Mafud wrote: > [not at all ~your ~ position I understand]. > I'll go to hell claiming that "photorealistic" digital images can only be > made with medium format backs/cameras (again, not your position)
Well, of course arguments do tend to polarize us. I used to fall pretty hard on the traditional side of the argument; lately I've been doing a bit the opposite, because I've been having so much fun with my digicam. Of course the truth is in the middle somewhere. I do find that even as the digicam has satisfied my pent-up need to get back to work making pictures, it hasn't entirely scratched the itch--I've still got a hankering to get the Spotmatic and the 50/1.4 Tak out and make some negs to print in the darkroom. I made some prints for Shel tonight from Optio 330 pictures I took down off the web. I don't think they're going to convince him (although they definitely don't have "jaggies"). If you scrutinize them they don't look terribly sharp and they don't look particularly photographic. Part of where I'm coming from myself, I suppose, is that I *love* black-and-white but have never been much of a fan of many of the conventional color processes. I think a lot of slides look generically awful, and I'm not fond of Type C prints either. Digital inkjet prints do more for me than either, generally. I love the surface of the matte papers, the color purity, and the softness and scale of the tones. It has a sort of painterly feel that I particularly like. But I'm not sure I can defend it as being "photo quality" or "as good as film" or anything like that. I'm also not sure I'd want to. It's really just a matter of taste. Certainly, getting to know digital a bit doesn't lessen my interest in all forms of traditional photography. Overall, however, there seems little doubt that film is obsolescent. In the end it's probably not a question of "where" each of us stands on digital, but WHEN we'll change our minds about it. Because it will probably change everybody's minds eventually. --Mike - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
