can u tell?


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denniskee

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Oct 26, 2003
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can you guys tell what b&w film is used by viewing it over inter-net?

1) i mean, being digitalized via scanning and resized, assuming no other p.p. has been done.

2) if throw in leveling, curve, usm, resize etc us it even possible at all?
 

Basically, it would be an almost forensics like exercise.

Some experts thoroughly familiar with the emulsions, grain characteristics and contrast/density ranges of the film, with info like exposure, chemistry, temp and exact processing times, conditions and techniques might be able to narrow it down to a certain range of films, but if it's been scanned, then they would have to know the exact characteristics of the scanner used, and all the settings, and I guess everything would have to be examined at very high res and almost at a microscopic level, esp if cropping, curves, levels etc has been applied, then knowing exactly what adjustments have been made might be essential.
 

given the fact that we sent them to photo lab from developing and scanning (meaning had no control), can we tell? i take back the scanned file and edit, than sent the edited file for printing, in this case, can we still tell what film was used from the print?
 

It depends.

But my guess is it would take someone that's really, really fanatical about technicalities with a mountain of research and records of emulsions* to be able to aggak aggak which group of films it came from, but narrowing it down to one single emulsion type, unless it exhibits a very unique grain characteristic or it's a technical film**, would be close to impossible. NOT impossible, but close to it.

* There are some who approach that level, especially technically minded fine arts and landscape photographers working with medium or large formats who tend to practise the zone system. When I worked extensively in B&W and did my own darkroom work, I too compiled files of technical data and observations with each emulsion I worked with, chemistry etc, and always kept Eastman's technical publications as reference, but my data was in now way close to that of some others I've seen!.

** Some people can tell with almost 100% accuracy the difference between a shot taken on Tri-X and similar Ilford emulsion at one glance. Some technical films used in pictorial photography are so unique that anyone who knows the film can tell immediately that that emulsion was used. A good example is the absolute lack of any visible film grain and higher D-Max in Kodak Tech Pan with modified processing for a full tonal range even with 20x24 or larger prints from a 135 format neg.
 

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