Normally, I would defer to brother Scharf on matters digital, but I must
comment.
Digital scan-and-print do look good (I've seen sample prints from other's
files from salemen from most all the major players), but more importantly,
different. many look to me, a bit softer. I thought about this for a long
time, and I think I have the reason, and that leads to why many prefer this
means.
With digital prints, unless it is turned really ugly, grain is most often
reduced. I have yet to see a digital print (from Fuji, lightjet, Konica,
Greytag, laser, led, and yes, even crt) that reproduces grain in the same
manner as an optical print. Most often, the grain is minimized. To me, this
gives an apparent loss of sharpness, although I clearly understand that many
don't see things the same way. For the ultimate print, I think I still
prefer a well made optical hand print, what we used to call repro grade. I
often wonder what the results would be if there were a condensor color
enlarger.
What I do understand is that there is today a different attitude toward
grain. When I started in photography, in the late sixties (no, I don't
remember all about then), there was big grain and acceptable grain. By the
time I got to working full time as a photographer and occasional printer,
grain had already started to be tamed. By the late eighties, there were
films that had grain that fairly well equalled slow speed B&W films. Today,
the grain on Fuji 1600 color (the newest version) isn't much more that CPS
was in the seventies.
There are now a LOT of people for whom grain is totally unacceptable in any
form. Of course, there are also a LOT of people that have never seen a well
made hand print. If I were a yonug man, I certainly wouldn't aspire to be a
custom color printer as a career.
The result? Many people don't understand the relation between grain and
sharpness (a clouded issue with dye cloud film). The standard of my day is
replaced with edge sharpness, instead.
What's better? For me, ultimately the optical hand print is better, but
based on cost, I'll take the digital print any day.
Bill Pearce
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