Significant difference indeed, BUT, to be honest I'm not good enough (nor fussy enough) to look for such microscopic differences. I'll stick with my M240 for now. Very much appreciate the video 🙏
M-E 240 shooter, but for B&W I mostly use B&W film M cameras. The B&W mode in the M 240 is very good but sometimes a bit too contrasty in the B&W JPG files for my taste. Good B&W tonality can be achieved by processing the color RAW for example with Nik SilverEfex.
A comparison M240/M246 or M10-R/M10-MC would have been more meaningful, regarding the role of the resolution and the age/generation of the sensors in that game. On the other hand, a more of grey scales in a file is only useful, if you keep it in the post processing process. If somebody likes harder contrasts in his images and turns the contrasts always higher, he will lose the advantage. My personal experience, after using a M246 and a M10-MC for a few days, was, that I prefer keeping the possibility to get color images over some more grey tones. On one hand that fits more to my kind of photography and on the other it keeps the need of carrying two bodies in my bag away from me. In my opinion is the biggest advance of a monochrome camera the extreme high ISO performance, that lets you make awesome b&w streetphotography in low light. If somebody do so, he should buy a monochrome, which will change his life (at least in the night).
A monochrome sensor really does not start to show its advantages until the iso reaches around 6400, where due to higher signal to noise ratio, it will show better dynamic range and less noise. The tones are also smoother. For 95% of photographers, a normal sensor is more than good enough. Although I might at some point look into a monochrome sensor, for now I am quite happy with various Bayer sensor cameras that I have from Leica and other manufacturers, and in any case I still use a lot of B&W film in all formats. A monochrome Leica remains a highly specialized tool.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I guess the big difference in RAW, is the M240P is colour RAW, so in post processing B&W, you can adjust the grey tones for the difference colours to create a different look compared to the RAW from the Monochrom. So the M240 gives you more flexibility in the processing. The Monochrom requires up front commitment to the use of external colour filters in order to change grey tones as desired. The extra detail of the Monochrom is noticed in heavy cropping or super large prints. No noticeable on computer screeds, TV and smart phones.
Two different camera sensors and processors, so this comparison is a bust. The M10P in monochrome mode compared to the M10 monochrome are dead even when it comes to tonality, What the M10P gives you is a colour DNG file, a lower base ISO and 24MP sensor. What you get with the M10 monochrome is a higher base ISO, (You better have a good selection of ND filters if you want o shoot wide open with a F.95, F1.4 or a F2 speed lens during the day. By Leica removing the colour bayer filters from the sensor, it now receives twice as much light) a black and white DNG raw file and a 40 MP sensor. The M (type 240) has many settings in film mode to actually control images contrast and detail, this includes preset yellow, green, red and orange contrast filters which can also can be fine tuned. This was all removed in the new M10 series. The Leica Monochrome M type 246 was the black and white camera that was based on the M type 240. It wasn't a very good monochrome when compered to the M9 Monochrome M9M CCD sensor camera, or even the Leica M8.2 in black and white mode. other than the extended ISO sensitivity of the M type 246 Monochrome, the highlights where muddy and the contrast tonal range was flat. Leica learned and listened to photographers and corrected these issues in the M10 series monochrome. As a bonus M10 monochrome got a pixel boost from 24mp to 40mp. I chose the M10P, same grey tones tones in monochrome mode and still a 24 pixel sensor but same processor. They did remove the contrast filter modes in the M10 series :(
@@Adventure8 No worries, a great comparison for discussion :) With the M240's black and white electronic contrast filter set up. Yes there is a difference in tones, the same as you would see using a Yellow, red, green or blue filter in front of the lens of a film camera with black and white film, if you still have your silver M240P, try it and see for yourself photograph red tomatoes and you will see how the filters work. As far as black and white images printed from both cameras, you really can't tell which is which they both produce beautiful images in any subtrait. Matt or glossy, platine, barta, aluminum. If you produce digital 8X10 negatives, you can then make traditional wet room RC or fiber silver gelatin contact prints, One thing I forgot to mention, the M240 also has a blue filter setting,. With the monochrome series, you will have to add the contrast filter to the front of the lens as you would with a film M set up. You will then have to adjust the exposure relative to the filter you are using, just like film.
