Digital BW, The Print

And...Chris...you bring up another stellar point, I forgot to mention.
CHOICE OF FILM!  Different scanners scan the same film differently, mostly
because of light source.  I'd also add that when seeking out information,
people mention what film they use, and how it's developed (if known).  I
find different development gives VASTLY different scanning results.

Personally, I find the TMAX films in XTOL hags to scan.  I prefer
Tri-X/Plus-X in D-76 1:1/75F and that gives me the best B&W scans.  Delta
100 is exceptional as well.  I do pre-soak, and use constant agitation.

Needless to say, this question has so many variables, it's difficult to
answer straight out.

Regards,

Austin


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Hargens <ldmr@...> [mailto:ldmr@...]
> Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 12:13 PM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Digital BW] best scanner for b&w
>
>
> 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
>
>
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