Digital BW, The Print

I just spent the evening reviewing quadtone prints
made with filmscans (Coolscan IV) verses eos 10d
capture.  the 10d images were captured in RAW mode,
and converted to 16 bit greyscale tiffs.

The negatives scanned by the coolscan were Fuji Neopan
400 developed in PMK Pyro.  Very grainy and quite
lush. This film/developer combination gives a look
similar to development in Rodinal 1:25 - very sharp
and well defined grain but much better highlights.

In addition, I scanned neopan negatives that were
developed in d76 1:1.  This developer produces much
less acutance than PMK, but very smooth transitions
and masks the grain of Neopan.

The neopan negatives developed in d76 were for all
purposes identical to images shot with the 10d.  I do
not intensly sharpen my images, but use the "local
contrast technique" for shapening.  Settings in
Photoshop using Unsharp Mask: Amount=500, Radius=.2
(or .3), Threshold=0.  

Due to the construction of the sensor or some other
technical reason I really don't care about, this
practice of sharpening produces images that have an
exceptional film quality.  I print via quadtone and R9
driver, and I must stress that these images are more
similar to the d76 1:1 negatives and are quite smooth
in tonality with an inherent film grain look.

I would rather have the look of my grainy negatives
via 10d - but have not found a solution that does not
look photoshopped.  After scanning and spending hours
repairing the image with clone stamp and fixing a
scratch - I'll gladly give that up for a total digital
workflow.  Besides, printing via BO gives a similar
texture, and it is quick and easy.

Don

--- PhotoWorkshops Partnership
<info@...> wrote:

> 
> > Any suggestions on how to bring back real, good
> looking
> > (old-fashioned) "grain" in(to) the world of
> digital B&W capture? So
> > far I haven't come across a software solution that
> can emulate the
> > special aesthetical quality of high-speed-film
> grain.
> 


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