Re: [Leica] Fuji Frontier 4R prints lose detail that is in the negatives?

[tripspud <tripspud@transbay.net>]

Hi Martin,

       I'll comment here, since all my prints in the darkroom so far have
been 4x6 prints from 35mm black and white negatives in the wet
darkroom.

       One image is of an historic building and in front is a plaque explaining
about the building.  The writing on the plaque is unreadable in the 4x
enlargement without a magnifying glass. With a 4x or 7x lupe, it's
possible to just barely read the plaque, so the limits of practical
resolution has been reached (Agfapan 100, 35mm lens handheld
in bright light, careful focus on the sign at f/8.

       I guess an image like this would become total mush when scanned,
and attempting to read the writing.


Cheers,

Rich Lahrson
Berkeley, California
tripspud@transbay.net

Martin Krieger wrote:

> 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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