[rollei_list] Re: age old digital vs film debate...again...was RE: OT Ancient Computers

  • From: Don Williams <dwilli10@xxxxxxx>
  • To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:33:00 -0600

At 12:57 PM 1/14/2009, Peter wrote in part:
Marc,

Depends on the amount you shoot. A new computer is maybe $1k. Printer? Well, cheaper to send them to a lab than print then yourself. A DSLR about $1000. So if we take a roll of 36 exp and figure $10 for processing and you shoot 10,000 photos in a year (I am assuming someone is using this for business) then the cost would be $2,770 for film and developing not including the price to buy the film. So add another $5 or so per roll. Savings the first year $4100. After Computer purchased $3100. After computer and new Digital Camer purchase still a $2100 savings over processing. More than enough to pay for a printer if you want one. Of course, if you shot one roll a month, its not worth it. And if you scan you photos you need the Computer and Printer not factor in a $700-1K film scanner.
And you could then sell your Leica to a collector and be ahead of the game.
Peter K

I haven't followed or read the many many postings about film vs digital, but for my purposes I am gradually changing to all digital. I have had a computer for years and not long ago got a nice scanner for a couple hundred bucks, and have just bought a very nice Kodak printer for $99 which prints with pigmented ink and detects the kind of paper you put into it automatically.

I have a very old version of Photoshop Elements 2, bought on sale. In addition, the new Kodak printer, the other printers, all have pretty good photo processing software at no additional cost.

Since my color scanner (Canoscan D 1230 U), not top of the line, does both images and negatives I can scan both 6cm and 35mm easily.

In addition, the scanner on my laser printer, a LaserJet 1100A does a superb job, along with Omnipage Pro, of creating text files from printed material.

Computers that will handle the photos are hitting rock bottom prices these days, someone told me he picked up a decent one at Fry's for around $200.

I still keep my laser printer for document work and my Epson color printer which prints on CD's and DVD's so it's nice for that purpose.

I haven't kept up with the numbers but do have to believe that if one wants to make a very large print then MF film is the way to go, other than that digital works for me.

Oh yes, digital cameras. We have two of the little ones, $200 range and I have an Olympus E-500 that came as a package, two "Digital lenses"* from CostCo (now out of driving range) for about $600. It's only 8 MP but I haven't found anything that doesn't print well in any size, whether I do it or take it out to be done.

*There really is a difference at the image plane for the digital lenses compared to the film lenses we all use. If anyone needs a link to a website just let me know. You can also start at the Olympus website and it will take you to some lens design pages.

DAW 

Other related posts: