jburlinson Loc: Austin, TX

I've been looking into a company called MaxMax.com - Llewellyn Data Processing (LDP LLC). They can modify an existing camera to convert it to monochrome only (either Infrared, Visible or Ultraviolet, or a combination). They also sell pre-modified cameras from a variety of makers: Sony, Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic.

Has anyone had any experience with these folks? If so, what do you think?

uhaas2009

jburlinson Loc: Austin, TX

Interesting. Have you had experience with this company?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

I used Monochrome Imaging Services for my Sony A7 II (24 MP) and the results were as expected - a significant increase in resolution and about a one stop increase in base ISO sensitivity. It looks like a one man operation but the turnaround was reasonably quick.

The linear resolution after the conversion is on a par or slightly better than what I get with my Z7 (45 MP) using the same lens.

My only regret is that I had the IR/UV cut filters removed. Although I can now shoot B&W IR when I want to, I need to use a separate cut filter on each of my lenses for normal photography.

JBRIII

They do not remove Bayer filters to make monochrome cameras to my knowledge.

Remove of Bayer filter much more expensive than just IR or UV conversion.

Also at one time, now???, they only quaranteed 80% success rate, if not they replaced the sensor abd returned camera, no refund. They would also try again = 96% chance of success, 4% dead camera.

Maybe things have changed?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I'm not interested in transmogrifying any of my camera bodies but this raises a question in my mind.

All the major editing software is based on demosaicing a raw file. How do you tell the software that it is now monochrome?

Also, the camera demosaics the raw data to produce a jpg. That's in the camera firmware. How do you tell the camera that the Bayer filter is gone? Do you have to hack the camera firmware?

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Is that like adding a crank to your auto?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

The camera does not know the Bayer array is gone. That would require an upgrade to the firmware. But that's not necessary. The raw file is what you want to work with.

The first step is to use Monochrome2DNG (free from FastRawViewer/RawDigger) which will enclose the raw file in a DNG file and set a flag to tell the raw converter to skip the demosaicing process. That's the same flag that the Leica Monochrom uses.

With my A7 II it also reduces the size of an uncompressed ARW to about the same size as a lossless compressed ARW. Since there is no color nothing is really lost.

I also have my white balance set to neutralize the original ARW file so that RawDigger will display three identical histograms. And RawDigger recognizes the flag and displays a single gray histogram for the DNG file.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

So if you remove the Bayer filter, you can't get jpgs from your camera. You HAVE to work with raw. That means that you lose modes from the camera that will not produce a raw file (e.g. live view high frame rate on my D4 or 5).

What happens to video?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

You can get JPEGs but they will not skip the demosaic process so you will lose the sharpness. I imagine that there will be a similar issue with video but I don’t use it.

But monochrome images are not for all applications. I don’t miss modes I have never used.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

I had to go try it since I had never tried a video on my converted Sony A6300 which was done by MonochromeImaging.com. First, the converted camera which is now monochrome, full spectrum, is my most fun camera to shoot with. And the amount of detail in the results, and the beautiful gray tones in the final result far exceed what I can get with my Sony A6500 camera with the CFA intact and the same sensor.

You can still shoot JPEG. Just set the Creative Style to Black & White.

Same with video. Set the Creative Style to Black & White. And it is possible to use color filters too to produce different effects.

I haven't quite convinced myself one way or the other on if I shoot JPEG, whether the result is the same as what I would get using my A6500 shooting B&W JPEG. Trying to reason this out in my mind. They both get demosaiced. But the monochrome sensor is going to record the luminance level at every pixel whereas the one with the CFA will be recording luminance level from 3 different colored filters across the sensor. Which retains more detail? I haven't concluded yet.

One important point. Selmslie is using a Sony A7ii, and this camera can shoot in uncompressed RAW. My A6300 does not have the option to shoot in uncompressed RAW. Only lossy compressed RAW. And it is possible to sometimes see the effect of this lossy compression. I find that it mainly shows up along horizontal high contrast edges and you can sometimes see alternating light and dark pixels on that edge. Of course you have to pixel peep to see this. And you have to use a really sharp lens to actually see it too. Most of the time I don't have this in an image.

One thing I have been playing with lately is DxO in their latest release, the one with DeepPrime, where they have enhanced the demosaicing algorithm. But I can't find anything said about this other than they did it. And I suspect that they did this to make DeepPrime work. And I find that if I take a RAW file from this modified camera and process it with DxO, that the results actually look really good, likely better than what I get from using Adobe. And in addition, it allows DeepPrime and Lens Correction to be used. I still need to do some comparisons here and see if with better comparisons if I still hold this view.

jburlinson Loc: Austin, TX

Not really. Besides, I just bump start my car if needed.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Here is a sample from April that shows the sharpness and tonality.

Handheld A7II(m) with 75mm Voigtlander

(Download)

jburlinson Loc: Austin, TX

Really nice capture and wonderful output. This is what I was hoping might be obtained without giving Leica $5k.

Did you use Monochrome2DNG? And then, did you do further PP in Lightroom or something?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Thank you.

I used Monochrome2DNG and the only PP was to level it in Capture One.