Digital BW, The Print

> and so when the new Artixscan came out with a scan depth
> of 4.8 I bought it at once, and this scanner can handle most of the
densest
> films.  If you are already making alt process negatives, this is the
scanner
> for you.

    Is this the 2500F?

> If you are shooting ordinary camera film and simply want good negs for
> scanning, I would recommend XTOL developer and real silver emulsion film,
> for example the Tmax line by Kodak.  I hesitate to recommend the
chromogenic
> B&W films because they will fade long before your career is over, just
like
> most color film (except Kodachrome) unless you can afford refrigerated
> storage for your processed negatives.  This is expensive, a suitable
Kenmore
> frost free refrigerator will cost about US$90 a year in electric bills.

    I am trying to downsize from 8x10 and 4x5 field cameras to 35mm and
maybe someday digital.  So far, the best 35mm film I have found is Kodak
Portra 400 b&w.  It scans well and looks like Plus X.  Do you have any info
as to its life refrigerated vs. frozen?

> One final note is grain, since this is a component of artistic expression
in
> fine art printing.  Starting with Tmax, film was coated under a magnetic
> field to align the grain. The result as far as scanning goes depends
largely
> on your scanning technique and specific equipment.  If you are using a
glass
> carrier in a slide scanner, you may notice a big difference.  If you are
> using open carriers to hold your film, the heat from the scanning bulb
> usually causes enough motion of the film from heat expansion to render the
> grain somewhat unsharp, but of course this is individual to each setup and
> you will have to see for yourself.

    This is news.  What about a 35mm scanner using LEDs such as the Nikon
4000?