Used to work in a sporting goods store in Monterey when I was younger. Ansel Adams was a regular customer who used to buy camping gear, freeze dried food, etc. He was always friendly to me and we enjoyed interacting with him.
Greetings from an old film photographer. The dark skies and crunchy contrasts he achieved by using a red filter. For portraits I suggest a yellow filter, max an orange. Try it 😊. That at 3:27 was an orange filter, the cactus at 5:47 with a red filter. No elaborate post necessary, you can’t do that with dodge and burning 😇
When speaking of Adam's and Leica you are speaking of absoulute Legends, the only one missing is Hasselblad. For years I used both Leica and Hasselblad professionally. The M 11 mono is superb. Thanks Leigh for the great video. Glad too see you up and about. Thanks again
This has been one of my favorite camera reviews…..i hope you continue to do similar reviews. I’d love it if Fuji or Ricoh would introduce a monochrome camera.
I started photography in the 1950s when B&W was far more common than it is today and I still find great monochrome images more arresting than colour. Initially I thought that a monochrome digital camera would be a good idea but on more mature reflection I'm less convinced. With such a camera you would need to do any colour filter work at the time of taking rather than being able to apply colour filter effects in post-processing before converting to monochrome. I'm very into clouds (sufficiently to have done a Ph.D. in cloud physics in the 1970s when it was a back-water subject) and I feel that monochrome is by far the best way to bring out the beauty of cloudscapes. Traditionally one would use at least a 2x yellow filter to help do this.
What an interesting area of study! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We each have our own preferences and there is definitely a camera out there for every one of them!
I learned so much from reading Adams books. The most important, though, would be that from the point he chooses to make a photo he is thinking about every step. From composition and lighting to normal film developing vs. pushing or pulling and all the way to the whole printing process. All this before even making an exposure.
That is SUCH a great lesson. It's so easy with digital cameras and large memory cards to simply keep pressing the shutter release button, without much thought. I will definitely bring this up in our next video on the M cameras because manual focusing does actually make you slow down. Thanks for sharing this!
I have an M11 and thought about the Monochrome. But, when you mentioned that a SL2 - Monochrome I ears picked up and thought dang, I would really like that. I love auto focus on my SL2 and Sl2-S. Maybe Leica will entertain that idea one day.
Nice to see a none read the specs etc review we get from so many. 1st hand experience with a project is always more inspiring. I have ordered my M11mono trading in my Q2M. It will join my M11 with pride & get used regularly.
Fantastic invention. So impressed with monochrom, I have just ditched my relatively new OLED TV, replaced by an older box type black/white TV set. My order for one of these cameras is now in and I am also saving for an external light meter, a steady tripod, a magnesium camera flash and a dark focussing cloth to get the full vintage photographs taking experience.
Nice video with obviously nice gear -- my question is to processing choices -- most of the black and white images I prefer push the blacks and enjoy far more contrast that those you showed -- ie closer to AA's work. The 1st cactus in the centre image is an example where the image you showed looked flatter to me than I would have chosen. However, later on you go decidedly darker. It may be worth you speaking about the choices you made and the look you worked to achieve. Very clearly when printing work in black and white more contrast with deep blacks often turns out more impactful (if that is what you are seeking). Often contrast is used to help make subjects/images appear more three dimensional as does splitting tones/contrast/ brightness between subject, background, centre and edges of an image.
I had the privilege to meet Galen Rowell many years ago at one of his seminars. I was in absolute awe of his work. I am convinced that his work would be even better today with the many tools at our disposal. Galen was always looking at new & improved methods to apply to his photography endeavours. Galen & his wife, Barbara(a licensed pilot), left our world too soon.
Mary Street Alinder (assisted Adams when writing the autobiography and subsequently finished it) also wrote another biography of Adams, as well as "Group f/64" which discusses several photographers who were contemporaries along with the straight photography philosophy favored by Adams. Both are worth adding to your library.
I have a M10M and I cannot believe how stunning the images are. I don’t use it every time I shoot, but I take it with me in case I find something great to shoot with it.
@@LeighAndRaymond With the M's I love the 35mm focal length, but I am forcing myself to use the 50mm and starting to like that focal length as well. I would say right now the Summilux-M 50mm is my favorite. Though I have a 1969 Summicron 50 that is a close second.
Interesting video! Thank you! Ansel Adams Used a View camera, so in addition to his compositions, he also used movements of the camera to control perspectives and he developed his pictures himself (Like Photoshop) to create this perfect texture and contrasts!. Love your pictures as well! Thank you! David
While I love B&W, my budget doesn't extend to a B&W only camera. I do still have my 35mm gear so can go down the pure B&W path with that if I want. Everything is a compromise and I'll take the slight image losses at the moment or shoot film. Good that your recovering as well, love your videos
For the life of me, I can't imagine that you wouldn't want to buy an M. Believe me! If you can afford it, treat yourself! I have only one other additional camera, because you can't do everything with the M and sometimes you do need another tool (though not for my fast dog, which I can shoot crisp with preset focus). For me it took 12 years, from the first touch of an M9 until I treated myself to the M11 last year. Now I have finally arrived!
