This test compares
-6×9 Ilford FP4 120 Film, Fuji NPS 120 Film and Canon 5DmkII Files
-Capture One 6.3.3 and Adobe Raw 6.2
-Capture One B&W Conversions, Adobe B&W Conversions and Photoshop CS5 B&W Adjustment Layer and B&W Film
Cameras Used
-Canon 5D MARK II with a Canon EF24-70MM f/2.8 ZOOM LENS Set as ASA 100, Daylight and Camera Raw
– TOYO AR FIELD CAMERA SCHNEIDER SYMMAR-S 5.6/135 COPAL 0 with a Mamiya 6×9 Roll Film Back
Scanner Used
Imacon 848 3.25 in x 2.16 in at 2000 dpi 16bit Adobe RGB
Example Files – The following are 10in x 7in in at 150 dpi 8bit srgb JPEGs. See download link to full size files at bottom.
01_CANON5D_adobe
Canon 5D MARK II ASA 100 1/30 SECOND AT F22
EF24-70MM f/2.8 ZOOM LENS AT 70MM
Adobe Raw PROCESSED 100%
02_CANON5D_adobe_bw
Canon 5D MARK II ASA 100 1/30 SECOND AT F22
EF24-70MM f/2.8 ZOOM LENS AT 70MM
Adobe Raw B&W Conversion PROCESSED 100%
03_CANON5D_capture
Canon 5D MARK II ASA 100 1/30 SECOND AT F22
EF24-70MM f/2.8 ZOOM LENS AT 70MM
Capture One 6.3.3 PROCESSED 100%
04_CANON5D_capture_bw
Canon 5D MARK II ASA 100 1/30 SECOND AT F22
EF24-70MM f/2.8 ZOOM LENS AT 70MM
Capture One 6.3.3 B&W Conversion PROCESSED 100%
05_CANON5D_capture_cs5_bwfilter
Canon 5D MARK II ASA 100 1/30 SECOND AT F22
EF24-70MM f/2.8 ZOOM LENS AT 70MM
Capture One 6.3.3 CS5 B&W Filter PROCESSED 100%
06_6x9_NPS
TOYO FIELD CAMERA SCHNEIDER SYMMAR-S 5.6/135 COPAL 0 ROLLBACK
120 FUJI NPS ASA 100 1/30 SECOND F45 IMACON 848 SCAN AT 2000DPI
07_6x9_NPS_cs5_bwfilter
TOYO FIELD CAMERA SCHNEIDER SYMMAR-S 5.6/135 COPAL 0 ROLLBACK
120 FUJI NPS ASA 100 1/30 SECOND F45 IMACON 848 SCAN AT 2000DPI
CS5 B&W Filter
08_6x9_FP4
TOYO FIELD CAMERA SCHNEIDER SYMMAR-S 5.6/135 COPAL 0
6X9 ROLLBACK120 ILFORD FP4 ASA 80 DEVELOPED N-1/3
1/30 SECOND F32 IMACON 848 SCAN AT 3200DPI
These files have not been cleaned or adjusted in Photoshop except for the B&W adjustment layer conversion. No additional sharpening has been applied.
Analysis
Film verses Digital
Film Used
Ilford FP4 120 Film ASA 80 Processed at Normal minus 1/3
Fuji NPS 120 Film
Contrast
-NPS (6) had less contrast than Digital and FP4 (8)
-FP4 (8) had more contrast than Digital and NPS (6,7)
-NPS B&W (7) had less contrast than NPS (6)
Sharpness
-NPS (6,7) and FP4 (8) had less sharpness than digital
-Note I scanned at 2000 Dpi to get comparable file sizes and it is also the scan DPI I normally use for NPS film, but cans can higher which I do for B&W film (3200dpi).
Different lenses might yield different results.
Capture One 6.3.3 verses Adobe Raw 6.2-all made at 16 Bit Color
Contrast
-Very similar between Adobe Raw (1) and Capture One (3) with Capture One showing slightly more contrast
Sharpness
Adobe Raw (1) opens the files slightly larger at
144M at 10.24 inches x 15.36 inches at 400 dpi
Capture One (3) opens the Files at 120.3M at 9.36 inches x 14.04 inches at 400 dpi
The Capture One File appears to be sharper with better clarity
And less distortion
Color
Capture One is set to output the files in ProPhoto RGB then when opening in Photoshop they are converted to Adobe RGB. Adobe Raw is set to output to Adobe RGB. Capture One color appears to be cleaner and more neutral after using the White Balance Eyedropper Tool on the Silver bucket in both programs before opening files from their raw state.
Digital B&W Conversions
Adobe Raw (2) and Capture One (4) seem very similar. Capture One with CS5 B&W Adjustment Layer made image slightly lighter, which reduced contrast
Film Cost
This is a somewhat unfair consideration, given the cost of Digital equipment and image manipulation applications but you need those for scanned film as well
2 rolls at Ilford FP4 120 Film $4.25 = $8.50
2 Processing at $8.25 = $16.50
2 Rolls at Fuji NPS 120 Film $5.59 = $11.18
2 Processing $8.25= $16.50
—————————————
Film/Processing Cost $52.68
Other Considerations
Approximately 30 Minutes to scan and clean Film Negatives
Approximately 10 Minutes to process and clean Digital Files
Approximately 15 Minutes to set up camera, take photo with Film Camera
Approximately 5 Minutes to set up camera, take photo with Digital Camera
Conclusions
Since I last made a comparison between Film and Digital Camera Systems, Digital Systems have moved forward dramatically for the better. As for color film converted to B&W, I think it gives you a lot of options with no loss of quality. I plan to do this test again with different and more colorful subject matter, add cameras that I use to this test, such as Toyo 4×5 View Camera with film, Arca Swiss with the Phase One P45+ Back, the Mamiya 645AFD II with the Phase One P45+ Back, and the Sony Nex-5 to see how they compare. For now, I think these test show for my upcoming photography in Mexico, the Canon 5DMKII Camera using Capture One will get me the best results in the most efficient way at the lowest cost (not taking into account damage or theft). I plan to add additional comments as I continue my analysis. You can down load the full size files (1Gig zip folder with 8 files-takes 10 minutes or so to download) to make your own judgments at