Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [OM] 35mm film lost the battle against digital ?

Subject: Re: [OM] 35mm film lost the battle against digital ?
From: "Clemente Colayco" <litefoot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 11:45:40 +0800
Get ready, this could be a long thread......

----- Original Message -----
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 11:54 AM
Subject: Re: [OM] 35mm film lost the battle against digital ?


> At 21:51 10/6/02, Tim Chakravorty wrote:
> >"...I'm afraid that film has definitively lost the battle. The
> >(Canon)1Ds's full-frame 11MP CMOS sensor produces a 32MB file - as big as
> >a  typical scan. But this file is sharper and more noise free than any
> >scan I have ever seen, including drum scans. There simply isn't a contest
> >any longer..."
> >
> >http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/1ds/1ds-field-5.shtml
> >
> >-Tim
>
> Tim,
> Now that all your OM gear is worthless, you won't even be able to give it
> away.  For a small fee, I'll be glad to haul it off for you.  All I'll
> charge you is the postage to send it to me.  Others would likely charge
> more, especially if there's risk of any nasty, radioactive rare earth
> lenses that would be considered hazardous waste.  :-)
>
> More seriously, let's do some quick math:
> Presuming the use of high resolution lenses that support 150-200 lppmm, I
> can only conclude you've never seen very fine grained chromes projected to
> 40x60 inch size using *high*quality* projection lenses and white matte
> screens, or seen what can be created with them on a high quality optical
> enlarger using fine-grained print materials.  A Pro Photo CD creates a
72MB
> file when the highest resolution 4096 x 6144 image is extracted from
> it.  This is a 25 Megapixel file with 24-bit color content at about 85
> lppmm, and it is *still* coarser than the resolving power and color
> gradation of very fine grain 35mm film.  Velvia goes to nearly twice that
> at 160 lppmm, and Provia 100F and Kodachrome 64 are hot on its heels.
>
> For sake of argument, consider lens and film system limiting at 120 lppmm,
> less than all these films and lenses.  A line pair is has a two pixel
> width.  This is 240 pixels per mm.  A frame of 35mm film limited by optics
> to 120 lppmm contains 5760 x 8640 pixels, or about 50MP, over 4X that of
> Canon's new wonder.  Color gradation is also greater than 24-bit which
> would create 150MB image files (zero compression to avoid any information
> loss).  48-bit color which is closer to film content (but still not
> completely there) creates a 300MB file.  A single 36-exposure roll of film
> contains well over 10GB of information content.
>
> Bottom line:
> There is very fine grain 35mm film available with resolution at lens
> optical limits.  Velvia is 160 lppmm and Provia 100F is 140
> lppmm.  Kodachrome 64 is about the same as Provia 100F based on what I've
> seen of all these films projected to large screens using very high quality
> projection lenses.  Don't confuse this with rms diffuse granularity
> numbers; Kodachrome has higher edge definition and a much thinner emulsion
> that compensates for slightly coarser grain.
>
> BTW:
> How are you going to store all these 32MB files?  I can put an entire 36
> exposure roll of Velvia, Provia 100F or Kodachrome 64 in two archive
> pages.  A 3-inch binder can hold at least 75-100 rolls of 35mm film in
> slide mounts.  If a roll only contained 10GB, a total of 750GB to 1000GB
of
> information is stored in a single 3-inch binder.
>
> My conclusion:
> Digital cameras with form factors approximating the size of a 35mm SLR
have
> a long, long way to go before it can create the information content 35mm
> film is capable of containing.
>
> -- John
>
>
> < This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
> < For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
> < Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
>
>


< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz