I've asked a few times previously about darkroom equipment as well as
scanners, etc.
Tomorrow I have an appointment at the local pro photo shop to discuss
their offerings as to digital vs. darkroom for printing and archiving.
I'd like to solicit the opinions of the group before I go tomorrow, to
get some ideas.
I shoot 90% MF, mostly Velvia and APX (some Tri-X as well). the other
10% is Kodachrome 35mm, for snapshots. Maybe I'm old fashioned in my
choice of emulsion and format, but I'm not old :-).
I have a friend with an Epson 4990 and an R2400 printer. He has gone
over to almost all digital (Kodak DCS at 14MP), and showed me some
impressive results the other evening, both B&W and colour. He says to
go into the darkroom he has to have at least an hour of free time,
usually more to do anything usefull. On the PC he can sit and edit in
Photoshop for 20 minutes while he's waiting for someone, or whatever,
and gets more accomplished. No chemicals. No spills. No problem with
light leaks.
On the other hand, I've done a limited amount of darkroom work some
years ago and really loved it. Liked finding the just right composition
from the negative, getting it pin sharp, running a series of test
strips for exposure, then watching the print magically come out of
nothing. I tried Sepia toning a few times, that was fun too. I like the
idea of archival prints on "real" photo paper. It does take time, and
can be a pain. But still, there's something special about it.
Between a 2 year old son and trying to run my own business, there isn't
a whole lot of time to take pictures, let alone think about developing,
printing, etc. Still, at minimum I'd like to make contact sheets of my
B&W negs, for some day to be able to make nice big (BIG) prints to be
framed and put on the wall. Either my own, or as a gift to others. Or
maybe even for sale some day, who knows. I have done good work some
years before, however my results now are pretty dull. Partly because of
new gear (still getting accustomed to the new 6008) and partly because
of limited time.
I have room at my office for a scanner and possibly newer printer
(don't think the Canon i850 I have will be good enough), I also have an
extra unused bathroom with no windows, but with running water and
space. Both options are viable.
I know that only I can answer the question, but would love to hear from
others what they've chosen, and more importantly - why?
Cheers, Thor
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