Hmm, Makes me wonder why the pros are printing their BW digital. Have you seen a good BWE digital print? They can be very, very good. Paul
> I have been following digital darkroom stuff for about 5 years > and I have never read anywhere, even recently, that there was ANY > commmercially > available monochrome digital printers that can even come close to > matching BW wet prints > let alone exceed. Best results are now obtained with custom ink sets and > drivers but even > they don't claim to match wet prints yet, Maybe someday we will get > there but for now, no way... > > JCO > > -----Original Message----- > From: Shel Belinkoff [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2005 2:10 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Decisions...Decisions... > > > Paul, that's all well and good, but my point is quite simply this: I > have not yet SEEN a digi-photoshop-inkjet print that equals or betters > a high quality (exhibition quality, if you'd like) B&W print made on > fiber based silver paper. People keep telling me about them, but I've > not yet seen one. I've been to shows and exhibitions here, have seen > numerous prints made by many photographers, but have yet to see an > actual print that compares with or betters a high quality silver > fiber-based B&W print. > > When someone like Godfrey says he's doing his best work ever, all I can > do is shrug since there's no point of comparison. It means not a whit > to me that he's been involved in photography for forty years. For all I > know his work could be crap and the people judging it couldn't tell > quality from trash. > > You're telling us what Tim Damon said - show me a print. You're telling > us what you saw. Show me a print. Look, I have great respect for you > as a photographer, but only through what I've seen on the web. Your > idea of quality and mine may be miles apart, or not. I am skeptical. > > All this does not mean I've not seen some very fine B&W digital work. I > have. But none has come up to the quality I'd like to see. > > True, you will be making some prints and sending them my way (as soon as > I get the files off to you), and that may help to determine how close > our concepts of quality are, so it will be a start. Meanwhile, the > challenge goes out to everyone on the list: show me a print that equals > or betters a quality silver, fiber-based B&W print made in a wet > darkroom. When I see one I'll shut up. > > Shel > > > > [Original Message] > > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Tim Damon is a California based pro, who shoots a lot of cars and > > various > > other things for both editorial and advertising. His day rate is in > the > neighborhood > > of 10K, so he's an "A" shooter. I saw his portfolio Thursday. It > > included > several > > dozen beautiful BW prints on Epson Radiant Watercolor Paper. I asked > about > > the equipment. He said they were all shot with the Canon 1DS and > converted in > > PhotoShop. They were printed on an Epson 2200. I don't know if it was > with > > custom inks or not. Should have asked, but it slipped my mind. > > > > Most of the pros I've spoken to are shooting digital for both BW and > color. > > Most feel their digital prints are better than the silver prints they > produced in years > > past. In any case, it's obviously the wave of the future for all but > hobbyists and > > some fine art photographers. > >
