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[OM] A question about color resolution and film vs. digital

Subject: [OM] A question about color resolution and film vs. digital
From: Bob_Benson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:05:54 -0500
Amid all of the talk about film vs. digital resolution (pixels, etc.) I 
have a question about film vs. digital on color resolution.

Here's the question.  First, background.

We of course have the ability to recognize different colors,  such as 
different shades of green.  The human eye, film, and digital media 
recognize different colors with the use of primary color sensors (e.g., 
cones in the eye,  film layers,  color sensors in the digital media.  A 
shade of color -- the difference between one color and another -- 
presumably is based on intensity differences of the primary color.  A 
shade of green differs from another shade of green because one or more of 
the primary colors is sensed as brighter or dimmer.

So ... the question.   What is the relative sensitivity of the eye vs. 
film vs. digital to differences in light intensity?  That is,  what is the 
smallest change in intensity that can be recorded by the eye, or film, or 
digital ... that then produces the sensation of different shade of color. 
Can digital resolve more or less difference in intensity than film?  And 
is film capable of representing more or less difference of light intensity 
than the eye? 

My suspicion is that digital (largely because it is digital and not 
analog) is coarser ... that is,  it requires a greater difference in light 
intensity to change the light value recorded by the sensor,  than does 
film.

I suspect that this is what may give digital a different feel than film -- 
and it feels similar to what the audiofiles argue about CD's vs. analog 
disks.

But does anyone know about this?  Specifically 1) is there any research on 
this,  2) is there an actual metric that describes this?

Bob Benson

PS:  where's the OM content here?   Over the weekend I did a lot of 
shooting with my trusty OM's and, as well, a c3030 ... and the results 
were interestingly different in feel.   The OM stuff was better, of 
course.






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