Sweet camera , love the B&W captures . thank you Leigh for reminding us about Ansel Adams and his wonderful photos and books. Love taking photos in Willow lake on vacation trips
Hi, Pentax makes the K3 Mark3 Monochrome. A crop sensor, 25MP that, brand new, retails at £2300. I had it and it is simply incredible. If Pentax can do it, I don't really know why Nikon, Canon or Fujifilm don't do it as well. It would sell like hot cakes! I use the Z system from Nikon and would buy a monochrome Nikon full frame Z mount camera in a heart bit! Great video guys! Thanks!
I love your desert images as well as your discussion of Adams’s work. I own the M11 and can’t really justify (meaning, talk myself into) also buying the Monochrom, but the clarity and grayscale gradients from the Monochrom sensors are stunning, and I can easily see why, for some, this is the perfect camera. (See, for example, Matt Day’s M11M video released this morning.) I miss the good old days of going to workshops and on trips with two M analog bodies, loaded with different film (and as a backup, which was never needed). Tiny little Leica continues to punch well above its weight class, giving us necessarily costly but unique and wonderful tools to marvel over and explore with.
Q3 Monochrom. It’s IP52, you can use it in rainy and dusty environment. With 60 megapixel and the Summillux 28mm having built in macro it’s kinda permanently tied to your neck. There is a reason why the colour Q3 is worldwide on back order. 😅
I dont have any digital Leica, but I do have M2, M3 and M6. I am also somewhat experienced in deep sky imaging ( the proper long exposure imaging and not this fad of taking photos of the stars ). Two of my main imaging CCDs are Monochrome . To make natural colour with them, I have to use RGB filters where necessary. I also have a couple of colour CCDs, what is called OSC ( One Shot Colour ). The monochrome sensor has two distinct advantage over colour. One is the extra sensitivity, an dthe other is lack of noise. To what extent this applies to terrestrial photography very much depends on how and what subject you shoot. If the majority of your photography is in good light with low ' iso ' numbers, then there is very little tangible difference between a photograph taken with a monochrome sensor, and one converted to BW from a colour sensor. If however, the bulk of your photography is in low light or night an dyou yank the ' iso ' up, then the monochrome sensor is the superior one. Files from a monochrome sensor also stand more post capture manipulation. I have my own viwes on this, but here is not the place to discuss them.
Hi, I have watched this video probably 5 times now. It gets better everytime. Iam just curious have you considered checking out the Pentax monochrome? I would like to hear your spin on it. Thanks for a great video about some of my favorite things.
As a hobbyist photographer (mainly for travel, family events, and chasing the grandkids), I am simply not an artist. I admire you, Raymond and all the photographer's that are truly artist (a bit jealous). But for me it's more of a memory snapshot; travel destinations, kids and grandkids events, etc. Photography for me is my brain backup, especially as I get older. As always great video, looking forward to your next one. Leigh are you doing? Hopefully getting better!!!!
Capturing the world around you is DEFINITELY an art! You’re documenting your family for generations to come. As for me… I’m alright but I’ve had a recurrence of my disc herniation. I’m headed in for more non-surgical treatments but possibly surgery again in the next couple months. Luckily, I’ve got a great doctor taking care of me. :)
I think a monochrome camera is such a niche camera that I'd be fine with it being limited to the M cameras and not the SLs. That also keeps the M Monochrome a bit more special.
A D-Lux 7 Monochrome would be wunderbar, so we don't have to spend the same as a used car to go natively black and white. As for the moment, I'm making my D-Lux 7 (and my 19 year old Kodak EasyShare C340) just do black and white with the corresponding internal settings. With the right light and a not large print, a C340 set to B & W, does an surprisingly close job to the other.
Thank you for your honest review I enjoyed seeing you using Leica and non Leica lenses as they should be used as just tools. An SL monochrome version would be great I owned an 246 Monochrome but didn’t use it very much, I still shoot film but the scarcity at times of film and the hassle to develop makes me return to a monochrome camera but I think an SL would be a better choice for all its advantages over an M
For monochrome alternatives, why not mention the Pentax K-3 Mark iii Monochrome also just announced this week? It's the only monochrome DSLR and offers weatherproof lenses, so it could be used in the rain whereas I don't think you'd want to take an M camera and lens out in bad weather. Oh yeah - the Pentax also costs about $7000 less than the M11 Monochrome.
Enjoyed the video. Liked your experimentation. I’m sure the m11 monochrome would be nuts. Have to get some of Ansel Adams books. You’ll see with my videos from ireland the black and white would work lovely in our soft overcast or storms days that happen more often than not. Cheers
After you finish the Ansel Adams Autobiography, I recommend you read his Biography which was written by Mary Street Alinder. You will notice that Mary Street Alinder is listed as a co-author on his Autobiography. She was his longtime assistant. I know what you are thinking, she uses the Biography to dish out a lot of juicy trash. That is not the case, but it is certainly a different perspective than you see in the Autobiography, and she is just a little bit harsher on Adams than he was on himself.
Thanks Leigh (and Raymond) for the very informative and entertaining video. I have been an M photographer for about four years and just ordered the M11M and new 50 Summilux to go with my SL2. I loved the M10 but can't afford to hold onto it and buy the M11M. Like you I have tinkered with B+W jpegs in the Fuji world but this mono only camera will be a whole new experience. Here's hoping I can make the transition. Keep up the great work. Regards from Oz.
