Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/06/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I have yet to take the plunge into digital dark room yet. I think I will > buy the Digilux, and I suppose the next logical step is to try my hand at > Photoshop, etc. Very costly I see. > > Elliot Elliot, Darrell is setting up a superb digital darkroom; we talked on the phone today about some of the issues. I must point out that, while his is currently a state of the art setup, you can get into a digital darkroom setup for considerably less. You'll need a computer with a 20 gig or more hard drive (lots of memory is good,) a good monitor, a scanner (preferably one that can scan slides and negs,) and a printer. Depending on what is already on your desk, you can have a competent kit for under $2500, and if some of the elements are in place, much less. I would say do not scrimp on the monitor (currently flat-screen CRT is still better than flat panels for editing.) Ram is far more important than processor speed on your computer, and if you are serious, Photoshop is a must. Paintshop Pro and Photoshop Elements do a pretty good job, but you'll never regret becoming good with Photoshop. I work every day with a 350Mhz Pentium II with half a gig memory, a 20 gig HD, a Nikon Coolscan III scanner, and a pair of monitors hooked up to a Matrox video card. With that set-up I am able to run Photoshop, FrontPage and PageMaker, along with a window to the IRC Leica chat, all at the same time. So, you see, you may have part of the "digital darkroom" already. Darrell's reasoning is sound. He was going to either build a wet darkroom, or a digital one. Part of his decision rested on environmental issues, because of getting rid of spent chemistry in a septic tank. Part of his decision HAD to be excitement of putting together a totally HOT Photoshop workstation. Wish I lived nearer, so I could come over and play with his toys. Regards, Sonny http://www.sonc.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html