[pure-silver] Re: Comparing the Image Quality of Film and Digital
- From: "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 11:13:06 -0800
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Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 9:04 PM
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: Comparing the Image Quality of
Film and Digital
Ross-Ehlert Lab had a Kodachrome line in Chicago as well
back in those days. I think it came about because Kodak had
closed their own lab there that it became feasible. It was
such tricky & expensive process that it had to be closed
down after a time. I don't recall any pros' comments on the
film back then other than sharpness, but it was "the thing
to do" as it was new-ish, snip tests were available, and
processing could be done in a reasonable amount of time.
Kodachrome had always been held in higher regard than
Ektachrome. Given the large quantity of common, pedestrian
subjects in commercial work, ektachrome was fine for most
shootings.
I don't know how my chromes or B&W's are doing at this
moment as I haven't gone to the storage area to look at them
in over a year. Also taking them out of their protective
bags will only invite problems till I have a permanent home
for them. Our house has been going thru a year-long needed
update and refurb so storage was the only answer. :(
Before Kodachrome was introduced in sheet sizes
advertising studios used color separation cameras and
generally had either three-color carbro or dye transfer
prints made. These were the original art work from which the
four color half-tones were made. Once Kodachrome became
available the half tone plates were often made directly from
the transparencies. The difference was quite noticeable in
the final ink on paper prints Kodachrome being more vivid
and sharper.
There were two or three companies in the U.S.
specializing in making beam splitter cameras and supplying
the materials for three color carbro or carbon. The whole
process is extremely finicky and the labs who did it
generally did nothing else. Kodak supplied film to meet the
requirements of the cameras.
Dye transfer was available under other names for some
time before Kodak bought the process and refined it. Dye
transfer prints are sharper than color carbro because all
images are on a single surface where a three-color carbon or
carbro prints is composed of three or sometimes four layers
(one a gray key) of very thin gelatin layered on the
support. Carbro is a carbon print made by the chemical
interaction of a conventional bromide print with the
sensitized gelatin of the carbon material. It allows making
enlarged or reduced prints where direct carbon is strictly a
contact printing process. Black and white carbon is not too
difficult but three or four color carbon or carbro is
extremely fussy and difficult. The switch to Kodachrome
eliminated a lot of this plus it was faster to get the
transparencies processed than to get a carbon print made.
Both the carbon prints and the Kodachrome were retouched
directly. At one time Kodak made Kodachrome in sizes up to
11x14, a fairly common size for original advertising art in
the big N.Y. studios.
--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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