A7rII comparison to Leica Monochrom 246

[Tony-K]

One aspect of photography that I enjoy is black-and-whte imaging. I'm intrigued by the Leica Monochrom 246 (24 MP), but I wonder if the Sony A7r ii with 42 megapixels might give the same IQ with B&W conversion in Lightroom/Photoshop/Silver FX? Let's assume the same lens is used. Would the A7r ii have better dynamic range?  

 

Please don't go off on a flame about how foolish/expensive it is to think of buying a Monochrom...that's not the question I'm asking here. How might these two cameras compare for B&W photography?

[Sprocketdog23]

It's a very subjective thing. You could spend all day comparing pixel by pixel....and you could argue either way. In my opinion, the monochrom is a specific tool designed to do what it does in a way that Leica users traditionally appreciate. It's way out of my price range admittedly, so I have to make do :-) with an older M8 which is still a delight to use, especially in B&W.... And I struggle to get that particular Leica sensor 'look' with my A7ii, but the A7ii is much more versatile as a camera in situations the M8 struggles with (macro for instance), so the Sony gets most use. The Sony also has the advantage of working really well with so many different legacy lenses. If I were to just be shooting B&W and sticking to street or studio work, then I would have to say the Leica Monochrom experience would be for me a more appropriate camera to use, especially when matched with Leica lenses. Outside of that, as a general purpose camera, then the A7r2 is going to be a better tool and be more versatile across a wider range of uses.

 

Hopefully, someone wealthy (or lucky enough to have access to both cameras) will come along and read your post, and do a full side by side comparison for you.

[Exploratorius]

I've owned both the a7 and the M240 (not the Monochrom, but they are similar in use).

 

The Monochrom will deliver the more traditional Leica experience, if you just want it to work like a traditional rangefinder.  However, if you want to use Leica R glass, or take long tele shots (over 135mm), or take macro shots -- then you'll need to use the low-res Leica EVF.  And the EVF will mean a shorter battery life, which means you'll need additional backup power bricks.  The EVF also can compensate for other issues like back-focus, so once you begin to use it, it's tough to go back to using the big digital Leica as you would a rangefinder.

 

Other things to consider include the weight (the Monochrom is heavier than the a7RII), the megapixel count (24 MP versus 42 MP), and the reliability in the field (the big digital Leicas have had a tendency to lock up repeatedly with use in the field; this can be fixed by removing the battery and putting it back in, but this shouldn't ever happen with a camera that costs 7 large).  Is the Leica a nice camera?  Yes.  Can it deliver images comparable to the a7RII?  Debatable, as the a7RII images can be tweaked via the individual color channels, and that's missing with the non-color RAW files from the Monochrom.

 

I found the a7 to be much easier to deal with in almost every aspect than the M240; the a7 RAW files had greater depth for shadow recovery, the entire a7 package was lighter, the a7 EVF was better, and my a7 monochrome conversions had better depth.

 

My experience with the M240 was such that I got rid of it after 12 months of use and I will just go with the Sony offerings from this point forward.

[Philber]

I had the Sony A7R, and now have the A7RII. The newer camera offers a much improved B&W image IMHO. Getting a beautiful B&W image requires very subtle mid-tones, as explained by Thorsten von Overgaard, and that is what A7RII does very well indeed. But, as he also states, the Monochrom Typ 246 struggles in zone X (strong lighting, as in ETTR), whereas the Sony does not. So, yes, in theory you should have significantly better dynamic range. Try one out and make a couple of quick pics, and see whether you like the look.