Leigh, what a scream to see you, resting on a bright orange couch, extolling to M11 Monochrom. I shot mostly B&W when I started in 35mm because I could load film cassettes from bulk rolls, develop and print at home, and feel the process. When Cibachrome made color prints almost as easy as B&W, I added that in and learned some color science. Now I'm off to follow your inspiration and order Ansel Adams Autobiograph. Thanks for a delightful video. Oh yes, I will Nikon would add "negative to positive" into Z camera choices like they did for some DSLRs.
Next Leica Monochrom? For me it would be the SL-2. I have a Q2 Monochrom which I use >50% of the time. To be able to get my zoom lenses into play would be really exciting
Great video Leigh!! I would like to see an X100V (or X100VI ?) in monochrome, although an SL2 / SL2-S or X-T5 (or X-Pro) in monochrome would be great also. So many choices...
Great video; enjoyed the images and discussion about how you approached the project and the individual images. Regarding my outlook on monochrome, I have always been drawn to images of this type. Monochrome images have always been easier for me to view and analyze. Finally, I feel monochrome images both feel more fixed in time AND at the same moment timeless. I don’t foresee buying a monochrome-only camera, but will explore the options in Lightroom and Nikon’s NX studio.
Nice, Leigh. You might take the Hedgehog Trail and head over the hill. Lots of compositions in that part of the park towards Malpais hills. I bet you could get super Ansel-y, monochrome or color. I take my Q2M out there fairly often and the potential for drama is everywhere. Thanks for sharing!
Oh boy, we've been ALL OVER that park. It's one of my favorite places to run... before the back injury, that is! I'm also super envious of your Q2 Monochrom. That camera spoke to me. :)
@@LeighAndRaymond Haha your review of the Q2M spoke to me! So I bought one. Perhaps we'll run into each other some day in the park. Looking forward to some monsoon goodness!
Thanks for your thoughts on the Leica M11 Monochrome. We must be neighbors as I recognize Table Top Mtn in the background in your images. I often shoot in monochrome having grown up with Kodak Tri-X in 100 foot rolls, processed; developed; and printed at home. Would love to meet you and Raymond for coffee at Le Grande.
My Q2 Mono is my emotional favorite. I have a Sony a1 for other work, and many others in between (Ricoh GRiii is the new one!) but the purely monochrome look is a challenge that I enjoy.
Great video, Leigh. The photos are great. I think it would be fun to shoot only in black and white using a digital camera. I loved shooting it from the film days but the cost of this Leica is prohibitive for me. I would like to be able to pick up a Fuji 100V but they are hard to find these days. Pentax just came out with a monochrome K-3 which is amazing so I'm hoping more camera companies jump on the bandwagon.
Sorry I, personally, don't care about the camera's brand, but about the images it produces , about the photographer vision, then, Leica, means nothing without you!
I’ve always dreamed of owning a Leica M series camera. You’ve had a few in for testing, yet you don’t want to own one. Is that maybe due to the tricky manual focusing of a rangefinder camera? As I imagine manual focusing using even the rear LCD panel might still be tricky and time consuming too 🤔
That's pretty cool, I did not know camera manufacturers were putting out Mono camera's. If this camera truly doesn't have the bayer matrix, then it has the potential to be a really good camera for astrophotography... especially if it doesn't have a filter that cuts off too much red light like most terrestrial camera's. Match it up with an Ha filter for amazing shots of emission nebula.
I would love a LUMIX GX-like camera with a monochrome MFT sensor and no video capability. Streamlined, but comprehensive controls, an OLED EVF, IBIS and PDAF. Leica could sell its own version. A fixed or tilting screen would be ideal. I think a lot of less-well-healed street shooters would love it.
I had a Q2 and recently bought a Q2 monochrome. I prefer black and white for my serious photography. It is as much a bought the process as it is about the results.
I would like to see a Nikon Monochrom camera . Great pictures! Adams' was a master as his post processing which really showed his true artistic talent. If Adams's was alive today what camera would he be using?
Great Video. I have the Q2 one and love it. I'll stick to it cause the price tag for this baby could be part of a down payment on a house. After choosing lenses, it could be ground for divorce 🙂. However, I love it. Thanks for the video.
I would love to see a Q monochrome with interchangeable lenses (or a M with EVF). The M is not easy to focus if you have some issues with your eyes, with the EVF would be definitely easier...
