C-41 based B&W film

[D Carter]

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Presuming a workflow of scanning, Photoshop then ink-jet printing is there any advantage to using a C-41 based B&W film like Kodak BW400CN for color prints over using color film and one of the various monochrome mixing methods?

 

If not, seems like the color film gives more overall options depending on how you want to depict the scene.

[earleygallery]

That's generally what I do i.e. use colour neg and convert relevant images to B&W in PS.

 

I'm not aware of any difference in quality, although of course different films will give their own results, so XP2 for example looks different to a B&W conversion from my current stock of colour neg film.

 

If I'm purposely shooting B&W then I'll tend to use a silver based film.

[Michael-IIIf]

I know where your question is coming from. As we have become more familiar with producing B&W images from our digital RAW files one wonders why not do the same from colour negs or trannies.

 

I generally use Ilford FP4 or Delta for my B&W. I've also used Fuji Velvia positives and "dropped" them to B&W on occasion but I've never been happy with any scans I've made of colour negatives. Dealing with that orange mask is always a problem for me.

 

Last week I tried some BW400 CN - because I bought a load of it. I bought it because I was more or less wondering the same as you. I thought I'd try it to see what it brings to the party. You do hear people saying it is impossible to scan silver halide (traditional B&W) films. This is obviously nonsense as we do it all the time but I was wondering what dye based film scans like.

 

My experience with it was middling. You can see some results here http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/people/55800-walkabout-bw400-cn.html#post579459

 

 

 

Bottom line: I think I prefer FP4 (I also bought enough of that to see me through a few years!).

[Philippe D.]

Hi,

Presuming a workflow of scanning, Photoshop then ink-jet printing is there any advantage to using a C-41 based B&W film like Kodak BW400CN

If you want to scan the film, try Ilford XP2 Super, it's a little bit more contrasted as the Kodak but still very soft. No grain.

Do not under expose, over exposure is free.

Scanning with ICE.

[kodaktrix]

Did already anybody try Fujis Neopan 400 CN?

 

Regards

 

Oliver

[crbirchenhall]

Presuming a workflow of scanning, Photoshop then ink-jet printing is there any advantage to using a C-41 based B&W film like Kodak BW400CN for color prints over using color film and one of the various monochrome mixing methods?

 

If not, seems like the color film gives more overall options depending on how you want to depict the scene.

 

I have and occasionally still use C-41 B&W film but I was impressed on seeing reports on a couple of well known Magnum photographers using Fuji 400 Pro H because "sometimes their clients want colour but they can convert them to B&W if required". I think the advantage of a B&W film is psychological; if you know you have B&W film loaded you search out potential monochrome photographs. Having said that I mostly use colour and find myself shooting almost monchrome shots with a hint of colour or understated colours.