Digital BW, The Print

Jerry,

> You are confused. TECHNICALLY it is a 3 MP chip. It has the exact same
> quality that anybody elses 9 meapixel chip has. That is the whole point
> behind the foveon chip.

No, Jerry, you don't understand how this works.  I design these things for a
living, and have been doing so for 25 years.  I know quite well how this
stuff works.

There are ONLY 3M PHOTO SITES on the Foveon chip, no matter how many colors
they use, how many bits per photo site, the number of PHOTO SITES is only
3M, period.  On a 9M Bayer pattern imaging sensor there are 9M PHOTO SITES.
The two are NOT the same, the 9M Bayer pattern sensor has 3x the resolution
of spatial data, period.  The accuracy of color information is another
issue, and the Foveon MAY have a SLIGHT...read that again...MAY HAVE A
SLIGHT edge, but the fact is, the Bayer pattern sensors in fact do VERY
well.

The issue with the Foveon is it isn't solving any problems.  In fact, it
creates some that don't exist with traditional Bayer pattern CCDs.  It has
low light problems, and color fidelity problems.  It's a nice idea, and so
far, in my book, fails in implementation.  I still have high hopes for it
though.

> BUT I'VE MADE COMPARISONS WITH FILM. FILM IS NOT BETTER IN ANY WAY
> WHATSOEVER FOR AN 18 INCH PRINT !!!!!

THEN YOU ARE USING LOUSY FILM, PERIOD.

> ENOUGH	!
>
> WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS TOO MANY TIMES ALREADY.

Yes, we have.  You don't understand how the Foveon works, and why it is
still only 3M pixels and why a 9M sensor Bayer pattern sensor DOES HAVE 3x
the resolution of the 3M Foveon sensor...it's a FACT, and any belief
otherwise is simply your not understanding how these work.

Second, I have done many film vs digital tests....many.  It's part of what I
do for a living.  Your criteria for comparison is yours, and yours alone.
It holds no water as far as professional imaging goes.  If you like it,
that's fine for you, but in reality no one judges imaging that way.  As I've
said countless times, and you fail to grasp, sharpness is IRRELEVANT.

I fear you will never get it.

Austin