Digital BW, The Print

Mark,

> you
> have to do your manipulations one way or another... using the Zone
> System up front to get a perfect negative

Using the "Zone System" up front is hardly manipulation.  What you are doing
is capturing as much information as you can on the film.  How is that
manipulation?

> ...or a lot of experience in
> the darkroom or on the computer to get a good print from a less than
> perfect negative/image...

but...if that less that perfect negative is missing a chunk of tonality,
that could have been captured by taking the time and understanding to do it
right in the first place (yes, I did say "do it right"), there is nothing
you can do, the information is gone.

> but it will always be your vision that gets
> you a good print and not your technical perfection.

Hum.  Well, with "some" level of technical competence you certainly increase
your odds of being able to get a "good" print...at least as far as the type
of work we are talking about, and as the subjective term "good" relates.

Regards,

Austin