On 3/28/06, Don Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Adam Maas wrote: > > Bob Shell wrote: > >> > >> On Mar 28, 2006, at 9:27 AM, frank theriault wrote: > >> > >>> However, every time I say how I'm more than satisfied with film, that > >>> I like the results it produces, and that I like the process (at least > >>> my involvement in the process - or lack of involvement as the case may > >>> be), someone jumps in to tell me how much better digital is, and what > >>> a luddite I am and how can I say that film is better than digital? > >> > >> > >> > >> It's meaningless to say one is better than the other without > >> including the all important "for what?". > >> > >> I'm working on a book project right now that will ultimately have > >> four hundred or more photos. I can't imagine the darkroom hours it > >> would take to do that with film. Well actually I can imagine it, > >> since I did books with lots of photos back in those days, but I > >> measured the time to do a book in years back then. Today publishers > >> want books done in months. Since the maximum repro size of any one > >> photo will be 4 X 6 at 300 dpi, any digital SLR would be far more > >> than adequate. So for this project I don't think there can be any > >> argument at all that digital is better. > >> > >> Bob > > > > > > Bob, > > > > Once again, it depends on the subject matter. Any old Digital SLR > > might not have the dynamic range of C-41, or produce the 'look' of > > old-fashioned B&W film. > > > > And with the advent of film scanners, the darkroom hours can be safely > > ignored if you so choose, just scan and then it's just like using > > digital output. The advantage for you on the book project is after the > > capture stage. Digital post-production is far more time efficient than > > darkroom work. Digital capture is somewhat more time efficient, but > > not all that significantly for RAW if you've got a good workflow down > > (I lose about 1/2 hour a roll by shooting film over digital). > > > > Personally, I shoot film, print digitally, because I can't get the > > look I like shooting digitally or printing in a darkroom and I enjoy > > the process more. Might be lack of skill (I'm barely competent in the > > darkroom), might be just that certain mediums are more suited to > > producing certain results. > > > > -Adam > > > > > > > I haven't been following this thread from the start, so this may be > superfluous. Have we all forgotten the chemical stink? The sloppy dishes > of developer, stop bath and fixer and the rest for colour? Never mind > how careful you are there is always spillage -- especially with a dish > 20" x 24" big. The acetic acid stop bath used for B&W is nasty, the > developer and other chemicals (for colour) are carcinogenic. The > combination with stale air is almost narcotic. The dim yellow light, or > more often no light at all? Emerging after hours in this stinking > chemical dungeon into the daylight where you are forced to wear dark > glasses or see nothing. Gloves with holes that leak. Tongs that don't > grip the paper properly? Stains on your jeans, shirt, shoes, flesh. > Washing, drying or glazing? Prints that stick to the glazing sheets? Or > those that go brown on the drum because it gets far too hot when the > thermostat fails. The dust on the glass carriers in the enlarger. The > heat from the lamps. Trying to focus accurately when the light is not > bright enough because the negative is thick? Finally pouring all the > solutions back into bottles or down the drain. Cleaning the bench > vacuuming the floor trying to get rid of dust. We didn't all have fine > air-filtered and conditioned darkrooms with film drying cabinets. Or > automatic exposure controlled colour enlargers and C-41 developing > machines. Spotting prints? What a relief to no longer have to mess with > all this. This is all out of order but you'll get what I mean. > > Don > > -- > > Dr E D F Williams > www.kolumbus.fi/mimosa/ > personal.inet.fi/cool/don.williams/ > 41660 TOIVAKKA – Finland - +358400706616 > > Heretic. <g>
-- Scott Loveless http://www.twosixteen.com -- "You have to hold the button down" -Arnold Newman
