I want one (OM-D Monochrom). Serious! More on the Leica: http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/05/10/Leica-announces-M-Monochrom-18MP-Full-Frame-Mono-Rangefinder
Anything can be done for a price Amin.....and I'm serious, too. I'm sure you could get your OMD converted.
Why? Amin, This is a serious question since you say you want the M Monochrom and since I cannot understand why anyone would pay $8000.00 (before lenses) for such a camera when $79 will buy Silver Efex 2 and brilliant results. So, what is it you see in the M Monochrome that i am having such a hard time seeing? And by the way, forget Silver Efex 2. Get a used M6 and some black and white film and the extra $6000 will buy a lot of processing. Caimi
I wasn't clear enough. I have no interest in this M Monochrom. What I would like is a $999 Olympus OM-D Monochrom. Same sensor as the E-M5 minus the CFA - better light capture, better high ISO performance, higher resolution, and affordable enough to be my second camera since I primarily like to shoot color. Does that make more sense? :smile:
My mistake. I didn't read your post carefully enough. But can anyone tell me what i am not seeing with the M Monochrom?
Just the advantages which I stated: Higher resolution (each pixel is it's own detail capture, no demosaicing needed to deal with the Bayer array), more light capture (again because of the lack of CFA), and therefore significantly better detail relative to noise. For people who shoot B&W, don't want the hassle of processing film, and don't want the complexity (and flexibility) of doing color to B&W conversions, it's an attractive option. The DPReview samples look great to me as well.
I'm with you Amin. Most of my photo life I spent shooting B&W, which (for me) is about the essence of things, not so much about the object as the forms, textures, and emotional values of light and dark. I'd LOVE a dedicated B&W camera that increased resolution. I'd even drag out my gel filters to put in front of the lens to fine tune grey values. It would bring me back to my roots and my first and deepest photo passion. Go for it, Olympus And OM-D BW-1
The reason I say Olympus rather than Panasonic is that Olympus has the old roots, the retro look, and seems more interested in niche markets. I'm a fan of both companies though and would be all over a B&W Lumix G. There's a small but definite market for this. Someone just has to come in and capitalize!
Agreed. I shoot Olympus partly, I admit, out of habit: it's what I always shot, and I l really do like it's controls and styling. But I' ve gotthe m4/3 lenses; if Panasonic put one out, they'd have me in a heartbeat.
You get to use the Leica lenses at a super high resolution. The Nex7 comes close but doesn't do as well in the corners. You can buy cheaper smaller lenses in lieu of faster lenses. Rather than buying a 1.4 lens, now you can buy a 2.8 lens and get the same quality. M6+21 1.4 is more expensive than the M9M + 21 3.5. Film only goes to ISO 1600. M9M will go to ISO 10,000 You want medium format quality files but you want high ISO and fast lenses. Medium format usually doesn't get higher than 2.8. You already use your M9 or M8 for B&W only. You already carry two or more bodies for backup. And your first body is a Hasselblad. You are wealthy, but not S2 wealthy. You are a Leica Collector. I don't think it's actually for people that don't like post processing, for some reason they include a copy of Lightroom and SilverFX for free
I agree this is a cool idea. I personally would have a tough time dropping $1k on a black & white only camera, but if it's truly as simple as stripping the CFA from the sensor it seems like Oly could easily generate enough sales to recoup the development costs.
What I can't believe is that an f/2 normal lens costs more than $7K. I mean, the Zeiss ZM 50/2 Planar is one of the most perfect lenses I have ever owned, and I sold it used for about $500. The new Leica would have to squeeze out golden eggs for me to spend an extra $6.5k.
not a leica camera fan... but do love the lenses.... and have a partner who I know will be getting one of these....its a perfect bit of marketing for the confirmed leica user...their heritage is B/W. what i find hilarious is that they also announced a new 50/2 lens at 7000 dollars.....I am sure its very very good....but 7000 dollars...heck I could buy an OMD and several lenses and a round the world plane ticket for that price. K Ps just saw amins post above....
I wonder how significant the engineering is. It would be pretty sweet if a third party company could modify the sensor for you, like how they remove IR filters to convert existing cameras.
Direct link to sample images for the lazy: Leica M-Monochrom Hands-on Preview: Digital Photography Review Looks nice. I'm not sure if I can tell the difference vs b&w shots from high end cameras with PP though. I'd love to see some scientific double-blind tests of Leica vs the alternatives to see how much of the difference is real vs placebo effects.