Thank you for sharing this. I have heard from a lot of people with sight issues - many do prefer or need an EVF. If you are interested in the M series, there is an add-on EVF for the M cameras. It's called the Visoflex 2 and it fits into the hotshoe. :)
A question and a comment; I love monochrome images. Nearly my entire collection of fine art photographs are monochrome. I like more contrasty monochrome images. What has been your experience, if any, utilizing a no. 25 red filter with this M11 and the Q2 Monochrome? I own the Q2 and the Q2 Monochrome and I find that I reach for the Q2 Monochrome more often than not when going out on a walk in the city or in a nature preserve, and the variety of monochrome filters I utilize expands what I refer to as "the eye that sees," or what Adams called his process of "pre-visualization." Which brings me to the comment; back in the late 1980s or early 1990s the Art Institute of Chicago had a special exhibit titled "Outside the Darkroom." It was a collection of photographs mostly examples of the Group f64 where the photographs were displayed two ways; first a straight print of the negative, and second a view of the same negative printed as we all know them now. The "pre-visualized" version of the artist's vision of the final print. The one example which I found most stunning was Adams' "Moonrise Over Hernandez, NM." To see the straight print of the negative with the sky replete with cirrus clouds and the moon blending in, and the foreground structures more illuminated with "golden hour" light contrasted with the amazing work Adams did in the darkroom is nothing more than breathtaking and at the same time astounding. As an aside, when I meet young people just entering into exploring photography for the first time over 90% of the questions posed are related to "composition." It seems that this is the most concerning to them and usually ends up with a discussion of "cropping" in post process. I find this counterintuitive. The concept of "pre-visualization" is paramount when making a photograph (not taking a picture). I started out 45 years ago using a 4x5 field camera which is a very deliberate process. So much thought must go into the process not only in terms of composition but also in the way light works, the choice of the lens you select, and taking continuous measurements of the light with a spot meter up until the point you release the shutter. You never know what you end up with until you are in the darkroom, so there is no paging through your review screen and deleting images that just didn't work. Large format photography is very arduous, very expensive, and in a given day you are only able to make 3 or 4 photographs in a day. The advice I usually give on "composition " in art is that every student should study Rudolf Arnheim's "The Power of the Center," (a very difficult read). However once you have studied it you will never look at any work of art the same way again. Composition becomes second nature because it is inside in you; it is not something you need to concern yourself with because "pre-visualization" and the "eye that sees" are part of you. I always remind myself when making a photograph is that the magic of that photograph happens in two places; the negative, and the darkroom. The combination of the two ensures exquisite results.
I have not used a red filter with either. That exhibition sounds amazing! I actually went back twice to visit the Adams exhibition that had comparisons, some of which were different compositions or at different times with different cloud formations. Also, thank you for the recommendation - I added the book to my "books" wish list. :)
Check out the f stops here . He is a professional portrait photographer here. He’s on his 4th M11 in less than a year. They just won’t stand up to daily professional use.
We all have our own preferences. The desert is a whole lot of dirt and so I consciously left it in the photo. Ansel Adams romanticized landscapes so I could have taken it out or cloned in some more greenery, but I chose to include the realism.
Not a camera the average person shooting will ever get at $9,000. I am not sure that other cheaper cameras couldn't get the same images either in camera, or in post.
In many situations, the art and know-how of the photographer definitely make a bigger difference than a camera. You can DEFINITELY do amazing work, monochrome or color, with less expensive cameras. This is just one option. :)
While the monochrom camera has some benefits, it seems to be too much of a niche product for other manufacturers to try it. [Yes, Pentax did, but they're already a bit of a zombie brand.] * The photographer who wants to use an interchangeable lens camera, their phone camera is sometimes inadequate. * The photographer who then wants to create a high percentage of b&w images. * The photographer who wants the little bit extra to want a dedicated monochrome sensor. * The photographer who is willing to forego color entirely in this camera. Sorry, Fuji or Olympus, this is a losing business model for you. Only Leica can pull it off, since they work in small numbers, already have a cult following, can price it at $9k, and can use a more limited distribution system. [I want C/S/N/F/P/O to survive the mobile phone camera onslaught. Going after niche products seems like a path to business failure.]
I see you are using various artisans lens. I can’t bring myself to buy any of them & throw support to communist China 🇨🇳💩. I get that Leica glass is for the wealthy, but in the meantime may I recommend Voigtlander. I appreciate your videos 🙏🏼
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Used to work in a sporting goods store in Monterey when I was younger. Ansel Adams was a regular customer who used to buy camping gear, freeze dried food, etc. He was always friendly to me and we enjoyed interacting with him.
Neat! Thanks for sharing!
Greetings from an old film photographer. The dark skies and crunchy contrasts he achieved by using a red filter. For portraits I suggest a yellow filter, max an orange. Try it 😊. That at 3:27 was an orange filter, the cactus at 5:47 with a red filter. No elaborate post necessary, you can’t do that with dodge and burning 😇
When speaking of Adam's and Leica you are speaking of absoulute Legends, the only one missing is Hasselblad. For years I used both Leica and Hasselblad professionally. The M 11 mono is superb. Thanks Leigh for the great video. Glad too see you up and about. Thanks again
This has been one of my favorite camera reviews…..i hope you continue to do similar reviews. I’d love it if Fuji or Ricoh would introduce a monochrome camera.
It’s really nice to see a camera in 2023 that works and looks like an actual camera!
I started photography in the 1950s when B&W was far more common than it is today and I still find great monochrome images more arresting than colour. Initially I thought that a monochrome digital camera would be a good idea but on more mature reflection I'm less convinced. With such a camera you would need to do any colour filter work at the time of taking rather than being able to apply colour filter effects in post-processing before converting to monochrome. I'm very into clouds (sufficiently to have done a Ph.D. in cloud physics in the 1970s when it was a back-water subject) and I feel that monochrome is by far the best way to bring out the beauty of cloudscapes. Traditionally one would use at least a 2x yellow filter to help do this.
