Converting Your Digicam's Sensor to B&W Only

[Brian Moore]

As many of you know Leica recently announced the release of their new M9 Monochrom, a B&W only digital camera. Cruising Flickr this morning I was that somebody had posted the following article about converting a digital camera sensor to B&W and I thought some of you would be interested in reading it.

Unscrambling The Monochrome Egg – A B&W Camera only explanation by Patrick Clarke | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS
A link to maxmax the company that perform the conversions http://www.maxmax.com/b&w_conversion.htm
and their price list http://www.maxmax.com/monochrome_camera_order.asp

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Brian. Interesting.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Still a few quid for a 550d ...
i want one!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I'm head over heels in love with the Leica M9 Mono - the full-size images on THIS PAGE - once you click on them - is, to me, breathtaking. I want one!

 

[Larry Bolch]

Removing the colour from a colour exposure gives you great control in creating a very high quality B&W image. You have infinite colour filters if you need something somewhere between say a red and a yellow. The traditional Bayer mosaic colour filter array uses the green filters also for luminance capture, and there are double the green over red and blue. The new Fuji X-Trans filter uses a pseudo-random colour filter array that simulates film, and thus needs no low-pass filter for either anti-aliasing nor moire prevention, and the camera will do excellent conversions in-camera, with a choice of red, yellow, green or no filter. Results are very film-like.

Here is an infrared panoramic from yesterday. ISO6400, f/2.8, 1/70th, Hoya 72R filter. Hand-held and stitched in-camera. The EVF gave me an exact preview.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/470041_10151191064024838_1610830251_o.jpg

On the other hand, if you need a colour shot, but shot on monochrome, you can expect to be spending a whole lot of time adding the colour after the fact, even in the digital darkroom.

I believe Leica marketing read "The Emperor's New Clothes", and adopted it as their business plan.

 

[Hamish Gill]

The only thing that disappoints me with this is the cost and the fact it seems it would be daft to try in to my 30d my self

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks for the link Rob. I still think this an interesting camera; expensive and niche, but very interesting. And amongst the tedious comments under those shot was a real gem of a link:

Burning Man 2011