[Leica] XP-2

[billcpearce at cox.net (Bill Pearce)]

Much of what you write here is just not true.

First: The no-plumpbing minilabs came out long before digital, and were
not an attempt to ?sell more machines before it was too late.? I know, I
worked in a one-hour lab back then, and we used such machines. Long before
digital cameras, long before digital minicabs like the Fuji Frontier.

But were your Frontiers the ones hooked up with plumbing with a consistent 
flow of fresh washwater? Most were. Minilab machines without plumbing 
connections were very late to the market.

Second: Black and white film developing and darkroom printing have most
certainly NOT been banished from public schools in the USA. I?m a public
school teacher in the largest public school district in Indiana. All five
of our academic high schools have photography classes using black and
white film where students develop film by hand and make prints in the
darkroom, by hand. The classes are quite popular, too. We also teach
digital photo/Photoshop/digital printing as well.

Where I live in Brownbackistan, public schools are generally out of the wet 
darkroom business, unless some have been reintroduced recently.

Processing machinery went ?to the bottom of the landfill? because people
stopped shooting film and started shooting digital. This had nothing to do
with fear of chemicals.

never meant to say it did, just that it was the final nail in the coffin.

-- 
Chris Crawford
Fine Art Photography
Fort Wayne, Indiana
260-437-8990

http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com  My portfolio

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-Crawford/48229272798
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On 11/26/15, 5:03 PM, "LUG on behalf of Bill Pearce"
<lug-bounces+chris=chriscrawfordphoto.com at leica-users.org on behalf of
billcpearce at cox.net> wrote:

>Exactly what I poorly expressed a few days ago. At the end of the film
>era,
>minilabs were made that could be installed in any commercial space,
>garage,
>doghouse, etc. without regard to plumbing. Chemicals were mixed, and wash
>tanks filled with tap water and it was off to the races. Everything,
>washwater included, was used for a certain number of rolls, a number
>arrived
>at by chemical and minilab suppliers and manufacturers as the amount of
>film
>that could be processed in a fixed amount of chemistry and successfully
>printed the same day, and the images would remain for a week or so. The
>drugstore chains were happy, they didn't need to include a special space
>in
>their stores with plumbing, the manufacturers were happy, they sold a few
>more machines before it was too late.
>
>Ironically, the end of this was to be not digital but crazy people. At
>the
>same time that black and white chemistry was deemed far far too dnagerous
>for wnyone to use withough a moon suit and therefore was banished from
>public schools, the poorly educated workers were terrified of using the
>dangerous chemicals in color processing. I know, I know, those of us that
>worked in labs or studios with lots of that stuff were smart enough to
>not
>breath in too much of the dust or bathe in bleach. But gone they are,
>probably in the bottom of a landfill.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ken Carney
>Sent: Thursday, November 26, 2015 3:01 PM
>To: Leica Users Group
>Subject: Re: [Leica] XP-2
>
>Not sure, but I have read that the longevity issue is due to improper
>washing, perhaps not an issue with a pro lab?  Best of luck - I admire
>your dedication.
>
>Ken
>
>On 11/26/2015 11:28 AM, Bryk Oliver wrote:
>> I thank everyone who commented on this topic, including the
>>audiophiles.
>> As usual there is no lack of opinions on the LUG.
>>
>> The XP-2 will be processed by Lightwaves  www.lighwavesimaging.com ,
>>one
>> of the few remaining pro labs in San Francisco.
>>
>> Oliver
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>
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