By Horatio Tan
In a previous article, I
had commented that images from the Leica SL appeared flatter than images from
the Leica M10. I had come to this conclusion, after comparing the two cameras.
This was an unexpected finding, because one would likely assume all Leica cameras
to be similar, and that the images they rendered shouldn't be terribly
different. After all, both the M10 and the SL have 24 megapixel sensors. In
that way, shouldn't the images be more or less similar?
Well, that wasn't exactly
the case. The SL did not render images like the M10. It was an unexpected
observation, to say the least. Invariably, this led me to more questions. Is
the sensor on the Leica M10 very different from the Leica SL? And if so, why is
this the case? These were the question which formed the basis of my
investigation.
As luck, or rather
flexibility in planning would have it, we were able to stay in our current
location for a second day, for the sake of this investigation. It was after all
the ideal place to compare image rendering between the SL to the M10. How could
it not be? The interior was hot red - I mean really hot red. Besides, it's not
as if I got my money's worth with it on my previous post. So needless to say,
I'm going to go full remedy on it with this post.
For this comparison, we
had decided on just the one Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH FLE. We figured we
were going to be indoors, anyways. As such, swapping lenses between the Leica
SL and the Leica M10 wouldn't be much of an imposition. And to make this
investigation an even more colorful comparison, Anna decided to get a vibrant
blue Chinese dress from Shanghai Tang - in keeping with the contemporary
Chinoiserie of the interior. Only problem is, she forgot to bring the matching
flats.
And for a second straight
day, Anna also forgot to bring the mounting plate for the tripod.
To make up for this
shortfall, albeit reasoned in hindsight, I brought along a third camera for
this investigation - namely the Canon 5D Mark IV + Canon 35mm f/1.4L USM II. I
thought it would be interesting to see if the image rendered on the SL was
closer to the 5D4 than the M10. Previously, I had also commented that the SL
rendered more like a Canon than a Leica. That seemed true with the Canon 1Dx
Mark II, so it would be interesting to see if this is the case with the more
common Canon 5D Mark IV.
Set 1 - 3
Leica M10
Leica SL
Canon 5D Mark IV
Leica M10
Leica SL
Canon 5D Mark IV
Leica M10
Leica SL
Canon 5D Mark IV
On first glance, the
rendering does appear to support the argument that the Leica SL is more similar
to the Canon 5D Mark IV than the Leica M10. In most of the image sets, the
color temperature of the SL was cooler than M10, and similar to the 5D4.
But what about the tonal
range of the three cameras? Does the M10 have more of a 3D pop? Is the
rendering of the SL similar to the 5D4?
Unlike my previous
comparisons, the testing conditions have changed in this one. The addition of a
colorful interior without direct outdoor lighting seemed to have impacted the
presence of that thin veil of gray I characterized with the rendering of the
SL. Furthermore, the color rendering of the 5D4 appears to be noticeably more
pleasant than the 1Dx Mark II. So it's not exactly comparing apples to apples
then.
However, I am still of the
opinion that the colors are slightly more muted on the SL and 5D4 than the M10.
Why this happens, I can only speculate. Perhaps Leica M mount lenses are more
sensitive to color, and can therefore render colors more optimally on M mount
sensors. Perhaps the algorithm of the M10's RAW compression adds an artificial
sweetener that gives the color an extra edge over the uncompressed RAW of the
SL and the 5D4. Or maybe it's just a difference in sensor.
Whatever the reason is,
the M10 does appear to have a slight advantage in tonal range in giving its
rendering a 3D pop.
Set 4 - 5
Leica M10 - Full crop
Leica SL - Full crop
Canon 5D Mark IV - Full
crop
Leica M10 - Full crop
Leica SL - Full crop
Canon 5D Mark IV - Full
crop
In layman's term, what
does this all mean?
Basically, the rendering
of the Leica M10 feels more intimate, while the Leica SL and 5D4 feel more
professional. It makes sense when you think about it. The M10 is a very
deliberate camera, while the SL and 5D4 are more indiscriminate. As a result,
the warmer tones of the M10 makes its rendering feel more personally invested,
while the cooler tones of the SL and 5D4 make its rendering feel more neutral
for general use.
I admit it's unreasonable
to assert that manufacturers could imbue a camera with personality. But from a
technical stand point, it really isn't outside the realm of possibility either.
Consider what is necessary to create warmer tones. All that is required is some
tweaking with the white balance. But with the M10, I don't think that is the case.
In examining the sample images, I am of the opinion that it has something to do
with how these cameras deal with reflected light?
What do I mean by that?
I'm talking about the
light bouncing off all the surfaces surrounding the frame. If the surface is
hot red like my testing situation, the warmth of the red tones would reflect
off the surface, and find it's way to the image sensor. An interesting
hypothesis? But when put to the test, there seems to be some truth to it - it
would seem. On the first two sets, the rendering from the M10 is noticeably
warmer, given that the surrounding area is red. But I suppose all that could
just be a coincidence, right?
