Help - Digital Black and White

[pipefish]

Hi guys, 3 questions:

1. Is there anybody here who shoots B&W film and prints digitally after scanning the negs in? I'd be interested to know your workflow.

2. Also, I would like to know whether you get quality prints from them. I am looking at quality similar to darkroom prints on fibre. I am not happy with the current results that I get from Ruby or Colour Lab, purely because they are printed on photo paper.

3. Lastly, is it feasible to use digital cameras for B&W? My requirements are:

a. fast lens (f2 or less) at the 35-50 mm focal range (35mm equivalent). I do not want to spend 3k for the Nikon 28/1.4
b. no shutter lag, and fast write speed for RAW files
c. full manual controls - focus, aperture and shutter

I have done a lot of homework but haven't found a suitable camera. The LC-1 is the closest so far, but with a terrible buffer for RAW.

Would especially appreciate views of those into b&w street shooting. Thanks.

 

[StreetShooter]

I do both - develop B&W film and scan it in, as well as convert digital photos to B&W.

If you want a 35mm f2 on a digicam, look no further than the Canon G3/G5. Be aware though that the shallowness of the DOF you are able to achieve is limited, because of the small sensor size. If that is important to you, then get a DSLR like the 10D.

I'm quite easy to please, so the B&W prints I get from places like Standard Photo are good enough for me. To be honest, I've not really felt and touched a fibre print before, so I don't know what I am missing out on. Actually I hardly print out my B&W shots. Just reduce them to web size. Only those of my kids I print out, and, as I said, they're good enough for me.

 

[pipefish]

Thanks mate. I am for the moment, going to scan and print. Will put off buying camera until maybe the epson rangefinder is released. Have ruled out a DSLR for the moment as Nikon doesn't have a f2 35mm for digital yet. Nothing against Canon, but already have a Nikon system and would like to use the lenses.