"black is lazy and easy - but mysterious"

yohji yamamoto

By 默默富酷

April 13^th, 2023

black and white, again?

the last time i posted was a year ago, and both posts were about black and white images. today is yet another monochrome piece to dull your minds and mute your senses. it is an irony as my instagram has recently changed from black and white to color.

this post is a quick impression of a new camera - the leica monochrom m11. i shall refer it by its palindrome name, m11m, for brevity henceforth. i penned this post before the camera is officially announced so i don't know its codename, price, technical specifications or sexual orientation. the previous tagline for the m10 monochrom was "discover more in black and white" so i could only imagine the new slogans that the marketing geniuses would conjure for this new release:

"visualise in 50 shades of grey."
"the pinnacle of irrational spend."
"own the heritage of photography, once again."
"discover even more in black and white"

clearly, i am not suitable for the marketing baloney.

this post is not a review, i am not qualified nor skilled in doing any reviews. i leave that to the leica experts who still debate about cmos versus ccd, a topic that should have died a decade ago.

this is just my impressions and observations, as an user, after handling it for over a day.

monochrom messsucher

like all leica m, the m11m is a beauty to gawk at, and sensual to handle. after owning and using many versions of leica m, any new leica m still evoke that first love infatuation. the matt black paint on the m11m is a delight to feel and see under different light conditions.

some random observations and notes

viewfinder is bright - unlike the world economy or trump's attempt at the presidency.
it feels lighter than my m10p. now i despise my m10p and want the m11x instead.
lcd screen is visible even from a side angle, just like my tummy.
in-camera usb-c charging. about bloody time, no more forgetting chargers on the road. that said, the charger is cute, like song hye-kyo.
the iso can dial from 125 to 200,000. two freaking hundred thousand. lost a key under the seat? screw the torchlight, m11m can locate it for you.
one can choose between 3 resolutions - 18mp, 36mp or 60mp. it is like asking yourself, do i need a new storage system next year, this year or yesterday?
the camera can connect to the leica fotos mobile app (wasn't supported during pre-release). i am not sure if anyone still use that app. it is like candy crush, quite dated.
it has some internal memory in case our human memory forgot to pack sd cards for a shoot.

"black is lazy and easy - but mysterious"

m10p versus m11m

i know it is pointless to compare since it isn't comparing 2 monochroms but this section is me justifying to myself why i should recklessly spend on a camera that cannot capture color.

why a monochrome-only camera? while i previously touched on this topic for my leica q2m post, i offer some rationalisation why someone should get the m11m

gear acquisition syndrome
gear acquisition syndrome
gear acquisition syndrome
gear acquisition syndrome
monochrome images are mysterious
gear acquisition syndrome
gear acquisition syndrome
gear acquisition syndrome
gear acquisition syndrome
gear acquisition syndrome

the most important question

the elephant in the room about the m11m beast is none other than "is iso 200,000 useable?".

my unapologetic answer is yes. your mileage will differ, widely. it really depends on your tolerance of noise. some see noise as character, some see noise as if sin entered their camera and needs an exorcism.

to me digital noise and film grain are the same - both are imperfections of the media (film and sensor). i love some film grain, and the m11m has digital noise that looks like film grain, and i can live with that. actually, its more than living with that, i love it.

the following are 2 images shot with iso 200,000 in really dark conditions. both have sufficient shadow and highlight retention for me to be able to use it as an image i would keep and/or print.

while i would use iso 200,000. if i would to buy this camera, or leica or someone graciously gifts me one, i think i will max at iso 100,000 for everyday use. set the machine on auto iso with a max of 100k and never fuss with settings ever again.

high iso performance

some (insipid) images to test the high iso performance starting from 200,000, 100,000, 50,000 and 25,000. all shots are done int he same condition (f stop, lens, same noob user). one could observe a significant reduction in noise.

caveat: one thing i noticed about the ultra-high iso (i.e.100,000 and up) are weird circular patterns (kinda like crop circle patterns). these patterns are almost non-existent in lightroom and visible when i save them as jpg and upload to a platform that downsize the images (e.g. this site, whatsapp, etc). i am not sure if the patterns were caused because it is a pre-production machine and the dng format is not fully supported by lightroom, caused by resizing by this hosting website or just me not having basic post-processing knowledge. all likely indication is the latter reason of me being a noob.

p.s.

i told ts sim from leica singapore about the patterns and he thinks it is lightroom. i then edited with photoshop 2023. the patterns were less obvious but still visible. at least, i now know it is the post processing that introduced these motifs and not the camera. hopefully.

field test- ramadan/puasa

the highlight for me when passed a camera to try is to field-test it. nothing systematic nor scientific about the field test. for me, there is only one criteria - can i make images without the camera in the way?

and thankfully, the m11m operates like a familiar tool, it doesn't burden me with too many buttons or controls, doesn't hang (happens occasionally in earlier versions of leica digital cameras), operates as an extension of what i see, and is small and silent enough to be "invisible".

as it is the month of ramadan and close to evening when i got the camera, i went to a nearby mosque. the operations manager at masjid jamek queenstown graciously allowed me to make some images of their evening prayers and iftar (breaking of fast).

field test - iftar

i was invited to join iftar, though i didn't fast and was embarrassed when they gave me the break fast meal. i am probably the antonym of fast, it is probably easier to count the hours i am not eating.

the iftar meal consists of dates, bubur (porridge), biryani, cakes and fruits. the warmth in welcoming me to participate the breaking of the fast with them is sweeter than the dates themselves (usually the first food to break a fast). really appreciated the opportunity to make a couple of photos and partake an important part of their day.

btw, all images were made in dng-m and post processed in lightroom cc.

random images

some random images made with the m11m and the 35 lux. the ability to restore highlight details from the m11m is amazing. the image with the 3 workers at a steel workshop was overexposed when i accidentally pushed by 3-5 stops. i corrected my noob error using lightroom and pretend as though i could expose like a real photographer.

i think this monochrom probably has the widest dynamic range to date - perhaps 15+ stops?

end notes

the m11m is an unique tool. it is not for everyone, but it is the ideal tool for some:

if you shoot black and white a lot and not have the previous m10m, go for it.
if you are a leica snob and don't do much mono images but need to flex, go for it.
if you are looking for an autofocus camera and have good humour, go for it.
if you think you are a henri cartier-bresson reincarnate, go for it.
if you suffer from deuteranomaly or tritanomaly, go for it.

if you already have the m11 and occasionally need that moody black and white photo, just convert your m11 images using silver efex.

if you want the m11m because of this article, you are most likely already a scam victim or will be in due course.

raw files off this camera are flat. it is expected you do some post processing to tease the darkness of hades and the light of angels of this camera. if you do not do post processing, you probably won't do any shooting. and if you don't do any shooting and producing, just get a midjourney account and imagine.

so this baby (the camera, not me) can be yours if you have spare usd 9,000 (my guess as i wrote this article before the camera was announced) lying around. and that is the price without any lenses. for example, the excellent 35mm lux is only sgd 8,420. the lens is sold out by the way. perhaps you can get one in the secondary market for one kidney plus a pancreas.