Black & White Test - Leica M10 Monochrom vs. Fujifilm vs. Sony

We conduct a blind test of black & white shooting capabilities on the Leica M10 Monochom, Fujifilm X-T3, and Sony A7 III.

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Intro - 0:00
Leica M10 Monochrom Sample Images - 0:33
Cameras - 1:25
Blind Test Intro - 3:04
Blind Test - 3:30
Blind Test Results - 7:17

Today we’re going to be doing a comparison of shooting in black and white on 3 different cameras. We’re going to compare the brand new Leica M10 Monochrom, the Fujifilm X-T3, and the Sony A7 III. We’ll do a blind test showing you images from each camera so you can determine which one you prefer, and then we’ll let you know which was which.

Now the reason we’re discussing this today is in light of the Mono Awards, which is a photo competition in Australia and New Zealand dedicated to monochome photography. digiDirect is a sponsor of the competition, and submissions for the Mono Awards are open until mid-2020, so if you’re from Australia or New Zealand and have some monochrome imagery you’d like to submit, the submission link is in the video description!

And a quick clarification up front. You’ll hear me using the term ‘monochrome’ and ‘black & white’ interchangeably here but there IS a difference. Monochrome means that the image only shows one colour. IF that colour is grey, which is most common, then you have a black and white photo. But you can have a monochrome image that is not black and white and a good example of this is sepia

So let’s start by taking a quick look at the cameras we’ll be comparing here. The first is the Leica M10 Monochrom. This is a brand new camera that was just announced, it’s an update to their M Monochrom Typ 246 camera. The special thing about this camera is it can ONLY shoot in monochome. It has no colour filter, so it’s all in on black and white. The upside to this is that removing the colour filter means the sensor requires less interpolation which allows the camera to offer sharper picture quality and better low light performance than a camera that does shoot in colour - and you can be the judge of that once we look at the photos. It has a 40 MP sensor built into what is basically the slim Leica M10 body. Of course it’s a rangefinder camera with only manual focusing. This camera represents the pinnacle of monochrome shooting...but also the pinnacle of price, so it will be good to compare the results of this camera to the others

Next up is the Fujifilm X-T3. I’ve already reviewed this camera so I won’t spend much time here, but I chose this model because Fujifilm is well known for their film legacy and they build their film simulations into all of their cameras. So while it may not be a dedicated monochrome camera, it boasts a stronger monochrome legacy than many other brands can offer And finally, the third camera is the Sony A7 III. This camera HAS a black and white shooting mode, but that’s about as far as it goes. Sony is not particularly known for their monochrome shooting performance, and they don’t put any particular emphasis on it. BUT the A7 III IS one of the most popular cameras on the market right now, so it will be interesting to see if it’s basic monochrome features can hang with the big dogs

OK, so without any further ado let’s get to the blind tests. We used a 35mm lens on each camera - 23mm in the case of the Fujifilm, but the crop factor makes that a 35mm in full frame terms. The images were shot with the exact same settings in almost all cases, and all images are JPEGs straight out of camera with no editing. In the case of the Fujifilm X-T3, we shot with the Monochome film simulation, as opposed to the slightly higher contrast Acros film simulation. Keep an eye on the tone profile, contrast and sharpness of each image, and make a note of which one you prefer from each image set. Then at the end we’ll show you which images were from which camera and you can see if you have a favourite.

Blind Test

So, what did you think? Did you notice a difference between the cameras, and was there one that stood out to you? What did you think about the sharpness? Did the Leica’s dedicated monochrome sensor outperform, or was the X-T3 or A7 III the leader for you? Let us know in the comments which one you preferred

And remember, if you’re an Aussie or Kiwi and would like to enter the Mono Awards, follow the submission link in the video description. Even if you’re a film shooter, our digiDirect labs can digitise your film images for you - just contact your local digiDirect store today. And finally, if you found this video helpful, please like and subscribe.