What an interesting area of study! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We each have our own preferences and there is definitely a camera out there for every one of them!
you point a good question about filters on the lens in monochrom cameras
I learned so much from reading Adams books. The most important, though, would be that from the point he chooses to make a photo he is thinking about every step. From composition and lighting to normal film developing vs. pushing or pulling and all the way to the whole printing process. All this before even making an exposure.
That is SUCH a great lesson. It's so easy with digital cameras and large memory cards to simply keep pressing the shutter release button, without much thought. I will definitely bring this up in our next video on the M cameras because manual focusing does actually make you slow down. Thanks for sharing this!
I have an M11 and thought about the Monochrome. But, when you mentioned that a SL2 - Monochrome I ears picked up and thought dang, I would really like that. I love auto focus on my SL2 and Sl2-S. Maybe Leica will entertain that idea one day.
Nice to see a none read the specs etc review we get from so many. 1st hand experience with a project is always more inspiring. I have ordered my M11mono trading in my Q2M. It will join my M11 with pride & get used regularly.
I'm glad you like this format. Thanks for watching and enjoy your new camera!
Fantastic invention. So impressed with monochrom, I have just ditched my relatively new OLED TV, replaced by an older box type black/white TV set. My order for one of these cameras is now in and I am also saving for an external light meter, a steady tripod, a magnesium camera flash and a dark focussing cloth to get the full vintage photographs taking experience.
Nice video with obviously nice gear -- my question is to processing choices -- most of the black and white images I prefer push the blacks and enjoy far more contrast that those you showed -- ie closer to AA's work. The 1st cactus in the centre image is an example where the image you showed looked flatter to me than I would have chosen. However, later on you go decidedly darker. It may be worth you speaking about the choices you made and the look you worked to achieve.
Very clearly when printing work in black and white more contrast with deep blacks often turns out more impactful (if that is what you are seeking). Often contrast is used to help make subjects/images appear more three dimensional as does splitting tones/contrast/ brightness between subject, background, centre and edges of an image.
Great photos with that camera. The book that got me started to really work on my photography was Mountain Light by Galen Rowell.
Thanks for sharing - I just added it to my "books" wish list!
I had the privilege to meet Galen Rowell many years ago at one of his seminars. I was in absolute awe of his work. I am convinced that his work would be even better today with the many tools at our disposal. Galen was always looking at new & improved methods to apply to his photography endeavours. Galen & his wife, Barbara(a licensed pilot), left our world too soon.
I’m a fan of Ansel Adams and tend to make my pictures very contrasty because of it. Also I can think of 9,000 reasons why I don’t own an M11.
Mary Street Alinder (assisted Adams when writing the autobiography and subsequently finished it) also wrote another biography of Adams, as well as "Group f/64" which discusses several photographers who were contemporaries along with the straight photography philosophy favored by Adams. Both are worth adding to your library.
Thanks for the recommendations! :)
I have a M10M and I cannot believe how stunning the images are. I don’t use it every time I shoot, but I take it with me in case I find something great to shoot with it.
Do you have a favorite lens you use with the M10 Monochrom?
@@LeighAndRaymond With the M's I love the 35mm focal length, but I am forcing myself to use the 50mm and starting to like that focal length as well. I would say right now the Summilux-M 50mm is my favorite. Though I have a 1969 Summicron 50 that is a close second.
@@LeighAndRaymondA Leica 50mm Summicron APO, for me ...
@@JeffTapolci Love the Summilux 50 and I have an old Summicron Rigid from the 50s.
Interesting video! Thank you! Ansel Adams Used a View camera, so in addition to his compositions, he also used movements of the camera to control perspectives and he developed his pictures himself (Like Photoshop) to create this perfect texture and contrasts!. Love your pictures as well! Thank you! David
While I love B&W, my budget doesn't extend to a B&W only camera. I do still have my 35mm gear so can go down the pure B&W path with that if I want.
Everything is a compromise and I'll take the slight image losses at the moment or shoot film.
Good that your recovering as well, love your videos
For the life of me, I can't imagine that you wouldn't want to buy an M. Believe me! If you can afford it, treat yourself! I have only one other additional camera, because you can't do everything with the M and sometimes you do need another tool (though not for my fast dog, which I can shoot crisp with preset focus).
For me it took 12 years, from the first touch of an M9 until I treated myself to the M11 last year.
Now I have finally arrived!
Sweet camera , love the B&W captures . thank you Leigh for reminding us about Ansel Adams and his wonderful photos and books. Love taking photos in Willow lake on vacation trips
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed this.
Hi, Pentax makes the K3 Mark3 Monochrome. A crop sensor, 25MP that, brand new, retails at £2300. I had it and it is simply incredible. If Pentax can do it, I don't really know why Nikon, Canon or Fujifilm don't do it as well. It would sell like hot cakes! I use the Z system from Nikon and would buy a monochrome Nikon full frame Z mount camera in a heart bit!
Great video guys! Thanks!
I love your desert images as well as your discussion of Adams’s work. I own the M11 and can’t really justify (meaning, talk myself into) also buying the Monochrom, but the clarity and grayscale gradients from the Monochrom sensors are stunning, and I can easily see why, for some, this is the perfect camera. (See, for example, Matt Day’s M11M video released this morning.) I miss the good old days of going to workshops and on trips with two M analog bodies, loaded with different film (and as a backup, which was never needed). Tiny little Leica continues to punch well above its weight class, giving us necessarily costly but unique and wonderful tools to marvel over and explore with.
