Digital BW, The Print

> I wasn't really saying most should, I was just wondering why they
> didn't since they are incapable of capturing anything out of their
> range anyway. It is kinda like having an oven that only goes to 500
> degrees but the temperature gauge goes to 2000.

I understand what you're saying...but if you could only buy 2000 degree
temperature gauges, by standard, then your example would be closer to being
the same in my opinion.  Temperature can't be scaled to fit the thermometer.
It's the computer that defines some multiple of 8 bits for storage, so
that's really your only choice!  There were 12 bit machines some years ago,
and now if you could only get Adobe to write a 12 bit PS for you ;-)

As you said in another post, you don't lose any information between low bit
justification and high bit justification.  According to Ed, Viewscan high
bit justifies the raw scans it does, so it you want that, you can get that
from Viewscan...

I believe since there is no standard, and since both methods need to have
the setpoints set anyway in order to be really useful, and after "setpoint
expansion", the results are the same...no one really cared...there's no
really compelling reason to do it one way or the other as far as I can see.
If you want true raw data to be just that, raw...as in straight off the
A/D...that would mean low bit justified.