Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/12/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ted Grant wrote: > But then many a night was spent after shooting film, > souping, then over > night in trays making 200 8X10 prints "supposedly > required for 9 a.m. the > next morning panic delivery." Done and delivered on > time only to find two > days later prints were sitting in exactly the same > spot on the clients desk > and never touched. So speed and spin doctors, > digital and film are the same > thing when one sells themselves as a professional > service. This is what I hear most as the reason formerly devoted Leica film shooters are switching to digital: they complain about the hours they had to spend doing darkroom drudgery. The solution: stop doing darkroom work. I did, years ago. For me, photography is all about stepping out into the light, not about locking myself into a dark cabinet complete with mephitic fumes. The problem with film photography is darkroom work, not the speed or the results obtained with film. Find yourself a good local custom lab and keep shooting film -- that's been my solution, for many years. As Tom A. says in his excellent Epson review today, you shoot the digital images, burn them to a CD, and then what? You invest in pricey droplets of jetable ink and costly paper that is destined to fade in sunlight. You babysit your computer and printer. You become a manager of batteries, needing recharging almost every day of serious shooting. You start worrying about software and hardware upgrades, because you're now caught in the "I gotta have the newest" marketing trap. I betcha it all adds up to as much time and hassle as darkroom work, yet it seems somehow more slick because of all those nice newly stylish gadgets you've just bought yourself. I shoot slide film in my Leicas. I love my local custom lab. I'd rather fight than switch. Emanuel Lowi Montreal ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca