Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/07/04

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Fuji Frontier 4R prints lose detail that is in the negatives?
From: "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 14:15:01 -0400

Martin,
The previous posters have it correct.  Fuji Photo invented or bought the
patents for a blue laser which made practical the current digital
printer.  Their "Frontier" trade name is a line of digital printers that
print on normal photographic paper.  Because it is a digital file
various software magic makes even really bad negatives look OK.  You
know, Kodak 800 speed film that has been X-rayed a few dozen times, left
to bake in the glove compartment in Florida for a few weeks, and last,
well seasoned with a few years spent in the closet.  The Frontier line
also unleashed the digital market as it makes digital files look just as
good as it does negatives.

The Frontier is an amazingly well designed engineering feat.  The
software knows what size print will be made and scans to a resolution
sharp enough to make that size look very good indeed: It is not designed
to enlarge further than that size.  However, if ask for an 8X10 then it
will increase the scan resolution to provide the needed resolution for
that size.  Maximum resolution is about 5000dpi which would be across a
2 1/4 inch wide slit.

Also understand that bringing in a really large file will not
appreciably increase the image quality of the finished print.  Either
the Aladdin unit or the PIC unit on the Frontier will convert the JPEG
or the TIFF into a specific bitmap for the lasers to burn.  Yes, image
information is thrown away as the lasers can only print roughly 300dpi
on the paper.

Don
dorysrus@mindspring.com

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Martin
Krieger
Sent: Friday, July 04, 2003 8:29 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] Fuji Frontier 4R prints lose detail that is in the
negatives?

I would expect that a 4x print in a reasonable enlarger would retain all
the
detail visible in the negative with a 10x magnifier and make that detail
easier to see. Yet when I examine 4x prints made in a Fuji Frontier
digital
system, I seem to be losing detail. I gather that the Frontier digitizes
the
negative and then prints with a laser onto ordinary photographic paper.
I
imagine that the scan is insufficiently fine to pick up all the detail
in
the negative, just enough so that when the print is examined with the
bare
eye it appears as sharp as one might hope. (Perhaps also, electronic
manipulation, say sharpening, loses some detail?) Hence the 4R print,
examined with a loupe, is inadequate.

If I understand all of this correctly, optical enlargement with a decent
enlarger, is "inefficient." Lots more detail is retained in the print
than
can be seen with the naked eye. Digital scanning and enlargement can be
more
"efficient," putting down just enough detail so that the image feels
sharp
and complete with the naked eye. This is not necessary, in that a
digital
system could have all the detail available in the negative, and print it
out
(at say a real 1000dpi).

Am I right in my understanding?

MK

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