GX9 monochrom mode twaeked to emulate Tri-X 400

[mauve]

Sorry, the linked article is in French, but the gist of it is Panasonic dedicated an engineer full time to emulate the Tri-X look and feel on the GX9.

L'ingénieur de Panasonic en quête d'un noir & blanc au rendu argentique

M.

 

[oldracer]

I have always been puzzled by this kind of thing. When we shot Tri-X in Olden Times it was because we had to, because there wasn't enough light to shoot something with less grain like Plus-X or Panatomic. Things got really awful when we had to push Tri-X to 1600 or more in the darkroom. I don't recall anyone, any discussions ever, about shooting it for artistic reasons.

 

[mauve]

I have always been puzzled by this kind of thing. When we shot Tri-X in Olden Times it was because we had to, because there wasn't enough light to shoot something with less grain like Plus-X or Panatomic. Things got really awful when we had to push Tri-X to 1600 or more in the darkroom. I don't recall anyone, any discussions ever, about shooting it for artistic reasons.

This aspect is talked about at length in the interview. In a pinch, it depends on the market perception. Panasonic actively seeks feedback from journalists and pros around the world, and cater to perceived needs. As an example, it is said Germans for instance are more interested in technical improvements, whereas French are looking for more specific renderings like different films emulations. So this emphasis on achieving a quasi Tri-X look was developped in part to answer a demand of the French market. I think many French photographers would like to follow in the steps of Doisneau or Cartier-Bresson, to name just two.

M.

 

[Wasabi Bob]

Oldracer, you are reading my mind. In the early days of digital people complained of "noise" at higher ISO's which was no different than the "grain" that Tri-X produced. Now we've got great digital performance and people want the film grain look. Go figure!

 

[drd1135]

I shot a lot of Tri-X with my old Spotmatic. I liked the look and versatility better than the lower ASA B&W films. The Pen F made it easy to adjust your monochrome output to your liking. I enjoyed that aspect of the F. After all, monochrome is all about art, otherwise we’d use color.

 

[NoSeconds]

Sorry, the linked article is in French, but the gist of it is Panasonic dedicated an engineer full time to emulate the Tri-X look and feel on the GX9.

L'ingénieur de Panasonic en quête d'un noir & blanc au rendu argentique

M.

All I get from clicking on that link is a blank white screen, are they going to add this emulation through a future firmware update...?

 

[mauve]

All I get from clicking on that link is a blank white screen, are they going to add this emulation through a future firmware update...?

It's supposedly already there under the not so helpful "L-Monochrom D" name.
Cheers,
M.

 

[rumplestiltskin]

I use the L-Monochrom mode on my GX85 and shoot RAW. When I import to Lightroom, the default is Adobe Color so my RAW shots appear in color. I did try changing the mode to the L-Monochrom mode (Lightroom sees it okay) but the issue I have with doing this is that I can no longer change the tonality by color (like I can simply by clicking the Black & White button in the Basic tab). Therefore, while I like to see what I'm going to shoot in the camera's L-Monochrom EVF/LCD view, I prefer to take a bit more control in Lightroom. I usually change the photo to L-Monochrom just so I get a reminder of what I saw (and why I decided to shoot this scene), then switch back to Adobe Color, click the B&W button in the Basic tab, and proceed from there.

AFAIC, the L-Monochrom mode—while compelling and useful in shooting—isn't an acceptable starting point for my photos once they arrive in Lightroom. I am not displeased with my GX85 at all; it's still the best camera I've ever owned and, if I needed a camera today, I'd buy another (or the GX9 as it wasn't released when I bought my GX85 last year). Perhaps I could create virtual copies of my photos and assign to them the L-Monochrom mode so I might have a handy reference, then delete them when I'm finished with editing the lot. Hmmm....

 

[mauve]

I use the L-Monochrom mode on my GX85 and shoot RAW. When I import to Lightroom, the default is Adobe Color so my RAW shots appear in color. I did try changing the mode to the L-Monochrom mode (Lightroom sees it okay) but the issue I have with doing this is that I can no longer change the tonality by color (like I can simply by clicking the Black & White button in the Basic tab). Therefore, while I like to see what I'm going to shoot in the camera's L-Monochrom EVF/LCD view, I prefer to take a bit more control in Lightroom. I usually change the photo to L-Monochrom just so I get a reminder of what I saw (and why I decided to shoot this scene), then switch back to Adobe Color, click the B&W button in the Basic tab, and proceed from there.

AFAIC, the L-Monochrom mode—while compelling and useful in shooting—isn't an acceptable starting point for my photos once they arrive in Lightroom. I am not displeased with my GX85 at all; it's still the best camera I've ever owned and, if I needed a camera today, I'd buy another (or the GX9 as it wasn't released when I bought my GX85 last year). Perhaps I could create virtual copies of my photos and assign to them the L-Monochrom mode so I might have a handy reference, then delete them when I'm finished with editing the lot. Hmmm....

FWIW, "L-monochrom D" is different from "L-Monochrom" and exists only on the GX9.

M.

 

[rumplestiltskin]

FWIW, "L-monochrom D" is different from "L-Monochrom" and exists only on the GX9.

M.

Thanks, Mauve. I understand. I did read the linked article (Google translated it from the French for me) and I can see the attraction (as Tri-X was my emulsion of choice back in photo school - Art Institute of Pittsburgh, class of '73) but my processing choice remains.

 

[Timp]

FWIW, "L-monochrom D" is different from "L-Monochrom" and exists only on the GX9.

M.

There were firmware updates in May for the G9, GH5 and GHS, which added L Monochrome D (and the grain effect) to those cameras too. I was delighted that Panasonic added it to them - although I don’t own those cameras, I absolutely adore this photo style on my GX9, so the more people that can use it, the better!

Really interesting read - Panasonic did a bang up job and it was great getting an insight into the development.