Digital BW, The Print

Ross writes:

> Since I have been bitten by the digital bug I
> decided to bite the bullet and go for one of the
> new 6MP prosumer cameras that have come to
> market lately.

You must have been bitted badly if you decided to spend all that money on
another digital body after being dissatisifed with the first one.

> As I am new to the Canon family I would
> like some advice on what are appropriate
> lenses that will provide the best quality
> results. As much as I would like to get all
> Canon L lenses, I am afraid that is not a
> reality for my strained budget.

Your budget wouldn't be so strained if you had not blown it all on two
digital camera bodies.

> Does anyone have any recommendations for
> lenses other that the L series that would
> provide excellent results.

If all you need is six megapixels, most lenses will manage that without any
difficulty.  No point in buying a lens that can resolve 100 lp/mm, since
your camera can't use it.

> The math seems to come down to the fact that
> the lack of resolution/detail that can reside
> in a 6MP file cannot possibly match that of
> film.

Correct ... however, for a full-frame image at normal viewing distances
(equal to the diagonal of the image), six megapixels is almost optimal;
human eyes can only see 6-8 megapixels under such conditions, and so
anything beyond that is a waste.  Film does provide more, but unless you are
getting closer to the image, you won't be able to see it (and of course this
is even more true for MF and LF).

> I certainly accept that and recognize that
> I will probably not get quite the level of
> detail that I may desire.

It depends on what you want.  At normal viewing distances, it should look
okay.  However, if you are interested in very sharp images that can be
examined in huge enlargements from a few inches away and still show fine
detail, you're going to be disappointed with digital cameras.

On the other hand, if you've always shot Tri-X from the hip and fine detail
has never been a key element in your photographic style, digital should do
fine--you should get at least equivalent results to what you were getting
with your Leica M2, and it will cost only a few times more money than the
Leica.

> Every time Jerry talks about how happy he
> is with the sharpness/detail of his up to
> 13x19 output from his D60 I am asking myself
> what lenses he might be using.

Since the camera is limited to 6 megapixels, and since any decent lens can
resolve 6 megapixels easily, whatever gives Jerry his impression of
sharpness and detail, it cannot be the lens.