[Leica] digital prints again

[Erwin Puts <imxputs@knoware.nl>]

Today I was in Solms and they showed me some prints from a very professiona
photographer who works on Velvia and K64. Prints were made from scanned
negatives and digitally printed with 152 lpmm and with an intelligent
procedure of rasterization. The quality is beyond what you can get with
Epson printers as a generic class. The print size was A4. They looked
beautiful, sharp, saturated colours etc,  whatever you would like. The eye
ccould not ask for more and indeed, as I said in my previous post, the limit
of the eye's resolving power has been reached. Now I used my 10 x loupe and
I did not see ANY detail, only raster points, and so did the Leica people. I
had with me some B&W prints at 30x40 cm and when I used the same loupe on
tese images, any body saw detail, more information and more detail into the
detail. NO raster points or whatever, just plain real detail.
I do agree with anybody on this list that a good digital A4 at normal
viewing distance will give the impression of exquisite detail, but it simply
is not there. The eye can not resolve it as this distance, that is the
limiting factor, If you need to see more detail, you have to enlarge, which
he fil can handle and the digital print cannot.
This level of recording ability may not be of any interest to most observers
of Leica prints. To deny it is a different ball game.
I would indeed challenge anybody on the list to use a Leica negative, scan
it ar whatever resolution, print it digitally at whatever high end
industrial printer to a format of 30x40 cm and compare it to a chemical
print at the same size and look at it really close. Let alone go for a slide
show at a hundred times enlargement.
I agree that digital prints look convincing, and are in itself impressive. I
also find them wanting in detail at a level any chemical print can exhibit.
I am not against digital prints and I indeed have a digital darkroom. When
you are used to look at fine detail and gradation at a 25 times enlargement
factor, the digital process is still far beyond the analogue process.
My point is not that I am not willing to accept the claims of digital
excellence. I do. My point is that willing to express leica excellence is
still beyond the capability of digitally generated prints.
My challenge stands for the Boston LHSA meeting.


Erwin