But then you examine the
third set, and voilà! All three sample images are noticeably cool? How could
that be? The M10 is suppose to render warmer! Well, not necessarily. Given the
absence of my beloved hot red surface, the reflected light wasn't warm, which
resulted in a cooler rendering, made cooler by the sunlight coming in. That is
why the rendering from the M10 had the same temperature bias as the SL and 5D4.
Of course, this is all
speculation.
Set 6 - 7
Leica M10 - Full crop with
exposure corrected, with contrast, clarity, vibrance, and saturation recovered
Leica SL - Full crop with
exposure corrected, with contrast, clarity, vibrance, and saturation recovered
Canon 5D Mark IV - Full
crop with exposure corrected, with contrast, clarity, vibrance, and saturation
recovered
Leica M10 - Same
Optimization, Color Temperature at 4500 Kelvin
Leica SL - Same
Optimization, Color Temperature at 5400 Kelvin
Canon 5D Mark IV - Same
Optimization, Color Temperature at 4500 Kelvin
Or is it? It got me
thinking. If I were the manufacturer, and if I wanted to imbue the M10 with a
more intimate personality, wouldn't it make sense for the image sensor to be
more receptive to collecting warm color tones?
Putting this assertion to
the test, I decided to compare a sixth image set, where extreme backlighting
was used to intentionally obscure image capture. I reasoned that better
recovery of warm tones in post would demonstrate the image sensor's bias, since
the foreground underexposure and the interference from the bending light would
limit what the sensor could capture.
Based on the recovered
images, the rendering from the M10 was noticeably warmer than the SL and the
5D4. The M10 retained the most red tones, after all. Clearly, the M10's sensor
exhibited a preference to warm tones, followed by the SL, and then by the 5D4
at the rear.
Still, I suppose it could
have nothing to do with the sensor's receptiveness to warm tones. Maybe it has
something to do with the RAW files of the M10. Maybe at the pixel level, the
warm tones of the rendered images are just more sensitive to editing. To put
that to the test, I decided to conduct a seventh image set, comparing
optimization in post, using the same edited values - for the sake of rendering
the same results between the M10, SL, and 5D4.
In the final edits, the
warm tone from the M10 clearly exhibited greater sensitivity to editing. This
you can see from increased redness in skin tone on the face, arms, and hands.
As for the SL, it also seems a little warmer than the 5D4. Although, it should
be noted that the captured color temperature of the SL was noticeably cooler
than both the M10 and 5D4. As a result, it had to be tweaked, for the sake of
keeping the skin tone consistent between the three rendering.
I admit, not the most
scientific of comparison. But like I said, I'm just speculating. With that
said, the Leica M10 does appear to be a warm and intimate camera, whereas the
Canon 5D4 is cool and indiscriminate in application. Surprisingly, the Leica SL
is not as similar to the 5D4 as I had originally assumed. The SL might appear
cooler at times. But at heart, with it's sensor and RAW files, it does appear
warmer than the Canon. I guess in that way, the SL is much closer to the M10
than I previously concluded. But why shouldn't it be? It is a Leica, after all.
Bonus Set
Leica M10
Leica SL
Canon 5D Mark IV
Leica M240
Leica M9
Nikon D700
Sony A7R Mark II
Fuji S5 Pro
Having gone through this
comparison with the M10, SL, and 5D4, I can only assume that differences in
rendering characteristic is probably true for most digital cameras. Then, it
got me thinking again. What if I expanded this comparison? What if I compared the
rendering from eight different cameras? Wouldn't that be fun?
The additional five camera
I selected for this last comparison are as follows:
1. Leica M240 + Leica 35mm
f/1.4 Summilux ASPH FLE
2. Leica M9 + Leica 35mm
f/1.4 Summilux ASPH FLE
3. Nikon D700 + 35mm
f/1.4G
4. Sony A7R Mark II +
Metabone Adapter + Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH FLE
5. Fujifilm S5 Pro + Nikon
24mm f/1.4G (full sensor äquivalent is close to 35mm)
For this, I'll let you
make your own assessment. But if you ask me, I really like the rendering from
the Fujifilm S5 Pro... as for the Sony, less so. But in its defense, I didn't
use a Sony lens.
So what is the point of
comparing the image rendering of all these cameras? It is something I haven't
thought about since the days of film. But, now in the digital age, we take for
granted the medium of image capture. Given the limitation of digital cameras,
we no longer have the same options that we used to have with film. After all,
we only have one digital sensor per camera.
But then again, given the
flexibility of editing software, is it really necessary to chose between
digital sensors the way we used to chose between film? The thing is, the
differences between digital sensors can easily be made the same in post,
without significant effort.
I'll give you one more set
to prove my point. Can you guess which camera rendered which image? I'll give
you a hint. You probably won't be able to tell by the sensor, but you may be
able to tell by the lens. If you want a bigger challenge, the third image of
this set is the title image. But for that one, you won't be able to rely on the
lens, which in itself is another clue. Good luck.
Challenge Set
Photo 1
Photo 2
Exposure has been
optimized in Lightroom. Images have been cropped and leveled unless otherwise
stated. All other values have been edited at varying degrees - none for the
first couple of sets, but increasingly more as the comparison progressed.
PS: I love the hot red
interior.
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