[filmscanners] RE: Real-World Scene Brightness Range

["Austin Franklin" <darkroom@ix.netcom.com>]

Hi Daniel,

> The zone system is a very good way of understanding the way film behaves.
> <snip> If
> you are using B&W sheet film, you can expand or contract the develoment of
> the film to get images of any brightness range to fit on the
> paper.  But its
> the film and the paper!

Using the Zone system for digital output is different than using it for
chemical output.  For chemical output, you can, as you say, lose the top or
bottom of the density range (if you don't Zone) when you print.  For
digital, you do not.

Films ability to record density information far exceeds that of the scene.
Scanners ability to record the film density range far exceeds that of the
film.  So, the only limiting factor is the scene it self, as far as density
range goes that is.  Output media/medium is not relevant.

When shooting, I expand the scene range as far as I can onto the film, and
this gives me the greatest tonal separation possible for that scene.  When
you scan film, you set both black and white setpoints, and these are what
get translated into blackest and whitest when you print (providing you don't
move them), so you don't lose anything off the ends.  Since the output
medium, such as Cone Piezography, can only output ~100 tones, what you do
lose is tonal separation all across the board (in the middle), not clip the
ends.

BTW, the Zone system compensation exposure/development does not only apply
to sheet film.  It can apply to any film.  It's just a matter of shooting
the whole roll with one particular compensation.  It's easy with 120, though
not as easy with 35mm.

Regards,

Austin


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