Originally Posted by
Jon Middleton
Long story, I'll try to be brief. I have a small room in my basement reserved for a darkroom, not built out for ages. Almost 30 years ago I bought a bunch of darkroom equipment from a pro who was getting out of the business, including a 6' Arkay sink, a Super Chromega II enlarger, plus trays, timer, etc. I've gone digital in recent years and have a lot of high quality gear. But, I'm wanting to go back to LF for landscape photography. I have a Zone VI 4x5 I bought new in the early 90's, Serial #2830, along with a 210mm Rodenstock Sironar N and a 90mm Nikon f/8 SW. From my reading, the Nikon is supposed to be very sharp. The Rodenstock not so much, though I have been quite impressed with prints up to 20x24.
So, debating whether to install the sink and do optical printing or not. For color I'm shooting Provia, but I'm thinking that I could shoot B&W and develop it in my recently purchased Stearman 445. Easy. I've scanned transparencies on my Epson V700 with excellent results and have several technically excellent 20x24 color prints utilizing this workflow. So, my options are either scanning my B&W negatives, editing them in PS, then having prints made vs traditional printing techniques. Would like to hear from those here more eperienced than I about which approach they prefer and why, especially if you've done both. I will add that I am retired and have no time or financial constraints. Thanks.
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