The M11 is an amazing body as well, certainly in terms of color production and gradients. :)
Q3 Monochrom. It’s IP52, you can use it in rainy and dusty environment. With 60 megapixel and the Summillux 28mm having built in macro it’s kinda permanently tied to your neck. There is a reason why the colour Q3 is worldwide on back order. 😅
I dont have any digital Leica, but I do have M2, M3 and M6. I am also somewhat experienced in deep sky imaging ( the proper long exposure imaging and not this fad of taking photos of the stars ). Two of my main imaging CCDs are Monochrome . To make natural colour with them, I have to use RGB filters where necessary. I also have a couple of colour CCDs, what is called OSC ( One Shot Colour ). The monochrome sensor has two distinct advantage over colour. One is the extra sensitivity, an dthe other is lack of noise. To what extent this applies to terrestrial photography very much depends on how and what subject you shoot. If the majority of your photography is in good light with low ' iso ' numbers, then there is very little tangible difference between a photograph taken with a monochrome sensor, and one converted to BW from a colour sensor. If however, the bulk of your photography is in low light or night an dyou yank the ' iso ' up, then the monochrome sensor is the superior one. Files from a monochrome sensor also stand more post capture manipulation. I have my own viwes on this, but here is not the place to discuss them.
What gear do you use for your deep sky imaging? We would love to try it out.
Hi, I have watched this video probably 5 times now. It gets better everytime. Iam just curious have you considered checking out the Pentax monochrome? I would like to hear your spin on it. Thanks for a great video about some of my favorite things.
I am falling in love with the Leica camera, the M11 no different. You video has only increased the long distance relationship 😊
As a hobbyist photographer (mainly for travel, family events, and chasing the grandkids), I am simply not an artist. I admire you, Raymond and all the photographer's that are truly artist (a bit jealous). But for me it's more of a memory snapshot; travel destinations, kids and grandkids events, etc. Photography for me is my brain backup, especially as I get older. As always great video, looking forward to your next one. Leigh are you doing? Hopefully getting better!!!!
Capturing the world around you is DEFINITELY an art! You’re documenting your family for generations to come. As for me… I’m alright but I’ve had a recurrence of my disc herniation. I’m headed in for more non-surgical treatments but possibly surgery again in the next couple months. Luckily, I’ve got a great doctor taking care of me. :)
I would like to see a Fuji X Pro Monochrome. That would further enhance the idea of the x pro 3 as photograph only camera.
I think a monochrome camera is such a niche camera that I'd be fine with it being limited to the M cameras and not the SLs. That also keeps the M Monochrome a bit more special.
A D-Lux 7 Monochrome would be wunderbar, so we don't have to spend the same as a used car to go natively black and white. As for the moment, I'm making my D-Lux 7 (and my 19 year old Kodak EasyShare C340) just do black and white with the corresponding internal settings. With the right light and a not large print, a C340 set to B & W, does an surprisingly close job to the other.
Thank you for your honest review I enjoyed seeing you using Leica and non Leica lenses as they should be used as just tools. An SL monochrome version would be great I owned an 246 Monochrome but didn’t use it very much, I still shoot film but the scarcity at times of film and the hassle to develop makes me return to a monochrome camera but I think an SL would be a better choice for all its advantages over an M
For monochrome alternatives, why not mention the Pentax K-3 Mark iii Monochrome also just announced this week? It's the only monochrome DSLR and offers weatherproof lenses, so it could be used in the rain whereas I don't think you'd want to take an M camera and lens out in bad weather.
Oh yeah - the Pentax also costs about $7000 less than the M11 Monochrome.
When I filmed this, the Pentax hadn't been announced yet. Thanks for mentioning it!
Do you intend to cover the Pentax in an upcoming video?
the best so far 😮 bought it yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Enjoyed the video. Liked your experimentation. I’m sure the m11 monochrome would be nuts. Have to get some of Ansel Adams books. You’ll see with my videos from ireland the black and white would work lovely in our soft overcast or storms days that happen more often than not. Cheers
After you finish the Ansel Adams Autobiography, I recommend you read his Biography which was written by Mary Street Alinder. You will notice that Mary Street Alinder is listed as a co-author on his Autobiography. She was his longtime assistant. I know what you are thinking, she uses the Biography to dish out a lot of juicy trash. That is not the case, but it is certainly a different perspective than you see in the Autobiography, and she is just a little bit harsher on Adams than he was on himself.
Interesting - my “books” wish list is just getting longer and longer!
Thanks Leigh (and Raymond) for the very informative and entertaining video. I have been an M photographer for about four years and just ordered the M11M and new 50 Summilux to go with my SL2. I loved the M10 but can't afford to hold onto it and buy the M11M. Like you I have tinkered with B+W jpegs in the Fuji world but this mono only camera will be a whole new experience. Here's hoping I can make the transition. Keep up the great work. Regards from Oz.
In addition, the book that had great impact on me was The Creation by Ernst Haas, he was the Ansel Adam's of color. Thanks
Thanks for the suggestion!
What a beauty! That would be a lovely camera to capture with.
