Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/04/16

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Subject: Re: [Leica] [OT] Color darkroom worth it?
From: Marc Attinasi <marc@attinasi.org>
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 22:25:53 -0700
References: <F2F4B154-51B9-11D6-B2AF-0003930C1F28@bigfatpipe.net>

Try to find a color head with an 'Auto Levels' feature - it will save 
you a lot of headaches when your colors are just slightly too pink (or 
green, or cyan, or magenta, or bland, or exposure is off). :) :)

One nice thing about digital is how easy it is to color balance and tune 
exposures. Ilfochromes are great, but I spend 10 times as long on each 
print as I do with B&W printing or digital (but then, I'm only into 
color for a year now). I have never seen a digital print I can afford to 
make at home that is close to what I can get from an Ilfochrome in my 
darkroom. And those P30 chemicals are just so pleasant to smell...

Good Luck,
- - marc

bourgeois and biblical wrote:

> matthew:
>
>> Do the processes for creating prints from slides (Cibachrome?) 
>> present any
>> significant advance in quality over a good 1280 print?
>
>
> they'll last forever, and nothing, as yet, can match a good 
> ciba/ilfochrome in terms of color saturation and luminosity.  they're 
> a pain in the butt to make, though.  the chemistry and paper is really 
> expensive, the process rather laborious and easily screwed up.  i 
> *almost* sold all my ilfochrome stuff when i started my current job 
> running a fuji frontier lab (which prints slides beautifully), but now 
> that i'm moving to chicago, i'm glad i didn't.  i'm even going to try 
> making a joboesque film processor with my motor base.
>
> but, having said that, i'd urge you to get a colorhead enlarger.  
> it'll give you a great deal of creative control, and, if you ever do 
> want to do any of your own ilfochromes or RA-4 prints, you'll have the 
> head you need.  at least get a multi-contrast head.  those filters are 
> easily scratched and they fade.  you'll end up using one almost all 
> the time, and it will wear out or get scratched, necessitating a whole 
> new filter pack.
>
> -- 
> brad daly   
> bwdaly@bigfatpipe.net   
> http://www.bigfatpipe.net/~bwdaly
> http://www.bigfatpipe.net/~bwdaly/paw.html
>
> "America sells everything with sex and then recoils when presented 
> with the realities of natural process."
>     --Jock Sturges
>
> "War, what is it good for?  It's good for business."
>     --Billy Bragg
>
> All my family problems disappeared overnight.
> We're all takin' Zoloft, and everything is fine.
> My sister's teen angst just flew out the window.
> Momma's so happy, she laughs all the time.
>     --Patterson Hood
>
> -- 
> To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html
>

- -- 
***     Marc Attinasi     ***
* mailto: marc@attinasi.org *
*  http://www.attinasi.org  *
 




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In reply to: Message from bourgeois and biblical <bwdaly@bigfatpipe.net> (Re: [Leica] [OT] Color darkroom worth it?)