Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Austin Franklin"
<darkroom@i...> wrote:
> Hi Jerry,
> 
> > I am looking at
> > VERY good images.
> 
> Whether an image looks "VERY good" or not, has nothing to do with
the image
> containing "better highlights and shadow detail".
> 
> > If
> > you can't get better highlight and shadow
> > detail out of photoshop and digitial than you can a darkroom
print, you
> > simply don't know your craft very well.
> 
> I don't understand what Photoshop as to do with it.  Either the
information
> is there in the image file, or on the film, or not.  I am
specifically
> talking about the number of stops the medium is able to record, I
don't care
> about printing, as that is comparing apples to adverbs.  You can
print
> scanned film digitally the same way you print digital camera
images.  I
> believe printing is an entirely different issue, and I separate that
> out...though I know you seem to believe film should only be printed
> chemically, and always choose that workflow for comparison, for what
ever
> reason.
> 
> B&W film can record up to 15 stops of image information.  Digital
imaging
> sensors can't use compensation development, obviously, and are
subject to
> simply the sensitivity of the sensor, and they are limited to 11/12
stops at
> this point in time.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Austin

And, IIRC, silver prints are limited to about 7 or 8 stops, while an
inkjet print can easily print 12 stops.

One of the reasons I think inkjet images are superior to silver prints
is this larger dynamic range. I like contrasty images, what can I say?

Also, if you like color, the digital image sensors have considerably
more dynamic range than either color transparancy (5-6 stops) or color
negative (6-7 stops) films. But, this isn't a color group.