Digital BW, The Print

Hello Don,

>Who cares what the physical properties of these materials are from a 
>practical point of view...But why not worry about making photographs 
>instead of all this ancillary stuff?

I do.  I think this is an important subject and have been following
the thread with keen interest.  I am especially interested because it
may ultimately affect my decision on whether to spend several thousand
dollars on digi equipment.  I also agree with Peter that it is on
topic and that we should know more about our craft. 

One of the problems in the debate aspect of this thread, as I see it,
is that some of the participants have so far refused to acknowledge
some of Anthony's important points.  Anthony never said we can't get
good BW prints from color capture.  Of course we can - it's been done,
and as Austin points out, there is plenty enough information there to
do it and even to emulate other films, spectral response and all that.
  Anthony has never once disputed that.

What he IS saying is that we cannot exactly duplicate what the BW film
can do.  There is a difference between emulate and duplicate.  Whether
the difference is discernable to the photographer is another matter. 
Both I and another photographer have reported that we have so far
failed in our efforts to get a color->bw result that satisfies us, and
I think that fact is an important part of the topic.  In fact, it's
really what the topic is about.  Anthony's information is the first
plausible explanation for a question I've asked on and off for months
and gotten almost zero response to.

It has never really been about Tri-X, just that it has been the film
used in the discussion as an example, partly because of my input and
because it is such a distinctive and widely used film.  I have used
Tri-X for so many years that all my intuitive artistic sensibilities
are attuned to it, to the point that I have, so far, not been able to
emulate it to my satisaction.  I continue to hope that the technology
and my own skills and knowledge will someday give me satisfactory
results, as I'd love to get away from dependence on film.

I appreciate very much what Anthony has brought to this and I'm sorry
he has become so frustrated at the obtuseness of some of the other
participants.  His explanations have been crystal clear.

I do agree, however, that the usefulness of this thread has run its
course and we ought to all hang it up and head for the showers.    

Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm