Getting High Quality Scans from BW Prints

[Alan Klein]

Attachment 242412 I have started using this system in my Studio Phase One Cultural Heritage Setup, Moving from Creo Eversmart Supreme and Imocan slowly , its amazing technology and there is a learning curve, been working
on the system for about 3 months now , I am moving through all the film formats over the next few months and learning how to edit in the Cultural Phase one system using Capture One. I feel like an old dog learning new tricks.

Bob, do you shut the ambient lights off when copying with the camera?

[Corran]

A well-made silver-gelatin print looks unlike anything you can do in digital. Yes, the differences are slight and subtle, but I can spot the silver-gelatin prints out of an exhibition of photographs every time.

I remember back in the day when a lot of folks would state they could tell the difference between an uncompressed *.wav file and a high-bitrate *.mp3 every time. Somebody finally setup a double-blind testing website and discovered the golden-eared claimants usually hit about 50/50 on identifying what sound clip was what in a true blind test.

I appreciate silver-gelatin prints, not least for the more manual, hand-made nature of the process generally, but I heavily disagree with the above. Anything you can do in the darkroom can be done in digital editing and the contrast range captured via scan of negative film is larger than the theoretical paper contrast, especially with higher-end scanners. And, you can use services to print digitally direct to silver gelatin papers if you still want that medium specifically.

There will be big differences in results with carbon printing and the like, I'm not really talking about that or specific paper texture/surface feel. Just talking about making a similar print digitally and in the darkroom on similar papers.

We should of course all use the mediums/techniques that work best for us .

[bob carnie]

Bob, do you shut the ambient lights off when copying with the camera?

I. am not using this for reflective yet, but the lighting setup will be adjustable temp and polarized when I do.

[bob carnie]

I remember back in the day when a lot of folks would state they could tell the difference between an uncompressed *.wav file and a high-bitrate *.mp3 every time. Somebody finally setup a double-blind testing website and discovered the golden-eared claimants usually hit about 50/50 on identifying what sound clip was what in a true blind test.

I appreciate silver-gelatin prints, not least for the more manual, hand-made nature of the process generally, but I heavily disagree with the above. Anything you can do in the darkroom can be done in digital editing and the contrast range captured via scan of negative film is larger than the theoretical paper contrast, especially with higher-end scanners. And, you can use services to print digitally direct to silver gelatin papers if you still want that medium specifically.

There will be big differences in results with carbon printing and the like, I'm not really talking about that or specific paper texture/surface feel. Just talking about making a similar print digitally and in the darkroom on similar papers.

We should of course all use the mediums/techniques that work best for us .

I have to agree with Corran here, we have done extensive tests on Mural Silver , Mural Lambda Silver and Mural inkjet. where the mural silver was enlarger based, the lambda and inkjet were scans. We did a road trip and showed these three
prints to hundreds of photographers and asked them which was which, very few were able to define which one was which... But a funny side note Les McLean did pick the print out, which kind of surprised me. When I asked him how he could tell
he said the negative in the enlarger popped or the enlarger was not aligned properly and he could see softness in one corner.. I had given the silver print job to a competing lab and we matched here and funny enough the printer did not use glass carrier
and of course Les was correct. Otherwise no body could tell, In one of the presentations in Connecticut one of the people in the audience said they could , when he got close he was unsure, so he went to his car to get a loop. Even then he picked the wrong print order.
Like Doremus I never would have thought this would happen but as Corran says the tools today are pretty impressive in the right hands.

[Jim Andrada]

Like Doremus I never would have thought this would happen but as Corran says the tools today are pretty impressive in the right hands.

+1