Leica Announces M-Monochrom

I only use black & white film with a rangefinder (with the rare exception of an equally featureless Nikon FM2), and there is nothing limiting about my gear in relation to my needs, wants, and style. And the last thing I need on a camera (aside from video) is live-view (but God bless its existence for those who do use it).

Putting the price issue aside, and focusing on merely the concept, I'm in agreement with Mike Johnston's post on the subject, and I always find it peculiar when people seem almost anxious to lambaste greater choice. Variety just doesn't address technical requirements but also psychological and ergonomic ones that can be equally, if not more, important.

If you think it is a silly camera, fine. If you think it is overpriced, fine (the vast majority of humans think that the price for an entry-level DSLR is excessive). Whatever your reservations or discontent, you don't have to buy it, and chances are pretty good you won't have to even see one.

Just a note: Comparing the Leica with similar cost cameras is frivolous if one wants a rangefinder (however nice a Pentax medium format might be---a comparison that, by the way, can also be used against Canons' and Nikons' high-end offerings).

J_TULLAR wrote in post #14417786
Okay so its unavailable at one store... its available at photovillage, dale photo digital, tamarkin, popflash, amazon, B&H, Adorama, and various leica boutiques... not so rare anymore bud lol. I love Leica, but im not gonna blindly drink the overpriced marketing kool aid that they are pushing. Look at rangefinder forums... they are pissed at leica's constant ridiculous price increases. If the M-9 is a indicator, the M-10 will be the same camera with 24mp ccd a 1/2 stop iso increase 230k lcd and for 15K dollars ROFL. INSANITY!

I don't blindly drink any kool-aid but I prefer a rangefinder over all the DSLR offerings for a variety of reasons. If Leica M would have had a FF camera when I went digital I would have bought a Leica.

Yeah take a look around here and see how well recieved the 1DsMkIII or the 5DIII were how many dozens of threads saying how bad they both suck. Then go over the Nikon forums and read the love over there And how many threads here are slaming Canon for price increases PLEASE

I have several friends that own Leica and I have shot with both the M8 & M9. Canon and Nikon have nothing in there line up in wide angle lenses that come close as I mentioned in an early post.

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1184015

Let me clarify a few things I guess...

For me, a Leica is just a poor choice, a lot of what i shoot, and a lot of the way i enjoy shooting tends to involve me getting fairly close to the subject to introduce the distorted perspective from a wider lens, Or to better isolate a subject from something distracting, the Parallax errors on a rangefinder would likely give me a lot of grief shooting that way last i checked

Also they tend to not be so great for macro shooting I kinda have a thing for that....

But all that said, If i had the money, i would add a Leica M9 and a lens to my arsenal, Because for some of my shooting, the small discrete nature of the Leica would be a really nice thing to have... Not sure what id get for lenses, Probubly a 35mm and a 90mm

That said, I rarely if ever shot black and white when i shot film.. I do have some pretty good shots though (One i can think of i REALLY should scan i really liked that picture..) I was more into color slide film, I loved the 3D pop i got with the images of flowers i shot, I loved the contrast as well...

So I admit, the Monochrom isnt for me, I can accept there might be a market for it, but i guess i just am not seeing it, I dont see the point when you can just use an M9 like a Black and White camera, Simply process everything in black and white, or put the JPEG processing thing to black and white, Or whatever, I dont see where its making an actual difference in the quality of black and white output from any samples i've seen, ill change my opinion if i see some samples that actually -do- show "hey this thing really is better"

If you have the eye for Black and White, then you have it and you can shoot color and convert to black and white and have it come out the same, if you dont, then you'll still learn from your mistakes by converting images shot in color to black and white...

If the M10 has a 36MP or denser sensor, live view and 14-bit-or-greater A/D conversion, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. It would be a fantastic landscape camera for trekking, climbing and other activities where you don't want to carry 15kg or more of gear.

sjones wrote in post #14418345
I only use black & white film with a rangefinder (with the rare exception of an equally featureless Nikon FM2), and there is nothing limiting about my gear in relation to my needs, wants, and style. And the last thing I need on a camera (aside from video) is live-view (but God bless its existence for those who do use it).

