Digital BW, The Print

Hi Darrell,

> Hmmm, I think what I *really* meant to ask was whether a digital
> camera can mimic the ability of film to "compress" a high-contrast
> scene so that both shadow and highlight detail are evident in the
> final print.

No.  If the scene tonal range exceeds the capabilities of the sensor (on
either end), you will simply clip.

> Perhaps a better question would be whether the dynamic range of a
> digital camera is such that the curves and levels adjustments in
> Photoshop will be able to recover detail that at first glance
> seems "lost" in pure white or black.

That depends....if they are there, they are there, if they are not, no, you
can't recover them.  Lost data is simply lost data.  That is why I suggest
you meter for the shadows and highlights, and adjust your exposure so as to
make sure you are capturing the tonal range you want to capture, or if the
sensor can't, that you then can choose what to cut out.

Regards,

Austin