Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Nicholas 
Hartmann <POLYGLOT@E...> wrote:
> >One thing I've noticed in scanning in general, is that scanners 
vastly
> >prefer underdeveloped film to overdeveloped.  If you've been used 
to
> >making bulletproof negs for blasting in the darkroom, you'll be 
very
> >disappointed when you try to scan them.  I have gotten perfectly 
usable
> >images from wrongly-exposed chromes (forgot to change the ISO or
> >something), where there appeared to be virtually nothing on the 
film.
> >To my amazement, the scanner scanned the film quite well!  
Conversely,
> >I've had some negs that looked great on the light table, and would 
have
> >printed fine in an enlarger, that the scanner scanned ok but not as
> >well as expected.  So, if you're setting up to test carefully, 
don't be
> >surprised if the scanner likes negs that are thinner than you would
> >normally make.
> 
> Amen to that. My scanner is an inexpensive Minolta Dimage IV, and 
it is
> capable of extracting astonishing amounts of good-looking image 
from the
> merest hints of density in a negative. Conversely, it yields nasty
> blocky-looking tones from higher-density areas. Since I'm partial to
> shooting in low light, this suits me fine!

I think this depends on the scanner. I think that shooting for the 
widest range of tones in a negative or chrome is best. If most of 
your information is in a very narrow range of either very faint or 
very dense tones then you will end up with a blotchy tonality in the 
scan.

You will have fewer tones (a smaller part of the scanners full 
dynamic range) to spread over the full range of the resultant scan. 
The more you push those tones (the wider you have to push those end 
points on the histogram) the more you amplify the noise along with it.

The good thing about overexposing negatives is that you will always 
have information in there (it is very hard to go to black black) 
whereas if you underexpose it is possible to get nothing but the 
noise of the base material/scanner. But the ability to pull out 
information from those black areas depends on your scanner. A drum 
scanner is very nice for this but a cheap flatbed might not be able 
to pull anything out.

With chromes (slides), I would not overexpose or underexpose 
intentionally since they are made to be contrasty and therefore have 
a very narrow exposure latitude (not forgiving). Most of you are 
probably well aware of this but I thought I would mention it just in 
case. (the original post mentioned faint chromes which is never 
something you would want to shoot for)

-MikeH