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Thread: Film man becoming semi digital.

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    North West Iowa
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    5

    Wink Film man becoming semi digital.

    Good Morning photo folks;
    I have joined LFPF some time ago and have used it to find information now and then. But now I need some technical info to make the switch to a semi digital process. So I best introduce myself to you all. My name is Ray. I have been an avid photo nut for as long as I can remember, and also operated my own portrait and wedding studio for a number of years; (An experience that can make one wonder if the human race has a future.)

    When I closed my studio I went back into black iron work and machining. I disposed of my studio gear by setting up at camera shows. In the process of selling off my photo gear I took items in trade and before I realized it I was a camera collector. After collecting all sorts of cameras I finally found my nitch in LF. I have a nice collection of Graphlex/Graphic cameras and also a number of B&Js view cameras, press cameras and etc.

    I am now retired and and consider myself a historical photographer. I collect historical photos, copy family albums, and record the passing of of buildings and landmarks before they are destroyed by "progress."

    What I am trying to do as of now is photocopy the old photos with film and scan the film into a computer. I just can not let go of film as my archival back up. I have a v700 epson scanner, a HP c5180 printer and an outdated dell computer. The v700 is a keeper but I could use some advice on replacing the computer for one that is compatible with the v700 and photo use in general. I would also like to update to a printer that has very good B&W capabilities as well as color.

    I am also considering having my photo set-up self contained. I am sick and tired of computer problems generated by the internet.

    Well, photo folks this is who I am, and this is what I can use advice upon. Please keep in mind that I am a digital novice so don't go overboard on technicalities. I want to use the equipment, not build it.

    A $1000 or less for a computer and several hundred for a printer will probally fit in my budget. I don't need top of the line items, just something that will serve my purposes adequatly.

    Thank You All,
    Enjoy Your Lives Today...RAY

  2. #2
    Octogenarian
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Frisco, Texas
    Posts
    3,532

    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    Hi Ray,

    I am also retired and do not consider myself to be a computer wiz.

    I purchased an IMac computer, an Epson V750 scanner, and an Epson 3880 printer.

    Those components were not purchased at the same time or place, but all three of them worked right out of the box. If I can make them work in harmony, anyone can do it..

    You have a good scanner. Pair it up with a 3880 printer, then get an Apple computer with at least 4gs of RAM, and you'll be good to go.

    Best of luck.

  3. #3
    Format Omnivore Brian C. Miller's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 1999
    Location
    Everett, WA
    Posts
    2,997

    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    Welcome, Ray!

    Since you currently have a Dell, I'm guessing that of course you are using Windows. I recommend that you budget $700 for the computer, and $300 for a good monitor. I have a HP LP2475w, which is a wide-screen 24" model, and the colors are fabulous. Take a look at a site like NewEgg and comparison shop within your budget. You'll want something with 4Gb RAM, because Windows just needs the space now. If you get more than 4Gb, then remember to get Windows64 for the OS.

    If you want to do web surfing with a seperate computer, there are cheap little netbooks running Linux, which will keep you safe from all of the Windows-targetted attacks.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Gulfport, MS, USA
    Posts
    873

    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    Welcome to group therapy!

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    North West Iowa
    Posts
    5

    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    Good Morning; I would like to thank you-all for responding. I researched the Epson 3880 and I believe it is beyond my needs. Wow, it would be fun to print 37 inch prints though. I was impressed with the claimed archival life of their B&W inks...4oo years!!!

    My photo projects are formatted in 8 1/2 X 11 size because all related items are available from the local office supply. Therefor I believe an 8 1/2 by 11 printer would be adequat for my use as long as it has photo-black ink that has a long archival life.

    I will check out the HP LP247w and NewEgg suggestions. Please keep the thoughts coming from you that have the knowledge and experiance, it will be appreciated.

    Enjoy Your Lives Today...RAY

  6. #6

    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    If your working in Photoshop, Lightroom (etc) at all, or in a product that uses lots of memory resources, I personally would opt for an Intel i5 or equivalent processor, but there are deals on the dual cores right now in laptops and towers till their cleared out and these may fit your bill. If this is just a shoot, develop and scan operation and your running a, say Pentium 4 with XP, there is still support for that processor in Windows 7 32 bit, but from what I hear and read you'll need memory if the machine can take enough of it and even then it will probably work slower.
    I have an off line PC computer that I am moving to for future Photoshop work from an older generation Mac OS that came out the same time as XP. The Mac's are real nice with a very well thought out operating system, but support for software and utility upgrades is not as long lived as it is in the Windows environment.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    macon GA
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    146

    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    Don't write off the 3880 just because it prints bigger than you need. It will pay for itself in ink savings over a smaller cartridge printer. It prints great B+W and will be there when you decide you want a bigger print.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Dec 1997
    Location
    Baraboo, Wisconsin
    Posts
    7,697

    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    If you can go up just a little on your computer/monitor you could get an NEC P221W monitor and calibration software for about $500, then maybe $700 for the computer. I've used four or five Dell and HP monitors for photography work and find the NEC to be much easier to calibrate with its own SpectraView software.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    South Carolina
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    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    Just want to point out that you can get a refurbished 21.5" iMac from the Apple Store for just over $1000. It will work out of the box for image processing (with software of course) without worries about monitor, drivers, etc. that you will face with any Windows machine. And the 3.06 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo is a very fast processor with Snow Leopard and CS5.

    Sandy King
    For discussion and information about carbon transfer please visit the carbon group at groups.io
    [url]https://groups.io/g/carbon

  10. #10
    jp's Avatar
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    May 2009
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    Maine
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    5,628

    Re: Film man becoming semi digital.

    Welcome, I've copied lots of old photos with film, and have found tmax100 to be very nice for making analog copies. I mostly used 35mm to do it, as the photos being copied were not of extreme detail, and tmx on 35mm with a good macro lens is really good.

    For your digital questions, you could scan the images at the same time as photographing them, that'd be easier than scanning negatives. I would also suggest $300 on a nice monitor and you can get a lot of computer for $500-600. Go for something with lots of ram and a 64bit windows7 if you go Windows. Cheapy or included monitors usually differ drastically depending on the viewing angle.

    The bigger printers do pay off in terms of reduced ink expenses. With little printers, the companies make their money on the ink and not the printer. With medium sized printers, it's probably more balanced between the two. You can also get aftermarket ink from inkjetmall.com if you do lots of volume.

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