Putting the price issue aside, and focusing on merely the concept, I'm in agreement with Mike Johnston's post on the subject, and I always find it peculiar when people seem almost anxious to lambaste greater choice. Variety just doesn't address technical requirements but also psychological and ergonomic ones that can be equally, if not more, important.

If you think it is a silly camera, fine. If you think it is overpriced, fine (the vast majority of humans think that the price for an entry-level DSLR is excessive). Whatever your reservations or discontent, you don't have to buy it, and chances are pretty good you won't have to even see one.

Just a note: Comparing the Leica with similar cost cameras is frivolous if one wants a rangefinder (however nice a Pentax medium format might be---a comparison that, by the way, can also be used against Canons' and Nikons' high-end offerings).

Hey dont get me wrong, I like the M-monochrome... think its a great idea! My complaint is price and leica's choice not to upgrade certain things when they should. Maybe im more pissed cus now I cant afford alot of their stuff lol. But seriously 230K lcd from six years ago, leica x2 with 4mp and a panasonic evf rebadged... not much innovation for the price to be honest. Plus you shoot film dude. Im talking digital.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #14418424
I don't blindly drink any kool-aid but I prefer a rangefinder over all the DSLR offerings for a variety of reasons. If Leica M would have had a FF camera when I went digital I would have bought a Leica.

Yeah take a look around here and see how well recieved the 1DsMkIII or the 5DIII were how many dozens of threads saying how bad they both suck. Then go over the Nikon forums and read the love over there And how many threads here are slaming Canon for price increases PLEASE

I have several friends that own Leica and I have shot with both the M8 & M9. Canon and Nikon have nothing in there line up in wide angle lenses that come close as I mentioned in an early post.

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1184015

Yup I was in those threads too! I think the 5d3 is overpriced for what it is as well. Like I said you dont have to convince me of why leica's are great! BTW Zeiss lenses get close on nikon and canon bodies. Problem is Canons price increase is what $500 bucks... while leica's increase is triple!!! Can you afford to buy a new M-9 Monochrom with 50 f/2 APO ? I think not. Their cameras are not for mere mortals anymore.... sucks!

Shadowblade wrote in post #14419531
If the M10 has a 36MP or denser sensor, live view and 14-bit-or-greater A/D conversion, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. It would be a fantastic landscape camera for trekking, climbing and other activities where you don't want to carry 15kg or more of gear.

http://www.roundshot.c​h …cation/d438/d92​5/f934.cfm
http://www.linhof.de/t​echn612e.html

try these, peter lik loves them lol.

J_TULLAR wrote in post #14419818
http://www.roundshot.c​h …cation/d438/d92​5/f934.cfm
http://www.linhof.de/t​echn612e.html

try these, peter lik loves them lol.

I used to shoot MF panoramic film. Changed to digital for a reason... if only they'd make a 617-format digital sensor (24x72mm would be ideal, two full-frame sensors side-by-side).

Sheesh... talk about niche.

Shadowblade wrote in post #14419862
I used to shoot MF panoramic film. Changed to digital for a reason... if only they'd make a 617-format digital sensor (24x72mm would be ideal, two full-frame sensors side-by-side).

Ugh... those are digital and the seitz is a 617 digital sensor camera lol.

J_TULLAR wrote in post #14419871
Ugh... those are digital and the seitz is a 617 digital sensor camera lol.

I missed that part on the sidebar about the digital version - just saw the standard one in the middle.

Scanning backs aren't really suitable for what I do, anyway - I commonly need exposure times of more than one second, which are impractical on scanning backs when light is changing fast.

J_TULLAR wrote in post #14419814
Yup I was in those threads too! I think the 5d3 is overpriced for what it is as well. Like I said you dont have to convince me of why leica's are great! BTW Zeiss lenses get close on nikon and canon bodies. Problem is Canons price increase is what $500 bucks... while leica's increase is triple!!! Can you afford to buy a new M-9 Monochrom with 50 f/2 APO ? I think not. Their cameras are not for mere mortals anymore.... sucks!

First you should never assume what someone can or can't afford and I am going to get a M9 and a 35 1.4 summilux before the end of the year(not the monochrome but maybe the monochrome sometime down the road). I have a corporate account with Calumet thats why I mention Calumet.

