Re: [Leica] FILM SURVEY

[D Khong <dkhong@pacific.net.sg>]

Hi Francesco

I have been a darkroom enthusiast since my schooldays in 1969 and B&W
printing is what I like to do.  Currently, 80% of my pictures are taken in
B&W with the rest in colour.  I used to take slides but found the following
too frustrating:

1. Storage.  Assuming that I shoot a roll a fortnight, that means that I
have 26 boxes of slides a year.   This takes up considerable storage space
in humid Singapore where people have to keep their slides in dry cabinets
to prevent fungal growth.   Even if I were to develop the film only and
then cut the frames that I want and mount them, this is added labour and
time which I have little to spare.

2. Cataloging.  To me, this is the difficult part for slides.  With B&W, I
do a contact print and this goes next to the negative sleeve in my filing
system.  Retrieval and reprint are very easily achieved.  I get lost when I
have to handle slides - somehow they get lost in the system after some time
and would be soon forgotten.

3. Reproducibility.  I get any number of reprints wity negs - happily
giving them away to friends at a low cost to me.  With slides, showing them
to friends requires elaborate projector setup and duplication of slides has
its inherent problems.

Soooooooo........ many years back, I made the decision to concentrate on
B&W and colour negs and take slides only when the need arises.   I still
take 6x6 colour slides when the editor of my church newsletter requires a
cover picture on a particular theme and then I get to work on it and give
her a slide for publication.  This I have done on numerous occasions and
can be really rewarding.

Dan K.


At 08:52 PM 24/12/98 -0800, you wrote:
>Just curious why you choose to never use slide films?
>
>Francesco
>
>
>
>At 12:38 AM 12/25/98 , D Khong wrote:
>>>
>>>1.  Outdoor, normal daylight.....Konica VX-100, any Ilford B&W
>>>2.  Indoor, normal to low light..... EGP 400, Delta 400 or HP5+
>>>3.  Indoor and Outdoor, LOW to bad light..... Ektapress 800, Delta
>>400(pushed)
>>>4.  When ULTIMATE sharpness and SMALLEST grain are desired..... Ektar 25,
>>Delta 100 rated at 50 and developed to 80% of recommended time.
>>>5.  Outdoor portraits..... Ektacolor 160, Ilford Deltas 
>>>
>>
>>*I almost never use slide films.
>>
>>Dan K.
>>  
>
>