Blown Away... Jazzed...Excited...Epson 4800 B&W

[sanking]

Bobby,

I did not find your tone argumentative in any way. I am just trying to point out that much of the reasoning behind the idea that digital prints are as good as traditional silver photograpy is based on the assumption that resolution of more than 8 lp/mm does not make any difference, when in fact it does.

I am not making an argument against scanning and digital printing. In fact, over 50% of the prnting I do these days in carbon, kallitype and palladium is from enlarged digital negatives, and the image uality, assuming magnification of no more than about 3X, is as good as I get from same size in-camera negatives. The fact of the matter is that with these processes it makes little or no difference if you print with an in-camera negative with 50 lp/mm or a digital negative from an inkjet printer with resolution of 8 lp/pm. Why? Because the paper is the limitiing factor in resolution, not the negative. This would not be true, however, in contact printing on a smooth silver paper, AZO for example, that is capable using most or all of the resolution in the negative.

[Paul Kierstead]

"The whole point of a new technology is to do something new."

Not everyone uses new technology in the same way. For example, I don't have room or facilities in my house for a 4x5 enlarger, but my printer and scanner take little space. I do everything in spurts; I don't worry about chemistry going bad. And I could go on. There are lots of reasons to use new technology to produce the same results as something old.

Perhaps, just maybe, not all of us have the same goals, means, materials etc.

[Bobby Sandstrom]

That's funny Dave. I was the last of my friends in the music business to have a 2" machine. Of course to this day there ain't a mic that compares to a clean 47...pultec Eq's and compressors, neve 1073s, LA2As and on and on... even though their software plug-in counterparts make claims to the contrary. Photographically, IMHO, I think that hybrid digital/analog is at a stage now that is a very real solution that produces truly artistic results... ie something that "feels" like honest to goodness art. We are in the next era in photo history. It's a good time to be alive!

[Ed K.]

You scanned a traditional print and ended up with a nice inkjet print. Would the inket print, when scanned, also produce a nice print? One nice quality of a good LF contact print on smooth paper is that it may be reproduced if it ever ends up being useful, historic or valuable. There is also the issue of craft, not that inkjets are not also a craft form, but rather the "purity factor" of someone's skill making the genuine item instead of an authentic item.

Naturally, there are many ways to make a print that will please most people, especially those who look at reasonable distances. The hard part is pleasing peers who so often have a loupe handy. If you don't care about that, you're in good shape. Do the prints hold up well to the "loupe test" ? Lightjets do very well in that regard, especially if not oversharpened. Smooth as a Lightjet?

Sounds great, however who knows how the prints will look after hanging on the wall near a laser printer for a while, or how much per print ( including printer cost, ink & paper ) compares.

One can have some amusement thinking of people who have ultra-hi fidelity tube amps hooked up to CD players. CDs are rather poor fidelity. It's easy to hear the difference between a CD audio sample rate, and that of a higher sample rate digital recording workstation. Then again, how many performances can be easily purchased for one's home recording studio with 2" tape?

It is a great time to be alive, as others have said - so many great options. Congrats on finding something that makes your images look good to your eye - that's not usually an easy process!

[Bobby Sandstrom]

"Naturally, there are many ways to make a print that will please most people, especially those who look at reasonable distances. The hard part is pleasing peers who so often have a loupe handy. If you don't care about that, you're in good shape. Do the prints hold up well to the "loupe test" ?"

You forgot the most important person it's got to please... YOU!

I worked producing records for a number of years. With that came learning that if a performance, be it from the vocalist, guitarist, or whomever doesn't turn you on, it probably ain't gonna turn anyone else on either. I think with producing any form of art, it's got to grab hold of you in some way. It's gotta turn you on. If it does that, then it's a success. If it leaves you empty, wanting more, or indifferent then you best try something else. No sense in kidding yourself. It's got to please you first else why bother? Now, if you're the only one it pleases... that's a whole different story. :-)