Godfrey, Along the same lines as your commentary... I've loved 35mm slides and projected images since I first got to borrow my dad's Retina IIIc. The acutance in a 35mm Kodachrome image is just wonderful. As a consumer, early digital could make acceptable 4x6 prints. But the last couple of cameras from Pentax (K-5 & 7) are good enough to rival those projected Kodachromes. And my results are better.
As for comparison to 6x7, look at transparency film on a light table with a big loop. It will take your breath away, and a 15 meg digital file will never compare to it. I won't be shooting much medium format film, but it still has real IQ advantages. Regards, Bob S. On Fri, Dec 31, 2010 at 10:17 AM, Godfrey DiGiorgi <[email protected]> wrote: > There is no sensible, direct translation of film acutance to digital > resolution. I have watched people quoting ppi, sensor resolution, etc > etc for years. It's all horsepucky. > > The resolution of film is dependent on many factors: > - film speed > - how it is exposed > - how it is processed ... gamma is critical > - how acutance is measured (what criteria is chosen) > > The resolution of a digital sensor is similarly dependent upon several factors > - the size of the sensor > - the {x,y} photosite dimensions > - the strength of the antialiasing filter > - how it is exposed > - how it is processed > - how acutance is measured > > All of that is important even before you think about lens qualities, > scanning the film, etc etc. > > But that doesn't stop me from making an assessment based on my > experience using specific cameras and lenses. > > I shot film for 45 years and have been working with digital capture > and processing since 1984. When the first 5Mpixel digital cameras with > good lenses appeared at an affordable price in 2002, I bought one and > found that it totally eclipsed the capabilities of 35mm film cameras > for my usual print sizes up to 11x14. I went to Medium Format film > (645, 6x6, 6x9 cm) for larger prints. When I bought my first 6 Mpixel > DSLR and top of the line lenses in 2003, I realized in short order > that there was no longer any point to shooting Medium Format film for > the print sizes I make (typically up to 16x20 inches). > > So for me, digital capture and processing outperforms Medium Format > film and processing at the 6 Mpixel, professional quality camera and > lenses point. Everything beyond that is a plus on the digital side, > and the handling and management of digital capture images is far far > far more convenient and flexible. > > Others will disagree with me and quote a bazillion silly numbers. But > don't bother, please. This is an ancient debate and I'm not going to > pursue it. I know what works for me. > > FWIW: I'd still like a Bronica RF645 camera with wide and normal > lenses. A beautiful piece of equipment, always wanted to work with > one. But if I got one, I doubt I'd get enough use out of it to be > worth the money, even at the current $600-700 price level. > > > On Fri, Dec 31, 2010 at 3:24 AM, Jens <[email protected]> wrote: >> Hello list >> I'm getting into photographing with Pentax 67. BTW: I just got the SMC 1:4 >> 165 mm Leaf Shutter lens for studio work. Nice lens :-). >> Has anyone done tests, showing the resolution etc. of 6x7 film images >> compared to digital 14-15 Mp images, please? >> >> Regards >> Jens >> >> -- >> Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. >> > > > > -- > Godfrey > godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
