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"high definition" analog 35mm images
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PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2019 8:30 pm    Post subject: "high definition" analog 35mm images Reply with quote
Have you ever tried to archive max definition by using an analog 35mm camera?
My first attempt, Leicaflex SL, Elmarit-R 35, Agfa Copex Rapid (ISO 50):

The image:


#1


100% crop:


#2


best regards

Timo


PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2019 6:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Like 1


Well assuming not working the old way in the darkroom......the problem to get maximum definition from neg film is the neg would have to be drum scanned which is quite expensive. Many guys who do home scanning can't afford the pro machines used in labs (other than drum scanners) and our scans are equivalent of about a 3mp digital camera, a bit limiting for 35mm negs but a home scanner is very good with the muscle of a larger neg i.e. 120 upwards.


PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2019 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
timo832000 wrote:
Have you ever tried to archive max definition by using an analog 35mm camera?
My first attempt, Leicaflex SL, Elmarit-R 35, Agfa Copex Rapid (ISO 50):
best regards

Timo


Of course. I did all my landscape b/w work with Kodak Technical Pan film (often with a red filter to avoid CA induced blur). The resolution obtained was not limited by the film, but by the lenses available at that time. I'm quite sure those TP negatives did have a "better-than-24MP" resolution, especially in the center of the image. In addition, the enhanced sensitivity of the TP, especially in combination with red filters, was very useful for penetrating hazy air, especially with lenses such as the Minolta AF 2.8/200mm APO.


Excalibur wrote:

....the problem to get maximum definition from neg film is the neg would have to be drum scanned which is quite expensive.


Scanning hi-res negatives, even if done with a high-res drum scanner, doesn't make much sense, IMHO.
I would either use digital high res cameras (if post processing is needed) or high res film combined with APO enlarger lenses (for a fully analogue way of processing).

Stephan


PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2019 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Stephan, back in the day when I had a wet darkroom, I had a couple of Rodenstock enlarging lenses -- definitely not APO, just run-of-the-mill Rodenstocks. Plus I had one EL Nikkor. But one bit of kit I always used to focus my enlarging lenses was a grain focuser. Now, I wasn't shooting TP, so maybe finding the grain may have been a bit tougher if I had -- the finest stuff I worked with was Plus-X -- but far as I know, grain focusers are still the most popular way there is for ensuring that a negative has been properly focused. Anyway, I'm just wondering if an APO enlarging lens would really be necessary to properly resolve TP?

And I also agree with you that one of the best and easiest ways to come up with a good hi-rez copy of an image these days, whether it is a slide or a negative, color or B&W, is to use a good digital. I dupe all my 35mm images now, using my Sony NEX 7 with its 24.3mp sensor, which translates to images that have 4000 x 6000 resolution, which matches the resolution capabilities of the better Nikon Coolscans. These days, this makes the best sense if I want to get prints done, since I don't use a wet darkroom anymore. I can just bring these hi-rez images to the lab, and they can print directly from the files I supply.

Also, another question -- is there a B&W film available today that rivals -- or surpasses -- TP in terms of resolution capabilities? Like Rollei RPX or Ortho, or Ilford Pan F Plus?


PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2019 7:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Technical Pan film is indeed very sharp, but it is a high contrast tone drop out film that produces(d) stark images.
Yes, it would be interesting to know which of today's films is the highest resolving and still retaining mid-tones.
Good question Michael
Tom


PostPosted: Fri May 31, 2019 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:
Technical Pan film is indeed very sharp, but it is a high contrast tone drop out film that produces(d) stark images.
...
Tom



Yes, developing TP with ordinary developers (even if they were very diluted) did result in terribly hard and contrasty negatives.

But Tetenal (based in Germany) used to have a special developer for the Technical Pan. Using it, the resulting negatives were normal to soft in contrast; in fact I often did to use an red filter for landscape photography, to make the negatives a bit "harder".

Stephan
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