Cameras are just tools. The best way to shoot B&W is still an 8X10 Deardorff, the photographer and his knowledge of the zone system but if you are talking about a great digital camera for street photography the M9 and a 35mm lens is about as good as it gets. These are just tools and the Leica M has proven itself over the years as being a great tool for the street.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #14420141
First you should never assume what someone can or can't afford and I am going to get a M9 and a 35 1.4 summilux before the end of the year(not the monochrome but maybe the monochrome sometime down the road). I have a corporate account with Calumet thats why I mention Calumet.

Cameras are just tools. The best way to shoot B&W is still an 8X10 Deardorff, the photographer and his knowledge of the zone system but if you are talking about a great digital camera for street photography the M9 and a 35mm lens is about as good as it gets. These are just tools and the Leica M had proven itself over the years as being a great tool for the street.

Very true the Leica M "Film" system has proven itself... still waiting on this digital system. Having a slow buffer doesnt help, another complaint I have.

J_TULLAR wrote in post #14420250
Very true the Leica M "Film" system has proven itself... still waiting on this digital system. Having a slow buffer doesnt help.

Its fast enough. The Leica approach is not the machine gun approach so instead of blasting your way through the moment you learn to see it and then hone your skills like Bresson and Winogrand to be able to capture it once its seen. I, like many, that would choose Leica are looking for a much different experience from the highly automated machine gun FPS that many DSLR users insist on. Nice to have choices I say. And if your choice is DSLR thats fine and thats what works for you but there are a lot of photographers out there like me that want a much different experience and thats cool to.

And you keep talking about price but like I mentioned before when I bought my F-1s they cost about $500. It was the top of the line professional Canon camera. Hasselblad 500 C/Ms were about (IIRC what I paid for mine at the time) $2200 and Leica Ms were going for about $1500. Now in the digital world the Leica M9 is about the same as the Canon 1Ds MkIII (top of the Canon pro line now) and Blads are 30K.

When I went digital the boys at Canon had fixed it were my old great FD lenses would not work on digital bodies so my investment when I finally went digital was all new everything. Leica M didn't do that to their loyal users though they clearly could have and it would have been a better business model.

The entire reason most would choose Leica will completely get missed by those that are looking for higher frame rates and more automation. Its a lack of both of those things and many other things that make Leica attractive to those of us that have gone and will go in that direction. Its not a one size fits all Camera and its not intended to be. Nice to have choices. And now if you shoot a lot of B&W prefer a range finder, you have a great street camera choice thats digital.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #14420307
Its fast enough. The Leica approach is not the machine gun approach so instead of blasting your way through the moment you learn to see it and then hone your skills like Bresson and Winogrand to be able to capture it once its seen. I like many that would choose Leica are looking for a much different experience from the high automated machine gun FOS that many DSLR users insist on. Nice to have choices I say. And if your choice is DSLR thats fine and thats what works for you but there are a lot of photographers out there like me that want a much different experience and thats cool to.

And you keep talking about price but like I mentioned before when I bought my F-1s they cast about $500. It was the top of the line professional Canon camera. Hasselblad 500 C/Ms were about (IIRC what I paid for mine at the time) $2200 and Leica Ms were going for about $1500. Now in the digital world the Leica M9 is about the same as the Canon 1Ds MkIII (top of the Canon pro line now) and Blads are 30K.

When I went digital the boys at Canon had fixed it were my old great FD lenses would not work on digital bodies so my investment when I finally went digital was all new everything. Leica M didn't do that to their loyal users though they clearly could have and it would have been a better business model.

The entire reason most would choose Leica will completely get missed by those that are looking for higher frame rates and more automation. Its a lack of both of those things and many other things that make Leica attractive to those of us that have gone and will go in that direction. Its not a one size fits all Camera and its not intended to be. Nice to have choices. And now if you shoot a lot of B&W prefer a range finder, you have a great street camera choice thats digital.

You can shoot your FD lenses on new canons with a adaptor. Winogrand and Bresson used film leica's which is fast to rewind to the next frame, not wait 2 seconds for a damn buffer to load. You really want to experience what they did buy a Leica MP or M7 Film camera. Besides this is getting way off topic now, my point is and will always be Leica's is out pricing their loyal costumer base.