Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/05/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Gerry and others who work with B&W regularly, This question is very timely for me, as I have a portrait project in mind that I'd like to do in B&W. What do you lose in the quality of the prints if you shoot in color then convert to B&W in post-processing ? I have not done much in B&W except for when I first learned photography years ago, or the occasional roll of TMAX. I expect to scan the film, post-process digitally (Photoshop). Final products should be prints mounted on walls (from 11x14 inches, and up). - - Phong - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gerry Walden" <gwpics@aol.com> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 3:44 AM Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica] Re: Slightly OT: C-41 b&w films > Interesting that you go back to silver for higher speed films. I have > gone totally C41 and although I shoot 400CN for 400iso I now use colour > C41 if I want higher speed and convert greyscale with no problems. I > would use colour for everything, and then convert, but for some unknown > reason I just can't get my head around having colour in the camera and > 'seeing' in b&w - for the higher speeds I just have to! > > Gerry > > Peter Klein wrote: > > > To add my two cents to what others have said: > > > > I tried XP2, didn't like it. Grainy. Muddy shadows and high contrast at > > 400. In fact, doesn't seem to really be a 400 film. Haven't used it > > since. > > > > I love T400CN. Here's what I love most about it: > > > > - Almost grainless. ISO 100 quality in an ISO 400 film. > > > > - Scans beautifully, even at 2700 dpi. ISO 400 silver film has grain > > aliasing problems at 2700 dpi, it's smoother at 4000 dpi. > > > > - A great tonal range. You can capture the whole range in a "flat" scan > > and then tweak the curve to get really fine, smoothly-graded inkjet > > prints. > > > > - Doesn't block up highlights with moderate overexposure. > > > > - You can shoot it outdoors at ISO 200 or 250 and get detail in > > everything > > from the not-quite blackest shadows to bright highlights. > > > > - Infrared dust and scratch removal (ICE, FARE) works with it, unlike > > silver film. > > > > - I don't have to develop it myself, just take it to any reliable C41 > > lab. They run off 4x6 prints instead of squinty contact sheets. > > > > Here's what I *don't* like about T400CN: > > > > - It isn't the world's best available light film. When you have deep > > shadows, you need to shoot it at 200 to have a prayer of getting shadow > > detail, otherwise they are grainy mud. Or to put it another way, you > > will > > get detail several stops above your exposure, but anything more than one > > stop under is going to look lousy. Tri-X is much better here. > > > > - It's lower contrast than silver film. On dull days, things look even > > duller than they are, and you have to work harder in the image editor to > > compensate. > > > > - If you even *look* at it harshly, it scratches. > > > > - Silver chauvanists have me filled with existential doubt that one day, > > the images will just fade away. > > > > Here's T400CN in bright desert light, shot at ISO 250: > > http://www2.2alpha.com/~pklein/california2003/JoshTree35.htm > > > > And here's one in a concert hall with so-so lighting: > > http://www2.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/quartet.htm > > > > In the latter picture, the original scan has more detail in the > > background > > wood paneling and better separation between the performer's jacket and > > the > > piano. But bringing out that detail brought out speckly mud, so I > > "printed > > it down." > > > > I once tried Portra 400 and got similar results to T400CN. The latter > > has > > become a universal B&W film for me. But when I know I'm going to do > > hard-core available darkness, it's back to silver. Neopan 1600, > > Neopan 400 > > or good ol' Tri-X. With Xtol, the ISO 400 silver films are not *that* > > grainy, especially when scanned at 4000 dpi. Grain is just a silver > > molecule's way of letting you know it's working hard for you. > > > > --Peter Klein > > Seattle. > > > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > > > -- > Gerry Walden LRPS > www.gwpics.com > +44 23 8046 3076 > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html