The following letter is reproduced fromThe Luminous LandscapeDiscussion Forumwhere it was first posted. Harold Merklinger isa well regarded expert in the field of optics and author of several books on the topic.You are invited to respond to his commentsthere.

ByHarold M. MerklingeronSunday, October 29, 2000 - 09:45 pm:Michael,Your comparison of the Canon D-30 image quality with film is interesting, and I think perhaps not too surprising. But it does show that digital imaging is a) living up to expectations and b) will probably eventually surpass film in terms of image quality. I'd like to comment on a few specific issues.Sharpening. I see that a few people are critical of your use of sharpening in the comparison. What they probably do not realize is that the chemical development of conventional materials involves its own sharpening. Usually called the "adjacency effect", it derives from the depletion and migration of development agents in the developer. In the absence of...