Durst Lambda 130

[swmcl]

I'm just having a look at the analogue - digital - analogue route at present and I see this Durst machine.

My little 35mm Nikon scanner (5000ED) does 48bits per pixel does it not ? At 4000 dpi supposedly...

So when they boast 36 bits per pixel on the Durst isn't that a little lame ? How long has this thing been made ? Why would you go get an expensive colour drum scan made - say an Aztec Premier - then get it printed on a Durst Lambda ?

Am I missing something here ??

Is the process from digital to analogue harder to achieve ?

The 400 ppi maximum printing resolution is also pretty awful, No ? At least 600 ...

Maybe a new model is on the way and some competitors ...

[Steve Smith]

It seems like a very complicated way of doing something simple!


Steve.

[bob carnie]

durst lambda prints at 200ppi and 400 ppi
Chromeria and Lightjet print at around 300 ppi

You will not see better quality output than these three devices period.
Inkjet is close but not as sharp.btw most inkjet print at 300

I'm just having a look at the analogue - digital - analogue route at present and I see this Durst machine.

My little 35mm Nikon scanner (5000ED) does 48bits per pixel does it not ? At 4000 dpi supposedly...

So when they boast 36 bits per pixel on the Durst isn't that a little lame ? How long has this thing been made ? Why would you go get an expensive colour drum scan made - say an Aztec Premier - then get it printed on a Durst Lambda ?

Am I missing something here ??

Is the process from digital to analogue harder to achieve ?

The 400 ppi maximum printing resolution is also pretty awful, No ? At least 600 ...

Maybe a new model is on the way and some competitors ...

[swmcl]

I think I'm not getting something...

What's simple about a large print from a 6x17 Velvia photo or a 4x5 ?

Colour is very hard. B&W still has paper and a number of processes.

I'm not a B&W only photog yet. One of my only colour prints so far is only 9 inches high. This was the best anyone could do at the time. It could be that colour is limited to the Durst Lambda around here.

[LF_rookie_to_be]

Is the process from digital to analogue harder to achieve ?

It isn't. You just upload (via FTP) a finished tiff file to a company that records LVTs, receive the negative in an envelope, buy RA4 paper and chemicals, an used dichroic enlarger, a print drum and enlarge it yourself. Or give the negative to someone to enlarge it for you. Are you in a city? If so, a print drum for, say, 30x40" print should be easy to find and maybe even free - a drainage/sewer pipe. Hafe fun.

[bob carnie]

Steve

I am not sure what your question is.

A lambda is the same thing as an enlarger , just uses laser technology to expose the paper via a digital file rather than putting a negative in the enlarger and blasting light through it.

[Jim Michael]

I wouldn't go so far as to say they are the same. The digital file is a mapping of densities into a discrete space of a particular depth, e.g. 256 steps for 8-bit. Hence, banding may occur across a gradual density change in the image that will not occur in an analog process. The higher the bit depth of the output device the lower the probability banding will occur. The benefits of being able to correct defects, more exact control of problem areas, etc. would seem to outweigh. The stuff my wife prints on the Lambda looks awesome.

[MDR]

As weird as it may sound ppi and dpi is not the same thing ppi (pixel per inch) is the image resolution on the screen and defines the print size, whereas dpi dots per inch should only be used for prints so a 300ppi image can have a 1200 dpi output or an 300 dpi or any other dpi output depending on the chosen printer.

[swmcl]

My concern was that 400dpi was not a very high figure. For my one print that I have so far, I had a printout at a resolution "that everyone else uses" and went back and got another one done at a higher resolution. The difference was obvious. So I'm not inclined to go with "what everyone else does".

The real truth was that the printing business didn't want to deal with the larger file size.

If I scan a 4x5 at 4000 dpi then print at 400 dpi I'll get a 40 inch x 50 inch image correct? Even though I scan at 48 bits per pixel I can only print at 36 bits per pixel.

I'm thinking the Lambda is used for murals or advertising purposes not fine art. Inkjet printers are printing at a much higher resolution than this. 600 dpi was a standard in office laser printers in the late 80's.

If I have wrong figures do let me know ! ...

[bob carnie]

Steve you need to go to a lambda or Chromira or Lightjet service provider and get a print made at 400 ppi and see for yourself.
Lambda , Chromira , or Light jet prints are in every Museum world wide. Your grasp of the output is off and talking about it seems to be only confusing you further.
I hope my comments do not come across as a slap rather advise to use your eyes to judge what this technology can do.
I am not familiar with any locations in your area to direct you to see quality output.

My concern was that 400dpi was not a very high figure. For my one print that I have so far, I had a printout at a resolution "that everyone else uses" and went back and got another one done at a higher resolution. The difference was obvious. So I'm not inclined to go with "what everyone else does".

The real truth was that the printing business didn't want to deal with the larger file size.

If I scan a 4x5 at 4000 dpi then print at 400 dpi I'll get a 40 inch x 50 inch image correct? Even though I scan at 48 bits per pixel I can only print at 36 bits per pixel.

I'm thinking the Lambda is used for murals or advertising purposes not fine art. Inkjet printers are printing at a much higher resolution than this. 600 dpi was a standard in office laser printers in the late 80's.

If I have wrong figures do let me know ! ...