Digital BW, The Print

In any sensor when one is operating outside the linear dynamic range, 
the sensor is responding nonlinearly to the stimuli. I for example you 
are at the at a signal energy that when broken into three frequency 
components each component will be in the non-linear portion of the 
dynamic range then by recording the energy on the three sensors. This 
will result in different answers for the total energy on the sensor. In 
a photograph it will most likely result in a loss of detail in one color 
channel or the other and result in distortion in the photograph just the 
same way as one gets distortion in an audio system, an C or X band 
imaging radar when one is trying to operate outside the dynamic range of 
the sensor.

Truman

It is important to stay in the linear range.

Austin Franklin wrote:

>Truman,
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>>The issues of dynamic range also comes to play in the shadow and
>>highlight areas. As long as you are in the linear range of the sensor (
>>or film ) you can do all the manipulation you want. When you get into
>>the nonlinear range, e.g., the shoulder and toe, all bets are off and
>>calibration of color to black and white that maintains the fidelidity
>>you get from a black and white sensor is most likely not possible.
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>And again, I disagree.  As long as it's deterministic, it can be reproduced.
>What you (or Anthony) will end up fussing about is the accuracy (having to
>do with the dynamic range as you point out, and having to do with fidelity)
>of the reproduction...but I'm not convinced that this is really an issue,
>but it is something to look for, no doubt.  But, I still believe that within
>the VISIBLE grayscale space (let's even say 8 bit space, which is larger
>than our vision can discern in grayscale anyway), this is simply not an
>issue and can be done.
>
>Austin
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