Leigh, what a scream to see you, resting on a bright orange couch, extolling to M11 Monochrom. I shot mostly B&W when I started in 35mm because I could load film cassettes from bulk rolls, develop and print at home, and feel the process. When Cibachrome made color prints almost as easy as B&W, I added that in and learned some color science. Now I'm off to follow your inspiration and order Ansel Adams Autobiograph. Thanks for a delightful video. Oh yes, I will Nikon would add "negative to positive" into Z camera choices like they did for some DSLRs.
Oh my goodness, you’re right - the orange couch is pretty silly on its own, but sitting on it while discussing monochrome photography is hilarious!
Next Leica Monochrom? For me it would be the SL-2. I have a Q2 Monochrom which I use >50% of the time. To be able to get my zoom lenses into play would be really exciting
Great video Leigh!! I would like to see an X100V (or X100VI ?) in monochrome, although an SL2 / SL2-S or X-T5 (or X-Pro) in monochrome would be great also. So many choices...
Great video; enjoyed the images and discussion about how you approached the project and the individual images. Regarding my outlook on monochrome, I have always been drawn to images of this type. Monochrome images have always been easier for me to view and analyze. Finally, I feel monochrome images both feel more fixed in time AND at the same moment timeless. I don’t foresee buying a monochrome-only camera, but will explore the options in Lightroom and Nikon’s NX studio.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Nice, Leigh. You might take the Hedgehog Trail and head over the hill. Lots of compositions in that part of the park towards Malpais hills. I bet you could get super Ansel-y, monochrome or color. I take my Q2M out there fairly often and the potential for drama is everywhere. Thanks for sharing!
Oh boy, we've been ALL OVER that park. It's one of my favorite places to run... before the back injury, that is! I'm also super envious of your Q2 Monochrom. That camera spoke to me. :)
@@LeighAndRaymond Haha your review of the Q2M spoke to me! So I bought one. Perhaps we'll run into each other some day in the park. Looking forward to some monsoon goodness!
Thanks for your thoughts on the Leica M11 Monochrome. We must be neighbors as I recognize Table Top Mtn in the background in your images. I often shoot in monochrome having grown up with Kodak Tri-X in 100 foot rolls, processed; developed; and printed at home. Would love to meet you and Raymond for coffee at Le Grande.
My Q2 Mono is my emotional favorite. I have a Sony a1 for other work, and many others in between (Ricoh GRiii is the new one!) but the purely monochrome look is a challenge that I enjoy.
Great video, Leigh. The photos are great. I think it would be fun to shoot only in black and white using a digital camera. I loved shooting it from the film days but the cost of this Leica is prohibitive for me. I would like to be able to pick up a Fuji 100V but they are hard to find these days. Pentax just came out with a monochrome K-3 which is amazing so I'm hoping more camera companies jump on the bandwagon.
Sorry I, personally, don't care about the camera's brand, but about the images it produces , about the photographer vision, then, Leica, means nothing without you!
I’ve always dreamed of owning a Leica M series camera. You’ve had a few in for testing, yet you don’t want to own one. Is that maybe due to the tricky manual focusing of a rangefinder camera? As I imagine manual focusing using even the rear LCD panel might still be tricky and time consuming too 🤔
For me, I am happy to continue shooting b&w with my M8.2, Q2M and M10M. Interesting that you are using some non-Leica lenses for your project.
That's pretty cool, I did not know camera manufacturers were putting out Mono camera's. If this camera truly doesn't have the bayer matrix, then it has the potential to be a really good camera for astrophotography... especially if it doesn't have a filter that cuts off too much red light like most terrestrial camera's. Match it up with an Ha filter for amazing shots of emission nebula.
I would love a LUMIX GX-like camera with a monochrome MFT sensor and no video capability. Streamlined, but comprehensive controls, an OLED EVF, IBIS and PDAF. Leica could sell its own version. A fixed or tilting screen would be ideal. I think a lot of less-well-healed street shooters would love it.
I had a Q2 and recently bought a Q2 monochrome. I prefer black and white for my serious photography. It is as much a bought the process as it is about the results.
I absolutely understand about the process being as important as the results. The Q cameras are such a joy to use. :)
love ur vids !!!
Thank you!
I would like to see a Nikon Monochrom camera . Great pictures! Adams' was a master as his post processing which really showed his true artistic talent. If Adams's was alive today what camera would he be using?
Good question - I have no idea! There are so many incredible options on the market today.
Great Video. I have the Q2 one and love it. I'll stick to it cause the price tag for this baby could be part of a down payment on a house. After choosing lenses, it could be ground for divorce 🙂.
However, I love it. Thanks for the video.
I would love to see a Q monochrome with interchangeable lenses (or a M with EVF). The M is not easy to focus if you have some issues with your eyes, with the EVF would be definitely easier...
Thank you for sharing this. I have heard from a lot of people with sight issues - many do prefer or need an EVF. If you are interested in the M series, there is an add-on EVF for the M cameras. It's called the Visoflex 2 and it fits into the hotshoe. :)
@@LeighAndRaymond I know about the Visoflex but the EVF of my SL2 is in another league 🥰
Great video!
Thanks!
I can't afford the M11 Mono but, I would love a Fuji x-Pro M
Funny how Pentax announced their more budget friendly monochrom camera on the same day
I would love to have a Q2 Monochrom, I'd prefer it over the M11 actually.
