I have been working now for the last month to tweak my PMK Pyro development of black and white negatives for scanning on our Imacon scanner…I have hit gold! My new process handles several films (7) and the scans are capable of a dynamic range approaching 20+ stops. The grain structure is amazing…even at an ei of 1600 very little grain is visible if you wish. What does this mean…Film is back in a big way! My scans are capable of a dynamic range not possible in single shot digital systems but that is not really why I went through this testing….rather the film scans I am making have a rounded quality that when printed digitally on our d’Vinci Fine Art Print Platform at Indian Hill Imageworks have an analog feel but with a crazy long tonality not possible in traditional processes. This is using technology in a smart way, the best of analog and the best of digital. Additionally, why lock yourself into one look (ie the digital sensor in your camera is your digital film, can’t remove it so your stuck)- while I have dozens and dozens of different film stocks to choose from, each with a different grain structure and dynamic range.
The first image to the left shows the full frame negative, the other image below shows the same negative enlarged to 100″ x 100″ print and a sample detail area to look at….
