Leica M 9, part 8B (december 16, 2009)
The comparison between the prints of M9 image files and AgX negatives.
First the specs: On the M9 and the M7 I attached the Elmar-M 3.8/24mm ASPH. The testtarget was photographed at the same distance and aperture (5.6). The M9 was set to ISO160. The pictures were made in ambient light with very low contrast to create the worst possible case. The results represent the minimum quality one can expect. In high contrast lighting the performance would be increased. The films were developed to normal contrast.
The M9 files were processed with Lightroom 3 beta and NIK output sharpener optimized for a viewing distance of 60cm. The files were printed with the Epson 3800 on glossy Epson best quality photo paper. The resolution was set to 240 dpi to produce the size of the testtarget that can be compared with the silver halide prints.
The negatives were printed with the Leitz V35 and the Schneider 2.8/40mm lens set at f/11. Enlargement was 16 times, the highest the V35 can handle. Paper was Ilford Multigrade IV and developer was Amaloco 6000.
All prints were scanned with the Epson V700 with 1200 dpi, the M9 prints in 48bit color and the AgX prints in 16 bit greyscale and output as TIFF files. The resulting files were 90 Mb and 60 Mb.
Given the large number of processing steps in both workflows it is inevitable that quality reductions are unavoidable. The size of the JPEG images you see is around 300K! It is a very small selection of the original negatives and image files and the section you see is enlarged to show the details. On the prints you see the 1.4 pattern with unaided visual inspection. To see the smaller patterns (only available in the Orthopan prints) you need a magnifier or a very sharp eye.
The M9 print.
The testtarget has a clean black and white pattern, but the M9 algorithms produced colored artifacts. To show these I had to print the file as a color print. The color shading is visible in the top left pattern that is clearly resolved. The worst artifacts are produced at the resolutions beyond the Nyquist limit. The smallest visible pattern is the 1.1, in this case corresponding to 55 lp/mm. The Nyquist limit is 73 lp/mm and after applying the practical rule that effective resolution is 15% less, we get 62 lp/mm as best (calculated guess) resolution. The actual value is quite close.
The colored artifacts are the consequence of the very thin cover glass and the lack of the anti-alias filter. The positive result is of course the very high level of definition.
The Ilford Delta100 print.
The print shows somewhat less contrast as the film needed to be printed at grade 4.5 with a minimum of exposure. One of the main challenges of printing high resolution negatives is the problem of clogging. Grain clumps tend to expand a bit at the edge when the exposure is generous. The classical rule is to use thin layer emulsions and a surface type developer and in the printing stage just enough exposure to ensure good blacks, but preferably a bit less. Given the very low lighting contrast when taking the pictures it is difficult to create deep blacks and clean whites when following the high definition rules outlined here.
The film resolves 62 lp/mm (1.25 target) and the 70 lp/mm (1.4 target) is just discernable. You might even wish to see detail in the 1.6 target (80 lp/mm) but that is really stretching the imagination. Basically you can say that the M9 sensor and post processing does now deliver the same level of quality we can expect from a top-class ISO100 film. The Delta print has somewhat less clean delineations of fine structures (the grain is beginning to become visible), but lacks the artifact distortions of the M9 images.
T
he Orthopan UR print.
This film/developer combo has undoubtedly the best practical performance. The limit is here simply the inability of the enlarger to offer enlargements factors of more than 16 times. On the negative the 3.2 target is just visible. corresponding to a resolution of 160 lp/mm, almost three times more than the maximum resolution of the M9. But this is cheating a bit, as we must compare the results in identical situations. The 1.8 target (90 lp/mm) is just visible in this print and the 1.4 target is clearly visible in the print when looked at with the naked eye. The star-pattern above right in the image clearly indicates the difference in performance between the three images. The Orthopan is inherently a very contrasty film with a steep characteristic curve. The resulting picture needed a gradation of 4.8 to get decent results.
Conclusion
The arguments why the photographic community has so rapidly and fully adopted and adapted to the equipment and workflow of the digital capture are very well known and in most cases true as well. The claim that digital capture vastly surpasses the performance of silver halide material has a strong psychological basis and a not so well founded factual basis.
The results presented in this article show that a digital camera with the calibre of an M9 (which belongs performance-wise in the sparsely populated top-class) can now favorably be compared with the best ISO 100 emulsions and can hold this quality into the ISO400 legue. The quality limits of the M9 sensor and in-camera-software can be clearly detected in these examples. Current microfilms (of which the Orthopan is an excellent representative) still command the premium role in high definition recording. Not everyone needs this level of detail or wants to exploit it, but there is no dispute which one does offer the best image quality and does demand the highest optical quality. The Spur company informed me that the current developer for Orthopan will be replaced by a new one that is claimed to deliver a classical characteristic curve and even better definition. We will see.
The results shown here will not be feasible when handheld shooting under dynamic conditions is required. And in those situations the M9 can play some of its stronger cards. The film-loading Leica cameras can offer emotionality and classic esthetics, not the better imagery. In more stationary or considered situations or when doing studio flash photography the slow speed films have distinctive advantages and even a fifty year old M3 can deliver state-of-the-art quality when fitted with modern Leica lenses.
This comparison does not want to reiterate the digital-analog debate (that would be flogging a dead horse), but it does want to ask for some relativism when claiming that digital is best of class. Film has clear advantages (in a limited domain to be sure) and it would be wrong to dismiss film as an obsolete medium. As soon as a future Leica M offers 35 Mp in a 35mm sized sensor, the gap may be closing, but for now the slow speed silver halide emulsions have the best performance and a distinguished look.
I am happy that I never have abandoned silver halide technology when adding solid state capture technique to my range of photographic tools.