[Leica] Advice needed: Should I set up a darkroom or not?

[bdcolen at earthlink.net (B. D. Colen)]

IF you will be satisfied with a maximum print size of 8.5 x 11 I would
urge you to try an HP 7960, which sells for under $250 and produces
black and white prints that are indistinguishable from custom RC prints.
If you use HP's top matt and glossy paper, they guarantee a print life
of about 110 years - which certainly exceeds my needs. The color results
are also excellent - and you get all this without special profiles,
without screwing around with settings - it's all out of the box.

One word of warning though - the prints aren't cheap cheap - I haven?t
quite worked out the calculations, but my guess is the bw prints are
about $2-2.50 for 8.5 by 11. Obviously, if you get an Epson 1280 or 2200
- or 3000, Tina - and one of the quadtone or even septone inking system,
you can print up to 13x19. Those prints are gorgeous, but they do take
more fiddling around, you will have to deal with ink clogs, etc., AND
they do NOT look like silver prints. They look every bit as good as
custom fiber silver prints, but they also look different. The HP prints
do not look different. But they do like like RC, rather than fiber
prints.

B. D.

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Saganich, Christopher/Medical Physics
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 10:58 AM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: RE: [Leica] Advice needed: Should I set up a darkroom or not?


I just started printing again after about 15 years.  I hate inkjets,
never met one that didn't eventually drive me nuts.  I think all this
computer "technology" is probably wasting more of our precious time the
TV.  And at such a price for stuff that never seems to work up to specs
half the time!  On the other have I've never been poisoned by a
computer.  What drove me back into the darkroom was my dissatisfaction
with available B&W digital printing.  It is either too expensive (for
drum scanning and inking) or the quality is poor, (digital C printing).
Wet still seems the way for high quality and moderate investment.   

Chris Saganich

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+saganicc=mskcc.org@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+saganicc=mskcc.org@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Tarek Charara
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 8:15 AM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Advice needed: Should I set up a darkroom or not?

De Richard <richard-lists@imagecraft.com>, le samedi 20 novembre 2004 ?
01:30 GMT :

>How many people are still printing their B&W using a wet darkroom? I
>understand the look of wet printed B&W is very different from the
inkjet 
>printed B&W, so any particular strong reasons to do wet prints any
more? 
>The used enlarger must be fairly cheap now? Don't Leica make some B&W 
>enlarger too? I know I will have to remove dust and all that by hand. I
am 
>thinking that I can develop the film by hand as the Jobo probably isn't

>helping much there but using the Jobo to develop the prints. Anyone has

>experience with that?

Hello Richard,

Many people still do their own darkroom work. I feel it's a privileged
moment of creativity. I also use the scanner (5000ED) and Piezo or the
2200 for digital printouts. It just isn't the same. Just as digital and
analog photography aren't the same. I hate B&W scanning. The ICE
facility for colour film is something of a blessing! I have the feeling
that the light of the 5000ED brings out every tiny bit of scratch on any
B&W film (except the C41 ones, of course) that I don't get with
enlarging on classical photographic paper. Just for info: the same
negative comes out pristine on a drum scanner and on a high definition
flatbed scanner with fluerescent lighting.

Back to the endresult. A good digital print, made by a pro will look
stunning. A silver gelatin print will look stunning if made by someone
who knows his trade. It will have more perceptual contrast too if you
use glossy paper. If I take into account spotting, photoshop work etc.
it is faster to get one or two wetprints done, if you're doing a series
(100 prints of a picture) it will be faster with the digital route...

Costwise: The initial investment is probably cheaper when you go the wet
path. I bought a pristine V35 for 500$ 3 years ago. They'll be cheaper
today.

Many people use a JOBO for developing prints... I don't, I like seeing
the print develop in the tray. Nostalgia, I guess.

Hope that helped, all the best,

Tarek

_______________________________________________
Leica Users Group.
See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information


 
 
=====================================================================
     
     Please note that this e-mail and any files transmitted with it may
be 
     privileged, confidential, and protected from disclosure under 
     applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended 
     recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this 
     message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any

     reading, dissemination, distribution, copying, or other use of this

     communication or any of its attachments is strictly prohibited.  If

     you have received this communication in error, please notify the 
     sender immediately by replying to this message and deleting this 
     message, any attachments, and all copies and backups from your 
     computer.


_______________________________________________
Leica Users Group.
See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information