Digital BW, The Print

Austin, this is contrary to everything I have ever read about digital
images. The one thing that has almost universal agreement is that
digital has a much wider tonal range and latitude than film. There are
museum photographers that are making 6 foot prints out of digital images
(Copying color paintings) that are FAR superior to Fuji Velvia in every
way. Of course they are using sinar cameras and 100,000 dollar sensors
and scanning backs.

Jerry

> > I believe it as I do it on a daily basis.
> 
> Digital does not have a much greater range of tones than film.  The exposure
> latitude of film is larger than digital, at least the digital cameras and
> backs I have.

Time to get some better equipment, Austin :)

Most people can get much wider tonal ranges from digital.
 
> > I have always been able to get
> > much more out of photoshop and computer than a piece of film. I can't
> > believe you can't.
> 
> I don't quite know what you mean by that.  Since I scan film, as well as use
> digital cameras and backs, I find film has far better tonality in both
> highlights and shadows than digital input.

You are in the minority.
> 
> What, exactly do YOU use PS for?  Why do you need to "manipulate"/"process"
> the image?

I use it for every image I print. You surely don't think you can get
such nice images right out of a camera, do you? I do burning and dodging
techniques that simply cannot be done in a darkroom. Also color
corrections, and of course the touch up and addition and removal of
little things, like twigs, leaves, etc., that simply don't belong in a
nice landscape. 

> > Why else would programs like photoshop be so popular
> > if they couldn't do better than film?
> 
> Actually, I use PS simply for dust spotting very infrequently, but mostly
> for simply printing to the Piezo plug-in, that's it.  Nothing else.  

I do everything in Photoshop. I love it. It is a creative person's dream program.


> Also, I don't sharpen...I have no need to, as I've said...

So no sharpening program can make any of your images any sharper.  I
just don't buy it.

> > > Well, my scanner is 10 years old, and they sell for $2k now...
> >
> > And it was how much ten years ago?

I have a couple scans made on a leaf scanner. And they sure did get
sharper when I sharpened them in photoshop!!!
> 
> $16k