[Leica] M8 v M9--better printers needed

[dnygr at cshore.com (Douglas Nygren)]

I'm pretty happy with my M8. It supplements my film camera nicely. The 
crop doesn't bother me. Of course, without the crop it would be even 
better, but 5.$$$$$$$$$$ better?

Perhaps the images of the M9 will be sharper, clearer.Great. But I'm 
the type who likes not only the sharpness and contrast of the new 
lenses, but the look of the 50-year-old ones as well. The different 
aesthetics of different periods are like diverse tastes. If the M0 
gives us another taste, great. We'll have one more to chose from. 
Nothing wrong with that. But it doesn't mean I have to have one--at 
least right away.

For now, an M6 for film and an M8/8.2 for digital meet my needs.

Where I would like to see some more progress is in the printing 
technology.

My feeling about digital printing is that it makes fine posters. The 
darkroom stuff still looks better. They have the glow that paintings 
have. The magic is embedded in the paper. Ink on paper doesn't get the 
same effect. That's probably why the painters use paint and not ink by 
and large.

That said I confess I work both in the darkroom and with Photoshop. I 
love the control Photoshop provides. If I only had that in the 
darkroom. But I also love the look of silver prints. If only my printer 
could do that as well. That's why I hope for big progress in printing. 
I might also add that negatives always hold more info than you can get 
on the print. The paper remains a problem common to both.

Doug