Shooting color film for B&W output. Does the film make a difference?

[wayne_crider4]

1st Do you think a color film choice in the same iso makes

much of a difference when photoshopping to b&w. Would you

believe, lets say that NPH holds an advantage over Konica or

Agfa. This all in 120.

 

2nd I also need a 70mm film in 400 ISO for b&w and it's either

color Konica (photoshopped) or Tri-x, and I'm not certain that Tri-

x is going to give me the look I want in enlargements. I need one

for lots of night shots.

[ahaohio]

If you are primarily after B&W it would not make any sense to shoot color film. The reason is basically that you are only using a fraction of what the emulsion could give you in tonality. You would be wasting "pixels". Of course you could convert and do all sorts of stuff in photoshop. But it would not be the same.

 

If you are after 400 ISO in B&W shoot Tri-X (or possible Hp5 or T-max).

[godfrey]

Every film has its own characteristic grain, acutance and spectral response

signature. One film is better or worse than another only in relative terms to

your desires and needs, and the image you are trying to express. Likewise,

no one can tell you whether Tri-X is going to give you the look you want...

You'll just have to experiment and find out for yourself.

 

It's perfectly valid to shoot color neg and use image processing software to

reduce it to monochrome... some would submit that it has advantages, like

being able to apply filtration to the color negative to get exactly the image you

want (the effect of a yellow or red or green filter can be easily obtained using

a channel mixer) and color negative films have wonderful exposure tolerance.

Film is not made up of "pixels", but digital images are.

 

I personally love the character of traditional B&W film signatures but I've done

quite a bit of color->B&W processing. The only way to see what works best for

your desires is to experiment.

 

Godfrey

[masatoshi_yamamoto]

I like Fuji Reala for color, but I think it is the worst film for conversion to

black and white. It has very low contrast, or rather the contrast for

brightness is low, while color contrast is high due to high saturation. I've used

Konica's slow color film (sorry, can't remember the name) for black and white

conversion with good results.

 

To the doubters, one reason to use color film is that it offers the possibility

of filtration after the fact. Want a dark sky to define clouds? Use more of the

red channel.

[steve_barnett2]

I think it would be a compromise to shoot any negative film, B&W or colour, if your output is going to be digital. Simply because even high end scanners don't much like silver in the film, and often over emphasise the grain. In this case transparency wins terms of resolution. But I note you may need a wide exposure latitude. So, the very best 400 ISO chromogenic film that I have come across is Kodak Portra B&W, which may serve you well in all your criteria, and IMO scans the best of all negative films.

[wayne_crider4]

I think the best way for me to go is use the color film and

photoshop it. Not only because you can still keep any image you

like in color, but that you get the ability to experiment with the

conversion to b&w. I do shoot b&w film but I think that for any

home scanning use the color would probably be better, I am

unsure as concerninig a b&w drum scan.

 

Alot of my stuff is going up on the web, so it's going to be a

digital sale anyway, whether for reporduction or as a wet print.

But it is interesting to know that Reala doesn't convert that well.

That is one film that I do use and like.

 

I am thinking that it might be prudent to shoot two shots; One for

the highlights and one for the shadows and then combine them.

 

 

As the cost of 70mm is quite high, I don't want to make a

misake in buying, so I think I'll try the the smaller 120 Konica and

see how it works out. I did manage to find out that 400NC is

available. I guess the real test of the film will be when shooting

at night.

[al_seyle3]

Fuji NPZ. 800 speed. 4-layers. Amazingly fine grain. I have used

it for Imacon scans with excellent results converted to b/w.

[wayne_crider4]

Thanks Al. I do like NPZ; Especially the speed.