Comments on: Test Shots: The M9, ISO 2500 & B&W.

By: Black and White with M9 - Seite 2 - Leica User Forum

Black and White with M9 - Seite 2 - Leica User Forum — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:58:51 +0000

[...] light. I have used it for silly snaps around the house to test it and I have no complaints… Test Shots: The M9, ISO 2500 & B&W. | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS Hi Steve, looks like a Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento … got the same beauties at home Also [...]

By: Black and White with M9 - Leica User Forum

Black and White with M9 - Leica User Forum — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:28:42 +0000

[...] light. I have used it for silly snaps around the house to test it and I have no complaints… Test Shots: The M9, ISO 2500 & B&W. | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS __________________ My Leica reviews! M9, S2 and lenses! http://www.stevehuffphoto.com My M9 [...]

By: Elaine

Elaine — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:03:36 +0000

Thanks, Steve! Hey, I got 12th place in that DPreview contest. LOL! Better than nothing, I suppose.

By: Steve Huff

Steve Huff — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:18:51 +0000

Hey Elaine! I used to own Alien Skin (still do, but it is not currently installed). I like both Alien Skin and Silver Efex but I think Silver Efex edges out Alien, especially when you go past the presets to customize a bit more. You can download a SIlver Efex demo as well. Just google Silver Efex

By: Elaine

Elaine — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:25:30 +0000

Steve, have you ever tried Alien Skin? I’m using the demo right now, and wonder what the difference is between this and the Nik Software you use? Anyone try both? My demo is up in 3 days and I wanted to know which to invest in. Does Nik have a demo too? I would like to hear it from you though, Steve. You’ve used the Nik software extensively.

By: Steve Huff

Steve Huff — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:54:45 +0000

Hey Elaine! Yes, I did try B&W JPEG with the M8 and liked it but it was quite a bit noisier from what I remember. Also, a slightly different look, maybe a bit “harder” (M8).

By: Elaine

Elaine — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:48:34 +0000

Have you ever tried the B&W settings in the M8 or M8.2, Steve?

Also, which is better Alien Skin or Nik Efex for doing black and white?

By: Eric Pepin

Eric Pepin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:01:08 +0000

I took one of your habits steve and started shooting bnw jpegs and raw as a secondary and im loving those BnWs. as can be seen here noise tends to add to the bnw shots instead of hinder them. Thanks for the idea.

By: Harald Benz

Harald Benz — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:37:10 +0000

Since the M9 employs a CCD sensor I don’t believe a nice ISO 3200 is going to happen anytime soon. Unless Leica would switch to a CMOS sensor of course.
As Steve’s examples show taking good photos at high ISO (M9 high ISO that is, it’s no D3s) is not a question of what the camera offers in terms of usable ISO range but rather whether the photographer knows how to archive those good results with a digital M.
The emphasis being on the word “digital” here. Which is interestingly the biggest hurdle to overcome for most Leica shooters because their experience is solely based on film.

One more thing, I really dig the new in camera Vintage B&W setting. Sweet.

By: Nelson Villarica

Nelson Villarica — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:40:05 +0000

I guess the high ISO of Leica M9 is not yet perfect, we must remember that Leica has an arsenal of fast lens that we can use to suck light. In the meantime, we can shoot with fast lens and ISO 1000. During the golden age of film, we only have TMAX, TRI X at ISO 400 and fast Leica lens, sometimes we push the film but the quality will suffer and it will become grainy. Right now, we can use at least ISO 1000 or 1600 and I think, somehow it will give good results and be more film like in qualities. Most Leica users shoot in B&W, I guess the highest B&W ISO film that we can use is Ilford Delta 3200, but it is too grainy.I hope that the future Leica will have nice ISO 3200 with clean image just like the Nikon D3S, and that will be an awesome and stunning feature of the future Leica !