Yes Kirk,
Very nice gray scale .
I can remember one of
the full-time photographers who worked at Polaroid while
I did shot an interior of the Old North Church (?)
in Boston using a
Speed Graphic and Polaroid positive/negative type 55 film. He made a 16
x20 print on Agfa Brovira. The tonality was exquisite; the
highlights retained great detail as did the shadows. Some prints are
a such a thing of beauty, that you always remember them even if the
subject is relatively mundane.
One area where digital capture still fails
, in my opinion, is in the
dynamic range and the shape of tonal curve. It is pointed out
that today's digital dynamic range for is equal or superior to slide films. This
may be true, but it is not even close to color or black and white negative
film. I am forever cloning subtle detail into blown highlights of
digital shots to get acceptable prints. The Polaroid negative produced by
the Type 55 film of 45 years ago could produce some really beautiful
images.
To wander further O.T. I wonder if one of
the members with a more technical background can predict if/when the
dynamic range and tonal curve of digital images will improve in the way that CD
sound quality did.....going from a very 'clipped' quality to something that
could yield improved audio nuance. I am not an audiophile, so I don't know
the technical terms, but to my ear CD's of early vintage completely lacked
'sweetness' and character but have improved over the years. I can't help but
wonder if the same thing will be said for digital image capture.
Charlie Silverman
