Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/03/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The more I read and think about the transient nature of digital recording, and the inevitable loss of our digital photos as recording media become obsolete, I wonder about how to preserve my best work. I can personally transfer files from, say, my hard disk to whatever medium replaces it, using wifi in order to avoid obsolescence of connectors etc?at least as long as wifi protocols remain backward-compatible. I know it's sheer vanity to think even my kids and their children would have any interest in seeing pictures from 50 or 100 years, let alone anyone else in the future world, but which of us isn't driven to some extent by vanity? It seems to me that the best way to back up a digital photo in at least acceptably faithful form would be to print it on film (idea not original with me of course). The most accurate and at the same time most bulletproof way would be to print the R, G, and B components of a digital file each on its own frame of silver-based monochrome film, but that might be over the top except for the most important archival purposes of the most exceptional pictures. I'd think that printing at maximal resolution on a K/F'chrome emulsion (as long as they remain available) or a silver-based K/F'color emulsion would be practical and serve the purpose well. I make the assumption that there will always be a way to convert a film image to the digital du jour. Preserving the emulsions then is its own separate task, but maybe more easily accomplished than preserving a digital file. I could see doing this with the best few hundred of my photos that (IMHO) have some value other than family or temporary significance if the price is reasonable. Questions: has any LUGger actually done this or heard of its being done? Is anyone making consumer film printers any longer? I remember them from 25 or 30 years ago but a quick Google didn't turn up anything except what looks like industrial stuff for maybe for producing film for movie theaters. Is there a commercial service that will make 35mm film prints of digital files? ?howard