[Leica] Re: Beauty of the digital darkroom

[Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>]

I am an engineer at Photo Access. A start-up.We are developing the next
generation chipset for digital cameras. We just got out prototype running
two days ago. It's leaving for a Japan and Taiwan road trip on Saturday.
Here at Photo Access, we are taking digital photographs, printing on
inkjets and Fujix, taking film, scanning film, printing on inkjets and
Fujix. But what we have hanging on our walls here, in our Seattle office,
and in our Japan office, are my Cibachromes (Ilfochrome for the young
folks) and LightJets. Even the LightJet prints are on silver photo paper.
There simply is no comparison. Period. Even the LightJet prints look a
little wanting when compared to a Ciba print. And 20 or 30 years from now,
the Ciba's will still look the same.

As of right now, late 1999, there is still no substitute for the
traditional silver print (not counting the outrageously expensive Evercolor
pigment process).

Silver based film, wet process, optical enlarging on silver based paper,
wet processing.

To use a modern American vernacular, "photographically, this is where it's at!"

Jim


At 02:33 PM 9/9/99 -0700, David Medley wrote:
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <RBedw51767@aol.com>
>Subject: Re: [Leica] Beauty of the digital darkroom
>
>
>> Mark & David:
>>
>> I am just about to conclude that the "soup" method is faster and better.
>
>Bob,
>
>Mark and I have gone around on this on more than one occasion and I must
>admit that some of his images are really quite stunning when I look at the
>equipment used in producing them. At the same time, while unpacking on our
>last (really last, I hope) move, I ran across some prints that I had made at
>least 25 years ago. These were not cared for, nor were they processed with
>any longevity in mind. They are just as good today as they were when new,
>and I have no idea how much longer they will last, but outlast me, they will
>without question. Inkjet technology is not yet there.
>
>Also, like you and many others on this list, I find a quality that can only
>be achieved with a silver content that is lacking in the inkjet. There is a
>richness, and "gut" feel that I cannot see in a digital print.....yet.
>Further, there is that magic that can only be produced while standing under
>a safelight. I know I am beginning to sound like all of the other old farts,
>but the magic is real and is a big part of the process, at least for me. I
>even dug out the old 5x7 view camera. I have been using Leica M's for over
>30 years and they are always the first choice for my prefered way of working
>but negative size is like horsepower, if everything else is equal, negative
>size and horsepower will alway win.
>
>Someday I will eat my words and I will wonder why it took me so long to
>embrace the scanned, inkjet image. That someday may actually come much
>sooner than any of us realize. For the time being, my biggest regret is the
>lack of an easy way to share images and visual ideas with 600 of my closest
>friends on the LUG. I have a choice right now. I can buy a good scanner,
>inkjet printer and updated software or I can build the darkroom of my bygone
>dreams. Well hell, I have 3 enlargers that need a good workout so guess who
>won!
>
>Cheers,
>David Medley
>Whidbey Is.   WA
>USA
>dmedley@whidbey.net
>
>