Digital BW, The Print

m_misiaszek wrote:
> I shoot 35mm film and want to print in B/W. Typically, what would give 
> the better B/W print in the end, shooting in color or in B/W? I 
> understand that Digital ICE does not work when scanning in B/W so it 
> would take some more time correcting dust in software. While I would 
> like to think it would be dust free I know that is effectively 
> impossible. 
> ~Mary
>   
It's a complex question. Largely it depends on what you want. Of course.

All other things being equal, B&W film for a given ISO will be sharper 
and less grainy than the color negative film counterpart. If you like 
enlargements bigger than, say, 10x or so, this might matter to you. The 
reason for this is in the construction of the film. Color film can have 
dozens of layers, and the graininess adds as the enlarger or scanner has 
to look though them all to capture the image. B&W film has far fewer layers.

But... in B&W the image is formed from metallic silver. This leads 
directly to the Callier Effect which effects both enlarger and scanner. 
In color films, positive or negative, the image is formed by translucent 
dyes. Color films have interesting features, but don't exhibit Callier 
Effect.

Then there's graininess, and perceived graininess. Graininess is a 
function of density. In areas of low density there is very little 
graininess, while areas of high density exhibit considerably more 
graininess. In trannies, this means that the graininess is in the 
shadows where it's hardest to see. In negative films, color and B&W, 
it's in the highlights where it's easier to see. Even though most modern 
negative films have lower graininess ratings then their similar ISO 
tranny counterparts, the tranny can be *perceived* to be less grainy -- 
a property of perception.

All of this (and more that I just can't be bothered to talk about) 
before you even consider scanning. And the various scanners all interact 
differently with the different films. Some seem to be optimized more for 
trannies. Some are more tolerant of negatives. The same is true for the 
software that drives said scanners.

In the end, and you knew it would come to this, you'll have to do the 
work yourself to find out which film works best for your style of 
photography, your equipment, and your workflow. No one can tell you 
which is actually going to be your favorite -- only you can make that call.

That said, if I want B&W prints, I always shoot B&W film. The extra 
sharpness and ability to capture detail matters to me. But clearly YMMV.
--
Bruce Watson