[rollei_list] Re: Are Enlargers Obsolete?
- From: "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 15:27:36 -0700
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ardeshir Mehta" <ardeshir@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 1:46 PM
Subject: [rollei_list] Are Enlargers Obsolete?
>
>
> Question: Are enlargers obsolete?
>
> I was wondering whether the experts on our list have a
> clear answer to
> this question.
>
> My problem is this. I sometimes LIKE to see the grain in
> my B&W photos.
> The grain is, at times, part of the aesthetics of the
> picture. Without
> the grain the picture would not look as good - at least
> IMHO. But to
> look good, the edges of the grains must appear SHARP in
> the print.
>
> Now because of the actual size of grains in most
> negatives, in order to
> clearly see REAL grain (as opposed to
> artificially-generated grain, as
> for instance with the help of Photoshop), one needs to
> enlarge the
> negative at least 30 times, and often as much as 100
> times. Of course
> the ENTIRE negative doesn't have to be enlarged: only a
> very small
> portion of it. But the magnification factor is essential!
>
> Now even the best of scanners can scan at only at 9600
> dpi. Enlarge
> such a scan 100 times, and you end up with a print
> resolution of 96
> dpi, or in other words, a print in which the grain looks
> fuzzy rather
> than sharp! And most scanners people can afford to buy
> scan at only
> 4800 dpi, which is even worse.
>
> In the remote past, I have been able to use an enlarger to
> get some
> really nice grainy results, that is to say photos in which
> the grain
> was clearly visible and resulted in a pleasing aesthetic
> effect. But I
> don't think it is possible to do that with a scanned
> image - or is it?
>
> I wonder if folks have an opinion on this subject.
>
> Cheers.
>
Well, the old technique was to use a texture screen
either over the negative or over the printing paper. Texture
screens can give you all sorts of patterns. They can also be
used to double expose prints.
Scanning negatives can sometimes result in an apparent
increase in grain due to aliasing.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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