kpp@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> sharpness - escpecially in 12''+ enlargments? does paper qualitywell here is a question for you all...
Does paper type (matte, gloss -RA4, inkjet and B&W etc) affect image
has an effect too?
just curious...
The greater the enlargement the less the possibility of an effect of paper on sharpness. The grain on paper is *really* small, so that's not going to have a noticable effect. With really glossy paper, there's always the problem of reflections, but you need something to reflect the light back (I've seen this in pinhole cameras with a very curved "film plane")
Gloss papers often look more contrasty, and greater contrast can look like more sharpness to some people. But on the other habd, gloss papers often need to be looked at from the right angle to ensure they don't act like mirrors :-)
I guess that halation could be sen as a cause of loss of sharpness, and if you feel that paper thickness and opacity are quality issues, then yep, this is related to quality. However you'll notice it less with larger prints (since the absolute size of the halation circles is pretty much fixed.
However the *real* sharpness (or lack thereof) will become more apparant as you increase the enlargement. Abd that's down to what's on the neg.
Naturally, you have to assume that the person/machine doing the printing is correctly focussed :-)
Paper quality? Different papers will make the same image look different. Whether it be gross effects caused by the contrast of the paper, or obvious things like the surface finish, or more subtle things like the "shape" of the sensitivity curve for the paper. But none of them are really quality issues.
Different colour papers may render colours differently, but again, it's not a quality issue (generally).
However, if the quality of the handling of the paper is suspect, the results may vary due to fogging (by light, heat, xrays, chemicals, ....)
So for photographic processes, the answer is no, not really.
For printing techniques, the answer is a resounding YES. All you need to do is consider ink on a paper that allows wicking and you'll find an instant loss of sharpness. Note however that the loss of sharpness caused by this means will become less noticable on larger prints.
oh, and remember digital, pixels, if you want the former, make sure you've got enough of the latter.
Steve
