In a message dated 7/25/2002 8:09:24 AM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> I think you're absolutely right that most folks > don't want to go to all that trouble if the goal is a couple dozen 4x6 > prints of vacations, birthday parties, and so forth. Hell, ~I~ won't > usually go to that trouble if all I want is a 4x6 reprint, and I really > enjoy all the fiddling! Kodak's mantra for the past century has been, "You > push the button; we do the rest." If digital can't deliver that kind of > performance to the masses at a competitive price -- and right now, I'd > agree > that it certainly can't -- then the much more profitable film business will > remain intact for a long time to come, I suspect. > I agree "if digital can't deliver ... " but "right now it certainly can't"? Yes, it can. At both my favourite "semi-pro" lab, and at my favourite Wal*Mart, you can take the memory card from the camera, plug it into their machine, and order reprints. The ones from the lab look great. I have no idea how the Wal*Mart ones look -- I saw the beginning of the process but didn't stick around to see the results (not my images). At the lab, the reprint price from digital media is similar to that from film. (And you didn't pay to buy film, didn't pay to process film, didn't have to wait to finish a roll, and didn't have to wait for initial process and print to know what the images look like to select the reprints.) They also offer the option of transferring the images from the camera's card to CD-ROM. Not sure what this price looks like, as I haven't used the service. But the point is that the masses *can* walk into an establishment with the digital camera in hand and get prints quite painlessly now. I shoot film when I want better quality; when the situation is low-light; when I want the images to have a better shot at longevity; when I want to use my Pentaxes. But of course I am picky. Seems to me in light of the above that plenty of consumers might now see no reason for film in their lives. ERNR My photographs hang on the virtual walls at http://members.aol.com/ernreed - 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 .
