The M10 Monochrom is Leica`s third mono-only digital rangefinder, but the lower base ISO of the latest camera extends its flexibility.
The Leica M10 Monochrom is the company`s third mono-only rangefinder. It uses an entirely new 40MP sensor, rather than borrowing the 24MP chip from the other M10 models.
We think the Bayer filter array is an amazing creation, producing results that massively outweigh its drawbacks, but there are a few reasons why going without color filters is more than just a gimmick.
Higher detail capture
The obvious benefit of a monochrome sensor is that you don`t need to demosaic: each pixel you capture becomes one pixel in your final image. You don`t need to interpolate missing color values for each pixel, so you don`t need to call on neighboring pixels, so don`t experience the slight blurring effect that this has.
The final image will be inherently sharper than most color cameras can achieve (Foveon sensors being the key exception to this).
Higher base ISO
The color filters used on most sensors absorb around 1EV of the light, since each filter has to absorb the two colors it`s not allowing to pass through to the sensor (the green filter absorbs the red and blue light, for instance).
The M10 Monochrom`s base ISO of 160 is lower than previous mono cameras but higher than a camera with a color filter array would be.
This means that the silicon of a monochrome sensor receives around one stop more light at any given exposure. The consequence is that it becomes saturated and clips highlights around one stop earlier, at its lowest amplification setting. The result is that its base ISO tends to be rated one stop higher than a chip with a CFA would be. On the M10 Monochrom, the base ISO is given as 160 (rather than 320 on previous models).
This can be challenging, since it means having to use exposures that are 1EV lower than you`d expect on a color camera. In bright light, this is likely to mean stoppin ...
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