[Leica] Well, I set up a darkroom: for better or -----

[firkin at ncable.net.au (Alastair Firkin)]

I tried going digital when we started to renovate the house. I spent a 
fortune, and probably was 3 or 5 years too early: the promises were not 
fulfilled, so I began building the darkroom, buying the equipment to 
make it a "pleasure" and just as I finished it, I remember people on 
this list announcing that the wet room was dead!!!! Well after all that 
effort, I could not face leaving it idle, so I've been working in the 
darkroom for about 2 to 3 years now and as Maxwell Smart would say "and 
loving it".

I have prints coming in from all over the world for FOM2, and so far 
none of the digital ones has quite matched the analogue output: given 
good technique etc. Its not a big difference, and in many ways its not 
a worthwhile difference. Clearly outputting excellent images in the 
digital "darkroom" is easier faster and to many more profitable, 
because to do the same job in the wet is hard yakka. I now spend most 
of a day in the darkroom counting success as one good print, and the 
work piles up. I cannot catch up, so again I'm never like to "finish" 
any project I start, because I'm not really a practical finish it sort 
of bloke: lucky I don't need to feed myself with this.

But if it is a hobby, and ifffff you really want to do "master" 
printing rather than standard churn it out stuff, then go for it. I can 
"churn" out "acceptable" prints very very quickly using my Leica V35 
and the Splitgrade analyser and a bit of knowledge, but I would openly 
say that these are no better than most digital files would print, 
perhaps worse, as I don't spot "churned" images, but if I go to the 
trouble of dodging burning toning and mounting I still think my image 
will have a superior "look", in b/w and a different look in colour. 
Ifffff I ever manage to master the different look my colour work may be 
superior as well, BUT, I'm very unsure about  this "claim", and I don't 
think I have nearly enough life times to do it, so I suspect, I'll be 
working on b/w mainly in the darkroom and moving somehow to digital for 
the colour: I do need to speed up the process somehow!!!!! which will 
bring me to my next e-mail,

Cheers
On 21/11/2004, at 7:48 AM, Richard wrote:

> Thanks all for the answers. I will mull it over and let y'all know.
>
> FYI - currently I do my printing on the 1280 and it's a love hate 
> relationship. The beast clogs every other day and some times getting 
> it to work right drives me batty!
>
> // richard (This email is for mailing lists. To reach me directly, 
> please use richard at imagecraft.com)
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
Alastair