Digital BW, The Print

>...
> What I take away from the thread this type of filtering during image
> capture could be an advantage since it might compress the dynamic range
> in the image. The effect of this filtering can then be inverted in
> follow on processing.

Yes, and even the default raw processing might work to a certain extent.  I
hope CS2's raw processor is sufficient, because it's more accessible (easier
to deal with) than some.  

> This inversion would probably work pretty well for B&W ...
> ... probably be very problematic if a color image was your desire.

Definitely not for color.


> ...
> yellow filter will, however, lower the values of the shadows lit by
> skylight (primarly blue) which may actually increase the dynamic range
> requirement if the shadows are important to the shot.

One could argue that we'd be better off using bluish filters to compress the
dynamic range of the scene.  I most often us orange filters with film and am
oriented in that direction for aesthetic reasons.  I'm uncertain what the
camera filtration effects will be on our Photoshop "filtering" to achieve
these aesthetic effects.

Of course, any filtration will require longer exposures.

 
> With film we have many options to expand or compress the dynamic range
> of the film through development...

A major loss with digital.

> In digital the dynamic
> range we get is that offered by the sensor and the electronics in the
> circuit. You get what the designers give you.  I would expect that in
> the next 5 years we will see improvments in dynamic range of the
> sensors...


The Fuji DSLR is the first I know of for general photography that is really
on the market.  I'm sure the work-around using filters, even if it proves
useful now, will become obsolete in time.  But, for now, what do we do when
bracketing won't work?

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com