Dawid,
I'm still shooting film, about 100 rolls a year! I agree that most digital
BW photos have flat midtones. It is possible to get beautiful BW
conversions from color digital files, but it is not easy and some images
just won't yield a good conversion. I've found, interestingly, that some
cameras' files convert better than others. I used to have a Kodak 14n. The
files from it converted to excellent BW with less work than any other
digital camera I have used. I have a 5DmkII now, and have generally not
been happy with my attempts at getting BW images from its files.
I have not shot the Leica monochrome, but most of the pics from it I have
seen online were disappointing. I had always thought that the problem with
digital BW was in the conversion from the color image most digital cameras
give, which gave images with flat midtones. I figured that a dedicated BW
camera would eliminate that, but the MM doesn't seem to without a lot of
postproccessing to the files.
Kodak made a monochrome digital camera many years ago, but it was only 6mp
(I think). I have seen work from it that had GORGEOUS tonality, so it CAN
be done....Leica just didn't do it. A well-known American photographer
named Pete Myers had one, and he had a lot of photos from it on his
website, and I was impressed with them in a way I have not been with color
to BW conversions, or the Leica MM.
Right now, I am 100% film for BW, and using the 5DmkII for color. It is a
great color camera.
--
Chris Crawford
Fine Art Photography
Fort Wayne, Indiana
260-437-8990
http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com My portfolio
http://blog.chriscrawfordphoto.com My latest work!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-Crawford/48229272798
Become a fan on Facebook
On 9/16/12 3:40 PM, "Dawid Loubser" <dawid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Nice image!
>
>Chris, we have argued about this before (on RFF amongst other places)
>but surely you too have to admit - since you are scanning all these
>older negatives - that digital currently simply cannot produce these
>delectable mid-tones. Everybody pounces on me when I try to discuss it,
>but I can see it clearly in other people's work, even when they try to
>post digital examples to prove otherwise. I caused quite a flame-war on
>dpreview.com discussing the Leica MM and it's severe highlight clipping
>in even non-extreme everyday scenarios, yet every single image posted as
>counter-argument *proved* my point. The bland linearity of the
>monochrome output of a digital sensor simply cannot be escaped, but
>those without the means, patience or discipline to wield the superiour
>medium try their best to argue the technical merits, instead of simply
>admitting that they like not having to spend a couple of hours producing
>a single image.
>
>My recently-posted tree image from the Knysna forest served as a
>personal reminder for me, vindicating my choice of medium. I have to
>work darn hard to make my digitally-captured images look anywhere near
>as pleasing. And the fact is, the *cannot* look *as* pleasing, because
>the information simply is not there.
>
>Bravo for focusing on your film-based work again! There is no substitute
>for a large piece of film, period. Looking forward to what you put up
>next. My door is certainly being banged down for optical prints of my
>Knysna forest image, and wouldn't you know it - I'm currently without a
>frickin' darkroom. It's driving my crazy...
>
>regards,
>Dawid
>
>
>On Sun, 2012-09-16 at 08:54 -0400, Bob Whitmire wrote:
>> Awfully good, Chris. Depressing as hell, but damned good. <g>
>>
>> --Bob
>>
>>
>> On Sep 14, 2012, at 6:49 PM, Chris Crawford wrote:
>>
>> > http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-details.php?prodId=1502&category=4
>> >
>> > Another from my stash of old film I am scanning.
>>
>
>--
>_________________________________________________________________
>Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
>Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
>Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
>
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|