Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/12/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Dec 5, 2003, at 2:37 AM, Eric Welch wrote: > Here's one inaccuracy in your text: > > > "-- Film has a much higher dynamic range than digital - 15 stops on > TMY, or a 32768:1 ratio. That means that you capture everything in the > scene and can go back and adjust up or down at will later." > > Not true. Film - even black and white, does NOT contain all details in > a scene. Even ideally processed, it will not be able to cover the > dynamic range of many, many scenes, especially contrast daylight. > Neither can digital. But that's my point. Neither of them can, and > film is not better. > I've observed that captures everything you can see, which is more than I can say for the current crop of 6MP cameras shooting in monochrome (or even color). The Kodak 14N seems to be able to do more, but it's not a mainstream product for amateurs (or, I guess, even professionals). You can hit a higher number in a scene, I've observed (with a Zone VI meter), if you put the sun in the frame. I would be curious to see how the ends of a wider range are anchored. > There are plenty of other questionable statements. Like 120 outlasting > 35mm film. I don't believe that for a moment. There are already > digital medium format backs that give film a run for the money. > That's not a statement; that's a speculation. You don't have to believe it, but I don't have to believe that $8,000-12,000 for a 36x36mm back (to say nothing of the camera) is comparable to $400 for a 55x55mm frame for the purposes of someone who doesn't get to write equipment off. I think that it is a legitimate question whether the economy of scale for larger digital backs is such that they will ever be in a price range to compete economically with even expensive conventional MF equipment. This statement is not pointed at people who have unlimited budgets. ____________ Dante Stella http://www.dantestella.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html