Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "frankg_photo" 
<frank@f...> wrote:
> Any advice on adjusting my 'formula' or....a change ? I'm not too 
> sure about changing to a chromogenic film as on occasion I 
may still 
> want to have a silver print made.

To speak in broad terms, I'd say that the scanner is having a 
MUCH greater effect on the look of the grain than any of these 
subtle differences you'd see with these developer combinations.

All I know is that when I went from an Agfa T2500 to the Imacon 
Photo, my scans started looking like photographic grain again. 
The grain was tack sharp with the Imacon.

Who knows what the internal sharpening algorithms are doing to 
your Tri-X grain in whatever scanner you're using now. I'd say, if 
you're not using at least an Imacon, or better yet, a drum 
scanner, then you're getting all kinds of translations in the look of 
the grain. (And even then, the math is pretty intense).

Just my opinion. I might be wrong.

And for the record, my B/W film of choice is also PortraBW400. 
It's C41 and it scans killer in the Imacon. But lately I've been 
thinking about going even finer, but I don't think there's a 
chromogenic slower than 400. In general terms, the C41 film 
slopes seem much calmer than the silver films; no highlights to 
fight.

Mark Tucker
http://marktucker.com/