Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Henning Wulff wrote: > At 11:16 AM -0500 3/9/02, Rolfe Tessem wrote: > >> SthRosner@aol.com wrote: >> >>> In a message dated 3/9/02 10:31:28 AM Eastern Standard Time, >>> victor6@yahoo.com writes: >>> >>>> Are there any 400 speed B&W films that are easier to >>>> scan than others? Is the conventional wisdom to avoid >>>> t-grain films if scanning is involved? >>>> >>> I'm laughing to myself because the reason the LUG has not seen any of >>> my work is that I don't have a scanner. Hopefully that's coming. To >>> the question, I am informed by experienced people whose opinions I >>> value that one of the great advantages of the chromogenic b+w films >>> is that they scan very well, better than silver-based films. >> >> >> >> The traditional films scan fine, but the ICE or other proprietary dust >> removal software based on infra-red does not work. ICE works fine on >> the chromogenic films, which is why some people prefer them if >> scanning is going to be the end result. > > > Grain aliasing is also an issue; Certain films will appear to have > significantly larger grain when scanned due to interference between the > discreet nature of the silver grains and the scanner sensor. Chromogenic > film doesn't have sharp edged film grains to cause this problem. For > scanning, the lack of acutance of the chromogenic films is an asset. Henning, I think the grain aliasing issue is more about the software than it is an issue with the film or even with the scanner hardware. I use a Nikon LS-4000 and have yet to see this phenomenon, although I've certainly seen a number of references to it on the web and elsewhere. Having said that, I certainly haven't exhautively tested every B&W emulsion to see how it scans (I'll leave that to Erwin); I've scanned Tri-X, Delta 400 (new) and Efke 25 and have never seen anything I would call grain aliasing. My guess (and it is only that) is that what we are really dealing with here is immature scanning software. The masses scan primarily color reversal and negative so that is what the software is optimized for. As time goes on, I'd bet that B&W negative will be better supported. It is already better for me with Vuescan than Nikon Scan, although I'm aware that lots of people dislike Vuescan for its workflow issues. Nonetheless, you can't argue with results and Vuescan consistently delivers better scans than Nikon Scan for me, especially when scanning traditional B&W negative material. Rolfe - -- Rolfe Tessem | Lucky Duck Productions, Inc. rolfe@ldp.com | 96 Morton Street (212) 463-0029 | New York, Ny 10014 - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html