Digital BW, The Print

Scans can capture "nothing"; so, of course, can a high-end DSLR or MF.

Utlimately, the proof is in the proof, and perhaps it would be helpful to
Alex- the original poster, remember him?  ;^)  to provide examples of print
sizes that do and don't work.  Alex, you should understand, of course, that
this would be a range of acceptable results from different sources.

From drum-scanned 6x7 film, I generally find that I can print at least to
20x24; sometimes as large as 30x36, depending on the grain relationships in
the image.

From my 5 MP Olympus E-20, I have printed 16x20- above that it gets fuzzy.

With a 14 MP camera, I have yet to print larger than 16x24, but I think it's
safe to say that some images will go to 20x30 or larger.

This is me- other people would print these differently, but probably the
relationship would remain the same.

Bill Morse

On 4/30/06, Tyler Boley <tyler@...> wrote:
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, CDTobie@... wrote:
> ...
> > Scans often capture a whole lot of nothing. I recall scanning a series
> of
> > 35mm slides shot on safari in Africa for a friend. I ran them en-mass on
> my large
> > format flatbed at its max DPI to make comps of the files, so we could
> decide
> > which ones to rescan with a dedicated film scanner. It proved
> unnecessary, as
> > the flatbed was already scanning at a higher rez than any of the images
> > needed, and film scans would have just been bigger files without any
> more meaningful
> > image data. That is to say; the lion's mane would not have been sharper,
> > clearer, less posterized, or in any visual way more detailed or
> meaningful with a
> > much higher rez scan... there would just have been a much larger file to
> deal
> > with.
>
> A lot of people don't understand this. I'm continously asked what dpi file
> is needed from a
> given film size for a given print size. Their assumption is that since
> it's commonly thought
> 360 dpi at print size is desirable, then the scan must reflect that.
> For a large print from 35mm, that requires a scan at higher dpi than many
> scanners can
> deliver. But more importantly, there is no image detail resolved to that
> degree or anything
> close to it, given lens and film capability. In fact, you are more likely
> to simply over-
> resolve grain, to a distressing visual degree much greater than would have
> apeared at a
> same size print made through an enlarger.
> There are so many case by case factors that apply, it's very difficult to
> make
> generalizations abou these discussions.
> Tyler
>
>
>
>
>
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--
Regards,

Bill Morse
Wm. Morse Editions

(617) 429-3298


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