Leica Monochrom

4 Things to Know About Leica Monochrom Cameras

The rise of digital photography created problems for photographers who love to work in black and white with favorite films disappearing from the market. You can digitally change a color photo into black and white, but the results still won't have the same look of quality black-and-white film images. You can find the cure for this problem on eBay where you will find the Leica Monochrom, a digital camera specially made for black-and-white photography.

There are two Leica Monochroms: the Leica Monochrom M9 and the newer Leica Monochrom 246. The functional difference between them and a color digital camera is that there are no color filters in front of the Monochrom sensor, which permits more light to enter. The Leica Monochrom M9 can shoot up to 10,000 ISO, and the Monochrom 246 can shoot up to 25,000 ISO. In contrast, a regular Leica M can only shoot up to 2,500 ISO. They are the same size as other Leica Ms but have a sleek design that sets them apart.

New and preowned Leica Monochrom M9s and Leica Monochrom 246s on eBay also have the following features:

• Sensors: The Leica Monochrom M9 has an 18mp CCD sensor while the Leica Monochrom 246 has a 24mp CMOS sensor.
• Monitor: The 3-inch live view monitor consists of sapphire glass and measures 921,600 pixels.
• Formats: Takes video in full-HD format (optional adaptor and microphone available).
• Lenses: Accepts Leica M and R lenses (you'll need an adaptor to use the R lens).
• Picture quality: Similar to that of a mid-format camera.

If you usually shoot in color, you'll have to look at the world somewhat differently and try to visualize everything in shades of gray, focusing on shape, texture, contrast, and composition rather than color. Black-and-white photos have a different graphic impact than color photos do. One reviewer said that using the Leica Monochrom helped them imagine what photography was like when it was new, and there were no color films.

Every new Leica M Monochrom comes with Silver Efex Pro software. You can also use other programs, like Photoshop or DxO Photo Lab, to help create the effects that you want. The Leica M Monochrom produces a low-contrast photo that shows details clearly and is easy to edit so that you get the look you want.