RE: [Leica] Re: Digital vs Chemical prints OT

["Rodgers, David" <david.rodgers@xo.com>]

Bill,

I'd have to agree regarding printing RA-4. IMHO digital is the way to go now
for ALL types of color printing now. 

I still like silver printing for b/w (though I like digital b/w printing,
too). It's not that one looks better that the other. I just like b/w
darkroom printing. I also think you can get certain qualities by toning
silver prints that are unique to that medium. Possible to duplicate with
color inks, maybe. But overall simpler with toning.  

Color is a whole different ballgame. I'm not sure if tools have improved, or
if people are just getting better at working in digital. Perhaps it's both.
I envy people who can send off and have others do the printing. That's
probably the way to go. 

Dave

- -----Original Message-----
From: Bill Lawlor [mailto:wvl@infinex.com]
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2001 9:47 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us;
leica-users-digest@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Cc: danb@timelesslight.com
Subject: [Leica] Re: Digital vs Chemical prints OT


At a local art fair I had the chance to see two state of the art color print
processes compared side by side. Both photographers are local here in
Fairfax. Wyn Hoag makes landscapes shot with Nikon and Fuji 617. He shoots
on Provia 100F and Velvia. All the scanning and printing is done by Bill
Nordstrom in Santa Cruz on the highest end scanners and laserjet printers to
Fuji SF-5 materials.His prints are large, 16X20 and up.

Dan Baumbach www.timelesslight.com also shoots Velvia in his Nikons. His
prints were the first I have actually seen from an Epson 2000P. His booth
was right next to Wyn's. Most of  Dan's work was 13X19. His prints are of
such quality that I was unsure if they were medium format or 35mm. They
exhibit absolutely no artifacts of digital printing that I could see.

Both exhibitors were showing excellent work. I preferred Dan's 'scapes and
flowers and the "aura" of the inkjet prints. I may never print RA-4 again.
(And I just bought a new halogen EVW bulb for the Besleler 45!)

Bill Lawlor