tenacious and obviously very capable chap, attempting those conversions and sticking at it despite inevitable failures along the way. I'm reasonably handy myself, but not to this level - and not with your confidence and resilience. Bravo, sir.

So... when do you start accepting orders, and what number am I in the waiting list?

[Alex645]

In April 2021 I started the thread about Monochrome conversion of Pentax K200D.
But things get better - K-5, Ricoh GRii and Sony A6000 sensors were converted successfully and K-3 is waiting in the queue

Kudos to you having the skill and commitment to monochrome; it's impressive and the results validate the conversions.

I would buy a new full frame DSLR that didn't have a color array or low pass filter if it existed. The Leica M10 Monochrom at $9000 is just ludicrous money. Minimum $12k with a Leica prime, or get a Noctilux and you've got one camera and one lens for only $23k.

[Medex]

The level of detail is quite remarkable... It really demonstrates just how much Bayer and AA filters impact the effective resolution of our cameras.

You're a brave, tenacious and obviously very capable chap, attempting those conversions and sticking at it despite inevitable failures along the way. I'm reasonably handy myself, but not to this level - and not with your confidence and resilience. Bravo, sir.

So... when do you start accepting orders, and what number am I in the waiting list?

Thank you once more for good words.
I am open for discussions about conversion. I live in Lithuania (EU).

---------- Post added 01-16-22 at 11:34 PM ----------

Kudos to you having the skill and commitment to monochrome; it's impressive and the results validate the conversions.

I would buy a new full frame DSLR that didn't have a color array or low pass filter if it existed. The Leica M10 Monochrom at $9000 is just ludicrous money. Minimum $12k with a Leica prime, or get a Noctilux and you've got one camera and one lens for only $23k.

Yes, Leica is very expensive. But maybe Pentax will release K-3III mono. It was discussed about that possibility.
At the moment the most convenient IMO sensor for mono conversion is 16 Mpix like in K-5/ 5II/ 5IIs/ K-01 or K30/50 and 24 Mpix like in K-3 / sony A6xxx. Ricoh GRII is also very worth, but it is very good even non converted (RAW files, but not JPEG).

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Last edited by Medex; 01-16-2022 at 02:36 PM.

[ZombieArmy]

Do you have details of the conversion? I've been wanting to do this on one of my cameras for a long time now but don't have a good starting point on a sensor conversion like this and there's very little to no information online.

[VSTAR]

Unbelievable surgery you have performed! Congrats.
Just out of curiosity, especially with the GRII, do you have any before and after photos for comparison? Are the photos posted all straight out of the cameras without processing?
So when are u starting the business of camera sales? Leica M11 is how much $ and yours ?
Regards.

[Medex]

Unbelievable surgery you have performed! Congrats.
Just out of curiosity, especially with the GRII, do you have any before and after photos for comparison? Are the photos posted all straight out of the cameras without processing?
So when are u starting the business of camera sales? Leica M11 is how much $ and yours ?
Regards.

Thank you. As a portrait photographer (hobbyist) I always edit my pictures, mostly in aspect of lighting or skin retouching.
These pictures are not SOOC, because even original RAW file should be converted in another software before importing to LR or PS (or other software) to get maximal details and skip demosaicing algorithm. Monochrome DNGs are not black/white, in LR they look reddish or blueish (depends on settings in different cameras). But for normal pictures I always apply more sharpening compared to monochrome.
In case I export pictures to show in FB (2048 pix long edge) I always apply standard settings (sharpen for screen, amount - high). The same I do with normal pictures.

Here are some links for DNG files from GRii with higher ISO.
Meet Google Drive ? One place for all your files
Meet Google Drive ? One place for all your files
Meet Google Drive ? One place for all your files
Meet Google Drive ? One place for all your files
Meet Google Drive ? One place for all your files
This one is of picture I shared:
Meet Google Drive ? One place for all your files
Download them to evaluate (preview in google disk is not for decision making)

As to before / after comparison pictures, I have not them, because they were not worth to keep (simple "test" pictures of "nothing"/things around you in the house). But GRii is very good for BW pictures even unconverted (RAW only files, but not JPEGs - they are quite bad IMO).

---------- Post added 01-17-22 at 07:45 AM ----------

Do you have details of the conversion? I've been wanting to do this on one of my cameras for a long time now but don't have a good starting point on a sensor conversion like this and there's very little to no information online.

What camera do you want to convert?

[ZombieArmy]

What camera do you want to convert?

My k-01

[Medex]

My k-01

It is possible to convert, but all my attempts with such sensor (3x K-30 and 1x K-01) were unsuccessful. The wiring is very inconvenient for mechanical debayering, wires are very close to the edge of CFA.
Your best choice would be MaxMax.com in USA, because they (possibly) use chemical method and K-01 is not very difficult to disassemble (e.g. K-3 is a nightmare - >40 wires to unsolder).

[pres589]

Do you notice any difference in image quality at higher ISO's post-mod? Meaning, is there a difference in noise in images where the ISO was raised on the camera vs. before the mod?

[acoufap]

In April 2021 I started the thread about Monochrome conversion of Pentax K200D.
Pentax K200D monochrome converted camera and pictures - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com

I decided to add some more pictures from Monochrome converted Pentax K200D. Some were shot in summer 2021 and have the visible black frame because not all Bayer CFA was removed. In Autumn 2021 I decided to go further and remove it completely. During this process I found that first attempt to remove Bayer CFA was incomplete not only at the edges of the sensor but also near them. This caused some visible stripes. So, after additional attempt everything was removed and UV-IR cut filter installed on top of the sensor to remove undesirable anti-aliasing effect of original filter and to get maximal sharpness from the sensor.

The last picture is in memory of non-survived sensors (and some are even not in the picture). But things get better - K-5, Ricoh GRii and Sony A6000 sensors were converted successfully and K-3 is waiting in the queue



Cropped:
















After last debayering attempt:




Non-survivors:

Cool, looks very impressive to me - the work and the image results! Thanks for sharing!

[Medex]

Cool, looks very impressive to me - the work and the image results! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you too. You are wellcome

---------- Post added 01-17-22 at 06:22 PM ----------

Do you notice any difference in image quality at higher ISO's post-mod? Meaning, is there a difference in noise in images where the ISO was raised on the camera vs. before the mod?

I did some comparison between k5ii normal camera and k5 mono. The difference was so hudge I think now I should repeate the test. 4-5 stops improvement for RAW files.
I definitely should repeat the test 😆