I understand that digital sensors use an RGGB layout for pixels, where 50% of the pixels are green, 25% blue, and 25% red. This means that any particular pixel is sensitive to only one particular frequency, and overall, there is a bias towards green light.
However, with black and white film, all the crystals are sensitive to light. I don't know if they are biased towards any frequency in the visible spectrum.
My question is, aside from ISO, sensor/negative size, how does black and white film stack up against digital images that have a black-and-white effect applied to them? In terms of black and white, do color digital images lose information in the conversion that film would retain?
Answer
Black and white films can have a different spectral sensitivity based on the emulsion - going so far as to be only sensitive to blue/green light (orthochromatic film) or full spectrum (panchromatic). With the panchromatic films, some are sensitive up into the infrared spectrum, allowing partial or fully infrared shots (pending your filter choice).
Films have differing grain structures, which can be somewhat manipulated through the use of pushing, pulling, and differing developers and development techniques.
There are film effect actions that one could use, but it would be accurate to say that there is no effect that can truly impersonate a film.
Black and white also has one hell of a large dynamic range - allowing you a good bit of flexibility when it comes time to print.
The biggest differences, imo, are in the dynamic range that film can get in a single shot and in the look and feel of the grain structure. It'd take multiple shots with digital and a good bit of post to come close, and even then, it would only be close.
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