Leica 24-Megapixel Leica M Monochrom Typ 246 Arrives for Testing
Get Leica M Monochrom Typ 246 at B&H Photo.
See my review of the original 18-megapixel Leica M Monochrom in Guide to Leica and the summary of the new Leica M Monochrom Typ 240.
Hooray! The 24-megapixel Leica M Monochrom Typ 246 arrives TODAY, just in time for my trip to Yosemite (tomorrow). Coverage will of course be in Guide to Leica. A big thanks to B&H Photo for making the MM246 available to me.
Megapixels are not necessarily the main improvement with the new model, if indeed is to be any significant gain in resolution; the change from a CCD to CMOS sensor can be significant in resolving power behavior, from what I saw with the M9 to M240 transition. I do expect more from the Monochrom however.
The big deal as I see it is the addition of Live View. Live View delivers the ability to be sure of critical focus whether using filters or not.
Filters from yellow to deep red require a significantly different focus from normal—as with shooting in infrared, particularly with red and deep red filters. With the original M Monochrom, this focus difference was difficult to deal with on a camera having only a rangefinder. See Filters and Focus Error / Sharpness. Even with the 50/2 APO the focus difference is problematic, see Focus Shift with Color Filters on M Monochrom.
But focusing differences with color filters are a non-issue with a Live View camera, since focusing Live View uses the actual image striking the sensor (vs a separate loosy-goosy mechanical rangefinder coupling, which I stopped using entirely once the M240 replaced my M9).