FOR THE LOVE OF A MONOCHROM CAMERA

18 Jan

The Leica Monochrom camera series is a love letter to photography and a poetic statement on black and white imagery. These cameras have always had a certain mystical lure.

There are three models thus far. The first model was introduced back in 2012 and the most recent model, the M10M in 2020. I have been using monochrom cameras on and off for the past 3 years starting with the Type 246. This brief article is just my thoughts on using the monochrom platform. I will break it down into two parts, technical and creative.

From a technical aspect a native monochrom sensor without the colour bayer filter will give you inherently more resolution. It will allow more light to hit the sensor. Additionally, it will get rid of all the unusual colour artefacts present in colour photos, for e.g. chromatic aberration. A colour to black and white converted image will lose detail compared to a native monochrom file. In other words, you get a dedicated palette of grey tones to create your image. Furthermore, vintage lenses perform great bursting with character.

Both the M246 and M10M perform great at high ISO. And I mean up to ISO 25000 in a pinch. The M10M certainly has the edge here being the newer model, but both cameras are highly capable. The first generation M9 Monochrom had other limitations but I've used it to great success as well. The M9M photos had a certain mysticism about them. Paired with a 35 or 50 Summilux lens one, could create romance. Wow.

Currently my main camera is the M10 Monochrom. There are mainly five reasons why I love this camera:

With the right lens it gives you a medium format ‘organic look.’ For e.g the 50APO, 35Lux, 28Lux, etc. The file are simply fantastic to post process with endless possibilities.
Ability to shoot late at night. I typically was a daytime shooter but with modern technology I am out and about photographing at all hours of the day. Nothing can stop me now. I can shoot at ISO 50000 and get usable images. Seriously, its fun.
It has allowed me a larger 'greys' palette than the previous generation model. I believe it has 4000+ tones of grey.
Heck, the resolution is insane. I can crop to my hearts delight if and when needed.
The most important reason; I can create visual poetry. Striking to the eyes and soft on the heart. You know what I mean.

A monochrom camera will force you to think in black and white. In the absence of a colour array in post, it will force you to start seeing contrast, light, shadow, shapes, and textures. You will begin to appreciate the limitation and start embracing the world in black and white. All of a sudden street photography will become poetic and your architecture photography, romantic. Landscapes will become paintings and portraits a bold statement. I can talk all day about shooting natively in monochrom, but I think you get the idea.

Everyone talks about how gear is not important and it is always about the photo. I agree to that at some level but truly, your gear has to inspire you in some aspects to get you going. Nearly all my best images have been made with the Leica M platform. I have used a variety of cameras in my life including the Leica Q and SL series. Honestly, the biggest challenge has been pairing the right lens kit.

I recommend anyone to try any of these cameras with their lens of choice. There is a huge selection of lenses offered by Leica, Zeiss, and Voigtlander. I myself have tried a good variety and finally settled on the following: 24 Elmar 3.8, 35mm Summilux FLE, 50 APO Summicron, 50 Summicron V5, 90 Macro Elmar f4, and the 135 Elmar f4.

Please feel free to see a variety of my monochrom images on Instagram and on my website. If you have additional questions about lens pairing, creative process, Lightroom editing, or anything at all, please email me directly.