Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/12/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Frank: Although it really depends on the lab and their equipment, I am generally dissatisfied with C-41 print quality. To offset this, I have all C-41 developed at Costco and scanned to a high resolution gold disc at Costco. I also have my Kodachrome slides scanned at Costco. The Costco warehouse store I go to is across the street from their HQ in Issaquah, WA and employs the latest Fuji Frontier systems. I review the disc at home using iPhoto and Photoshop Elements 4.0, then print the "survivors" on a Canon i860. Images that have merit I have printed from the negative at a local pro lab. They give me the choice of laser or giclee (inkjet) prints. Not an elegant solution, but a solution I can live with for now. I think the real solution is the best affordable ink jet printer at home and best affordable paper. Bob in Seattle On Dec 6, 2006, at 9:06, Frank Filippone wrote: Funny you should bring up C41...... I took some pictures of our new grandson with my 50 Summilux and M6. C41 ( I think it was ASA 100 Fuji, but could have been ASA 200). The resultant prints ( done at my favorite Target C41 "lab" around the corner from the house) showed terrible noise in the black areas of otherwise daytime prints. I am sure the "Little Darling" looked adorable, and the picture of him was just fine, but the noise I saw was really pretty bad. Keep in mind these are full frame 4x6 prints from full frame ( no Leica 72 out here.....) C41 negatives. Not giant blow ups. Since all printing is now done digitally, ( or at least all consumer level printing using the automated devices and run by high school kids) it makes me wonder.... if this is the "standard" of what I will get in the future, what should I do to provide good images for my family.... or do they care that the blacks show high noise? I am disappointed, my family seems content with Junior's cute little face..... Guess I do nothing...... C41 + B+W forever..... ! Steve I think the advantages of the Canon 24/1.4 and the Canon 5D are pretty good over the 2 stop slower Elmarit 21 and M8. But comparing a 24 or 21 to a 50 is not fair, nor is comparing a lens optimized for F1 to be compared to an F2.8. You just do not get results that are apples to apples... The lenses are designed with different objectives in mind. The comparison of the 50/1.4 Canon to the Noctilux,,,, you are only getting one more stop of light... not too much of an improvement. I guess you could find one of those 50 F1 Canon lenses that were ( are?) made s few years ago and get an apples to apples comparison. Frank Filippone red735i@earthlink.net now, how do images out of the M8 with Noctilux at f1 and ISO 400 and 800 look compared to C41 bw film, same setup ? Steve _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information