Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/16

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Subject: [Leica] why shoot black and white
From: "Gary Klein" <leicaman_99@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 00:19:06 -0500

My oh my,

In my mind there are many reasons from the perspective of HOW the image
looks.  To me the tonality is not quite the same with the C-41 stuff vs
regular black and white.  IF you use colored filters to change tones, I feel
conventional black and white works a tad better in that regard.

Another most excellent reason is archival qualitys of properly process black
and white film.  The negs will be a more archival document than a C41 black
and white neg.

Black and white film produced by Kodak has a thicker base and is generally
more resistant to scratches, particularly if a fixer with a hardener is
used. Another point.

Another reason is to have control over contrast.  You can push C41 black and
white stock, but the changes in contrast from development is not as stark as
with conventional films.  Many photographers, myself included really enjoy
the chemistry aspect, finding a basic chemical and then finding how to
exploit it to create the finest of images.

gck
Leica M, the quiet alternative...