A question and a comment; I love monochrome images. Nearly my entire collection of fine art photographs are monochrome. I like more contrasty monochrome images. What has been your experience, if any, utilizing a no. 25 red filter with this M11 and the Q2 Monochrome? I own the Q2 and the Q2 Monochrome and I find that I reach for the Q2 Monochrome more often than not when going out on a walk in the city or in a nature preserve, and the variety of monochrome filters I utilize expands what I refer to as "the eye that sees," or what Adams called his process of "pre-visualization." Which brings me to the comment; back in the late 1980s or early 1990s the Art Institute of Chicago had a special exhibit titled "Outside the Darkroom." It was a collection of photographs mostly examples of the Group f64 where the photographs were displayed two ways; first a straight print of the negative, and second a view of the same negative printed as we all know them now. The "pre-visualized" version of the artist's vision of the final print. The one example which I found most stunning was Adams' "Moonrise Over Hernandez, NM." To see the straight print of the negative with the sky replete with cirrus clouds and the moon blending in, and the foreground structures more illuminated with "golden hour" light contrasted with the amazing work Adams did in the darkroom is nothing more than breathtaking and at the same time astounding. As an aside, when I meet young people just entering into exploring photography for the first time over 90% of the questions posed are related to "composition." It seems that this is the most concerning to them and usually ends up with a discussion of "cropping" in post process. I find this counterintuitive. The concept of "pre-visualization" is paramount when making a photograph (not taking a picture). I started out 45 years ago using a 4x5 field camera which is a very deliberate process. So much thought must go into the process not only in terms of composition but also in the way light works, the choice of the lens you select, and taking continuous measurements of the light with a spot meter up until the point you release the shutter. You never know what you end up with until you are in the darkroom, so there is no paging through your review screen and deleting images that just didn't work. Large format photography is very arduous, very expensive, and in a given day you are only able to make 3 or 4 photographs in a day. The advice I usually give on "composition " in art is that every student should study Rudolf Arnheim's "The Power of the Center," (a very difficult read). However once you have studied it you will never look at any work of art the same way again. Composition becomes second nature because it is inside in you; it is not something you need to concern yourself with because "pre-visualization" and the "eye that sees" are part of you. I always remind myself when making a photograph is that the magic of that photograph happens in two places; the negative, and the darkroom. The combination of the two ensures exquisite results.
I have not used a red filter with either. That exhibition sounds amazing! I actually went back twice to visit the Adams exhibition that had comparisons, some of which were different compositions or at different times with different cloud formations. Also, thank you for the recommendation - I added the book to my "books" wish list. :)
12:43
Can’t wait for the video!!! You seem well versed in Q and M and really enjoy photography. Great to hear your opinion!
A Fuji GFX monochrom !!!! Please.....
Pentax has a more affordable K3 III monochrome, but still $2200.
Check out the f stops here . He is a professional portrait photographer here. He’s on his 4th M11 in less than a year. They just won’t stand up to daily professional use.
the power of digital editing has created a generation of artists, but not photographers... sigh.
I would love a monochrome only camera, but they're so expensive. For now, I'll stick to my Fuji camera with acros and custom sims. :(
I adore the ACROS film simulation. I have even shot some ACROS film - beautiful!
That light patch of sand in the lower right corner of the cactus photo distracts from the cactus itself.
We all have our own preferences. The desert is a whole lot of dirt and so I consciously left it in the photo. Ansel Adams romanticized landscapes so I could have taken it out or cloned in some more greenery, but I chose to include the realism.
Adams was an absolute Master!
13:33
Fuji X100V monochrom
Fuji xpro3 monochrom
Mainly because fuji handles highlight detail better than Leica.
I just dont want to sell one of my kidneys to afford one.
Not a camera the average person shooting will ever get at $9,000. I am not sure that other cheaper cameras couldn't get the same images either in camera, or in post.
In many situations, the art and know-how of the photographer definitely make a bigger difference than a camera. You can DEFINITELY do amazing work, monochrome or color, with less expensive cameras. This is just one option. :)
While the monochrom camera has some benefits, it seems to be too much of a niche product for other manufacturers to try it. [Yes, Pentax did, but they're already a bit of a zombie brand.]
* The photographer who wants to use an interchangeable lens camera, their phone camera is sometimes inadequate.
* The photographer who then wants to create a high percentage of b&w images.
* The photographer who wants the little bit extra to want a dedicated monochrome sensor.
* The photographer who is willing to forego color entirely in this camera.
Sorry, Fuji or Olympus, this is a losing business model for you. Only Leica can pull it off, since they work in small numbers, already have a cult following, can price it at $9k, and can use a more limited distribution system.
[I want C/S/N/F/P/O to survive the mobile phone camera onslaught. Going after niche products seems like a path to business failure.]
I see you are using various artisans lens. I can’t bring myself to buy any of them & throw support to communist China 🇨🇳💩. I get that Leica glass is for the wealthy, but in the meantime may I recommend Voigtlander. I appreciate your videos 🙏🏼
My god! You link the name of Ansel Adams with Leica to have a clicks? :( There is nothing with Ansel Adams here. Nothing.
In your mind, how would it have been appropriate to study Mr. Adams and try out some of his images' characteristics?