Digital BW, The Print

Okay, a subject that's been debated before but worth revisiting: I've 
noticed no difference in quality between my TMY scans (on my 
Sprintscan 4000) scanned as 16-bit image using Vuescan and those 
scanned as 48-bit RGB. I'm not saying there may not be a difference, 
just that I don't see it. I'm not looking for an argument, just the 
best scans I can get with my setup. Is there something I'm missing 
here in my workflow that would lead me to see a quality increase by 
scanning RGB and then converting to BW in PS? I've tried the RGB 
approach, using the channel mixer to get to grayscale, but, again, 
there doesn't seem to be a noticiable difference in quality. Also, 
I'm aware of the how the different channels can differing amounts of 
noise, etc. -- but, again, I don't see much difference when I compare 
my 16-bit grayscale image scans with the 48-bit RGB image scans, 
other than larger files and more PS steps.

Chris Hargens

DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Austin Franklin" 
<darkroom@i...> wrote:
> > I've done lots of homework in recent weeks researching what is the
> > best scanner for b&w negs as well as  chrome and color neg., with 
the
> > emphasis on B&W.  I would appreciate some feedback from those who
> > have direct experience with Nikon IV ED/4000 , Minolta dual elite 
II,
> > Canon 4000 and Microtek 4000tx,& also the Epson 3200, or 
equivalent
> > scanner.
> 
> Hi Mike,
> 
> It depends on what you mean by "best".  I believe the Leafscan is 
the best
> scanner, as far as image quality, for B&W because it scans B&W 
using a
> single ND filter, instead of three color filters and then simply 
converting
> the RGB to a single channel using some canned mix.
> 
> As to the scanners you mention, people can get vastly different 
results
> simply by scanning B&W as RGB, and doing the conversion in 
PhotoShop, or if
> the scanner driver has the option of specifying your own 
mix.  "Better" may
> have a lot more to do with the workflow than the scanner in the 
case of the
> scanners that scan B&W as RGB.  So, in your quest, you may want to 
ask what
> the workflow is when people give their opinion, as well as ask 
which one
> gives better scans right out of the box, as you may not want to do 
the PS
> tweaking.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Austin