Digital BW, The Print

Mark,

> when I first started shooting/scanning I was just as hostile toward
> anything but "real photography" as you are

Er, who are you talking to?  I certainly am not hostile towards digital
imaging in any way what so ever, and you are barking up the wrong tree with
me if you believe so.  What I am is realistic about the capabilities of both
digital and film.

> and I measured the grain
> in a Tri-X photo and back calculated the resolution needed to do
> resonable job capturing it...

Why do you need to resolve to grain?  For what purpose?

> What resolution are you scanning at?

I scan at 5080...but what does that have to do with anything?  Resolution is
spatial, and has not a thing to do with tonality...which is what is being
discussed.

> (or are you doing everything in a traditional darkroom and just on
> this list to argue with everyone?) :)

I haven't had a regular darkroom for printing that is, in probably 8 years.
I do process my own film, as I have a film processor...and I do that so I
have strict control over the development process.

> No, all that matters *IS* the print.  You don't look at a traditional
> print and say, "I can't tell if this is a good photo because I can't
> compare it to one shot with a different film or through a different
> lens.

No, of course not, but you were making a comparison that could not be made
without doing what I suggest...making the same image with both digital and
film.  If you don't understand why, then you simply don't understand the
issue.

> You look at the image and either like it or not.  Edward
> Weston shot many of his photos with a crappy meniscus lens, not top
> name German glass... and 8x10" will always beat 35mm... where do you
> draw the line?  When an image is "good," not based on the equipment.

No one was talking about "good" or "bad" images.  The discussion was a
comparison of converting RGB capture to grayscale or simply capturing using
grayscale in the first place.  That has not a thing to do with the artistic
content of the image.

Regards,

Austin