Tim(posted 8832 days ago)I would agree that too much emphasis is put on having maximum black somewhere, and be it only a pinpoint spot. That, of course, is nonsense. I find that a satisfactory rendition of the shadows is more important than that. Still, I guess you will also agree that a print lacking overall contrast, i.e. one where the shadows are more or less dark gray, is not satisfactory. The best contrast you can get in a print is that between max. black and paper white. The negative being capable of representing a broader range than the print, I think it's a good idea to try for max. black.