Leica M9′s ISO (vs Canon 5dmk2 and Nikon D700)

Let’s start from good and true point: we are not scientists. We are just photographers. So this is not a scientific tests, just photographic experience and understanding exposure. It will be more easy to explain if you see these tests:

lab tests of sensor sensivity. really boring numbers. take a look on ISO Sensitivity graph values:

Leica M9: ISO 2560 = 2244

Canon 5dmk2: ISO 3200 =2133

Nikon D700: ISO 3200 = 2566

When we said that we have to push Canon 5dmk2 about one stop highier ISO this means exactly above tests (even a little more). Leica M9 will stay with metered 2244 ISO, Canon to get the same EV need boost ISO 4000. Shooting on Leica M9 is much easier because you can and you do – slow times in exposure. shooting 1/lens lenght is not a problem. with DSLR you probably enter a less sharp result. so… to get thing real and sum up in numbers… we are pretty comfortable shooting the same scene with Leica M9 with slower ISO and slower time of exposure and the results fits two steps difference in ISO on Canon 5dmk2. the whole thing – builing exposure is a few hours of workshop, not single post explaining the

So when shoot Leica M9, we follow the rule: expose color slide films for the hightlights and let the shadows fall where they may. To be honest this is exact quotation from Leica M6 user manual (page 29). In our perception – M9 sensor response in highlights is similiar to slide film – same amount of details, halftones, same rule of notforgiving overburned exposure decision. But whole image is really in our taste of colour negative film which is really unbelievable great. There is a lot of detail and information in the shadows. So Leica M9 connect three worlds: analog slide/transparency film detail, taste of negative film look and… digital files.

Grain (M9) vs noise (5Dmk2) is another object – it’s easy to remove noise on M9 (when you are noisefob), and still have detail. When you do slow time exposure on M9 the noise increase is not that big as on Canon. The same is for pushing up the exposure. Another aspect – shooting night scenes – it’s very easy to burn out light. so M9 takes the best of what is really important and visible – the lights – with all details (because we expose for the lights), the shadows drop where it is. pretty easy, definately stunning on the print.

Actually we think that most of the time photographers want to get the picture more lighter then the real situation was. It’s ok when you are using additional lights to build up the whole scene exposure, but when shooting available light… and pushing the sensor above 2EV then real light scene while keeping short exposure time is not a solution. This is the source of noise in the picture, when we push the shadows above their real light value. This is something that most of digital shooter need to rethink. Real light. Camera sensor is not a source of light.

But – to be honest – comparing this on anything that real and high quality prints is a waste of time.

For the end of these geek numbers let’s back to real world. Two pictures, shot this Saturday during performace of Waclaw Zimpel Quartet. first one, shot on M9, @28mm, f5.6, t1/60, iso1600. the second one shot on Nikon D700 @50mm, f3.2, t1/125, iso2500.

wedding photographer, Marcin Rusinowski, Agnieszka Rusinowska, 5czwartych, 5fourths, WPJA, AGWPJA, ISPWP, Warsaw, Europe, documentary wedding photojournalism, people and things as they are

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Because it’s different focal lenght – let’s focus on tube player – Per Åke Holmlander (left bottom in first picture). The amount of light falling on this person is the same on both pictures, maybe 1% difference picking eyedropper in Photoshop (keep in mind that there is different mimic, so you have to pick value from the same neutral portion of skin), but there is exactly 1EV difference in exposure (summing up time+fstop+ISO). Let’s say: there should be room for mistake, let’s say 1/3EV. Still 2/3EV better on M9. Yes, different lens, different focal lenght (in this case it doesn’t matter because we compare from the ‘lightness’ point so picking similiar light value on the picture) but the light is the same, continuous, the object stayed in the same light. One light stop between two cameras, two cameras sensors. CCD vs CMOS. M9 suprices me every day. It doesn’t mean anything apart… understanding the sensor we have in the camera and… thinking about the exposure towards the sensor. ISO limited to 2500 on Leica M9? Well, it’s hard to judge in real life shooting