MONOMAD - October 23rd, 2025 - Please Read The Contest Rules Before Submitting Your Publications.

A big thank you to the curators who like to keep an eye over our community and #monomad entries.
Much appreciated.


Don't be a stranger and join the Black And White Community!


ANY ENTRY MISSING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ELIMINATORY FACTORS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Contest Rules:

  • Post your entries in the Black And White Community.
  • Clearly mention the #monomad challenge in your post title or post body. For example: "This is my entry for the #monomad challenge".
  • At least 50% of the submitted post, including the first image, needs to be black and white.
  • Use the #monomad tag.
  • All the photographs should be shot by you.
  • Reusing previously posted images will be treated as content recycling.
  • We reserve the right to change the contest rules at any given time without further notice.

PRIZES:

FIRST PLACE
SECOND PLACE
THIRD PLACE
50% Upvote
50% Upvote
50% Upvote

FIRST PLACE

"Perfect Imperfections"

@rg2-foto


SECOND PLACE

"Street photography."

@lindoro


THIRD PLACE

"Fever"

@abelfotografia


TODAY'S HONORABLE MENTIONS. PLEASE SHOW THESE TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHERS SOME LOVE AS WELL!!


Mention #1

@goga22


Mention #2

@lukasbachofner


Mention #3

@cabzphoto


Mention #4

@naitreart


Mention #5

@jlphotographyart


Mention #6

@malos10



Contest Rules:

  • Post your entries in the Black And White Community.
  • Clearly mention the #monomad challenge in your post title or post body. For example: "This is my entry for the #monomad challenge".
  • At least 50% of the submitted post, including the first image, needs to be black and white.
  • Use the #monomad tag.
  • All the photographs should be shot by you.
  • Reusing previously posted images will be treated as content recycling.
  • We reserve the right to change the contest rules at any given time without further notice.

Black and white photography has its own discord server.

https://discord.gg/4CZgMhc


Qbanner.png


“Life is like a camera. Focus on what’s important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don’t work out, take another shot.”
- Author Unknown -




0
0
0.000
33 comments
avatar

Thank you so much dear @monochromes team, really, really glad, congratulations to all participants and winner, best regards 🙋🙋🙋🙋

0
0
0.000
avatar

Lovely portrait from @rg2-foto i loved it! well deserved 1st spot!!

thanks for including my photo too!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Always a pleasure to feature one of your shots!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @rg2-foto for the well-deserved first place, excellent selection today @monochromes, congratulations to all colleagues.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks a lot my friend 🫂 🧡

0
0
0.000
avatar

Excellent photographs @monochromes. Well-deserved prize awarded to the winners. Congratulations to everyone. Best regards and have a nice day ☺️

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wow, first place today, what a great privilege. Thank you @monochromes for taking our work into account. It is a pleasure to belong to this beautiful community.

0
0
0.000
avatar

A well deserved win!
The Helios 44-2 is one of my favorite lenses to shoot with.
That and the Pentacon 50 1.8.
The Pentacon has quite a bit less of contrast but very sharp in the middle and a bokeh to die for.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I really look for Helios lenses, which are actually copies of the Carl Zeiss Biotar. Sometimes a friend lends me one, and I truly believe the Soviets improved it without a doubt. In Cuba they appear quite often and in very good condition. I just added another one to my collection, along with a Soviet rangefinder camera and two lenses whose glass elements are in excellent shape. I need to figure out how I can adapt them to my Nikon DSLR without using glass adapters. Maybe I’ll dedicate a post to the process.

Hugs, I’m glad to know there are more enthusiasts in the community who appreciate vintage optics.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

I had the pleasure to shoot with a Carl Zeiss Biotar, owned by my brother in law, and it smokes both the Helios I have.
The Helios are amazing, but the Biotar is in a completely different level.
I use a simple metal adaptor with no glass element. M42 mount in one side connected to the lens, and in the other side of the adapter the Sony E mount, which is the body I'm currently using.
I'd say that's the best option, if you can get one there.

EDIT:

Something like this.
Assuming those lenses have M42 mount, of course.

image.png

0
0
0.000
avatar

On Nikon DSLRs the focal distance is longer. You lose infinity focus — in fact, you only get focus up to about one or two meters. The Helios would have to go inside the camera body, but it hits the mirror. So with most lenses it’s necessary to use adapters with glass, which basically adds noise between the lens and the sensor. I modify the Helios myself. I place a small wire spacer in the thread of the last element and go through a process of trial and error. I’ve managed to get infinity focus, although in theory it should lose a bit of sharpness. But it works fine for me that way.

With Nikon Z cameras that problem disappears, but I don’t have one yet.

0
0
0.000
avatar

You're absolutely right.
I missed that small HUGE detail that you're using a DSLR.
Since I only use mirrorless bodies I don't even think about DSLR's anymore. My bad.
Being able to modify the lens by yourself is quite a skill though!

0
0
0.000
avatar

I don’t have any other options hahaha I just have to do it. But they’ve worked well for me.

0
0
0.000
avatar

What matters is that it works.
I wish I had your skills.
I have an old Carl Zeiss Flektogon 35mm where the aperture blades stopped working.
Thankfully they stayed wide open, which is how I tend to use vintage glass anyway.
Would love to get it repaired though, but around here I would probably have to sell a kidney to pay for it, lol.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Exactly. But those lenses are mechanically very simple. It’s probably just dirt on the blades. Fortunately, you can still use it that way.

0
0
0.000
avatar

And that's what I'll do. Use it the way it is.
I am afraid to open it and end up with a few spare parts after assembling it back..

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Thank you so much @monochromes for the Mention, big congrats to all, very strong team, amazing Shots

0
0
0.000