Choosing between wet and digital printing

**Geoffrey Swenson** · 22-Dec-2003, 16:06

Jay, What I was trying to say is that I want to be able write the corrected digital file back onto film so it would be kinda safe. I realize that there are film recorders that do that today, but if I am correct the quality is not the same as an original transparency (very expensive too). At least not yet!

I don’t mean the Burkholder Digital Negatives for printing, I mainly worry about the uncertainty of storing digital data. I basically have the same concern as Jorge mentioned, that you have to be virtual squirrel to save here and there, resave etc. files so that hopefully have a usable one in a few years.

Today, and I don’t care what anyone says, the scanning process is not perfect, because you still have to do a lot of work just to get back what was on the original slide. I look forward to the day when one can rescan the recorded image with all the necessary corrections and without all that mumbo-jumbo that is required now.

That is why I am concerned about the demise of, in my case color film, because I don’t 100% trust digital yet.

**Jorge Gasteazoro** · 22-Dec-2003, 18:02

What makes you think I don’t? That is why I am not on the computer too often. Lucky for some though :-))

Hey, hey ,hey....dont get your feathers ruffled, you asked where I was...:-))

**Nick_3536** · 23-Dec-2003, 09:06

I want to disagree with the point that wet colour is expensive in terms of equipment. Colour 4x5 enlargers aren't selling for any more money then B&W 4x5 enlargers. If anything the belief that colour is next to impossible seems to be depressing the value of colour enlargers versus B&W only ones. Sure a person can spend all kinds of money on colour equipment but you can do that for B&W to. Almost all my darkroom equipment is used and likely bought for 10-25% of the new cost. Other then the probe on the colour analyser I bought everything works perfectly.

I'm sure spending more money on some colour toys would make me more productive but I'm not in a production enviroment. Some how I guess Rory isn't either. My colour enlarger cost no more then a scanner would have. How much more would I have to spend to get a colour printer that could handle the 20x24 or so my enlarger can?

**Geoffrey Swenson** · 23-Dec-2003, 09:21

“dont get your feathers ruffled”

No, I’m easy :-)) Merry Christmas!!

G.

**Sergio Caetano** · 23-Dec-2003, 14:21

"...one that just came out of my Epson 2200..."

Jon

Sincere congratulations. You've done something very hard to get.

**Rory_3532** · 24-Dec-2003, 13:24

Thanks to everyone who commented. The replies identify a number of considerations that are going to take some thinking about. Have a good holiday season and New Year.