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gannet___

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Posts posted by gannet___

    Digital Darkroom Computer Builders?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    I'll apologize right up front for the cross-posting, in case you see

    this same question elsewhere. My excuse is that I'm not doing this

    because I'm lazy or in a hurry. Rather, I've been poking at this

    question for a while in various places and I'm getting zero answers

    or leads. I also think this question may be of interest to many

    besides myself.

     

    The question is: does anyone know of any PC builders who are offering

    machines specifically tailored for the digital darkroom (DD)?

     

    You can get specialty gaming machines, digital audio workstations, 3D

    graphics workstations, digital video workstations, etc., etc., but

    I'm not seeing any PCs optimized for DD work.

     

    Yes, I can certainly spec out my own machine from a custom builder,

    and in fact I'm looking around at various builders to do just that.

    The problem is that there is a dearth of machines and options

    applicable to DD work. For example, massive RAM and massive storage

    are a given. Data redundancy and dual processors are highly

    desirable. Absolute max CPU speed is nice but not really that

    important, and 3D graphics speed is not important. The usual "custom

    machine starting points" you see on websites simply aren't geared for

    this. Server class boxes are usually the only ones that come close,

    and they often have other unneeded features.

     

    As an editorial comment, I think these vendors are missing out on a

    market. Why is it that we have lots of people lined up to pay multi-

    4-figure and 5-figure amounts for digital SLR systems, and yet these

    same folks are expected to limp along with an inadequate computer or

    else learn to be a hardware guru themselves and put one together? I

    think there's money laying on this table.

     

    Maybe I'm all wrong and these vendors are out there. If so, please

    point me to them.

     

    TIA

     

    Gannet

    Question about a Canon Pellix QL

    in Accessories

    Posted

    Pellix's are weird. They have a fixed mirror that sends some of the light to the prism and some to the film. Result? The viewfinder is dark (*really* dark by modern standards) AND you lose effective lens speed. They're also not worth a lot and hard to sell.

     

    The Canon lens is good, the Vivitar 28 is OK, and the Albinar is likely junk. Me, I'd give no more than $50-75 for this package in today's market, if I'd buy it at all. And I wouldn't. :) Yeah, I used to have one of these, many years ago. Well-built, rugged implementation of a weird design. Curiousity value only today, and they aren't rare.

     

    Just IMO.

    Russian Lenses and Chinese Cameras

    in Accessories

    Posted

    I suggest digging around on the site below under entries for the names you have listed. Many hours of reading. You need an education before jumping into this stuff, imo. Also consider checking the archives for the various Russian/Ukraine camera groups on YahooGroups. Kiev88 is one. In general, I strongly discourage buying this stuff direct. Instead, buy from an importer that has a reputation and will stand behind the gear. This is not a bit like buying gray-market Nikons. :) Good luck!

    <p>

    <a href='http://people.smu.edu/rmonagha/mf/cameras.html'>http://people.smu.edu/rmonagha/mf/cameras.html</a>

    Digital grain reduction for film--"GEM", etc versus Canon 1Ds?

    in Medium Format

    Posted

    I'm not following this. Digital captures don't have grain, and digicams don't have grain reduction software. They don't need it. They do have noise reduction software, which is an entirely different and unrelated thing.

     

    GEM, like ICE, is reported to have a noticeable negative impact on resolution.

     

    Why in the heck would any of the major players be worrying about "digital improvements to film"? Film will always look like film, even when scanned. That is neither good nor bad, it just is. Improvements to digital are being driven by the need to improve (and sell) the new, not the old. The people who can invest the kind of money new digital equipment costs mostly aren't all that concerned about marrying it to their film archives, or about shooting more film with it in future. Just imo.

    Save me from my boss! Studio Lens

    in Canon EOS Mount

    Posted

    My condolences. Make the best of it. Who knows, maybe it'll turn into something better later? Opportunity knocks in strange ways.

     

    Anyway, one thing to consider is that a 100mm is great for single headshots, but is a bit long for longer portraits or multi-person shots (unless you have a big studio). So, it somewhat depends on what exactly you will be asked to shoot. Under the circumstances, a zoom like yours might not be a bad place to start, at all.

     

    Maybe cut a deal with your boss to use your equipment for a limited period of time (couple-three months?), to see if the idea will fly as a business proposition. Get him to kick in a rental fee during that period. Maybe $100 a month? If the business works, then he buys new equipment. If it doesn't, you shut it down. In the meantime, you get enough for maybe a new lens or something. Yeah, I know, business "shouldn't" work that way, but with real small businesses things get funny.

     

    Good luck. :)

    Epson 2450 scanner softwear

    in Medium Format

    Posted

    <i>If you need to manipulate your image beyond that, you're going to have to bash it down to 8 bits per channel anyway.</i><br>

    Well, or use a photo package that supports 48-bit end-to-end, like Picture Window Pro. :)

    <p>

    As to the original poster's question, I have a 2450, and a registered copy of VueScan. 98% of the time I use the Epson Twain software. For all but specialized purposes, I find it is fully as good as VueScan, and is much faster and easier to use. Try them all, and see which work for you. There is no "right" answer, just as there is no "right" film. or lens, or anything else in photography.

    A portfolio to convice me to go digital?

    in Accessories

    Posted

    You can't tell on the web. It's only 72 dpi. I believe most of the portfolios here are still traditional simply because most of us already have film cameras and also don't have $2,000-$4,500 for a quality digital body.

    <p>

    That said, so far as image quality goes, digital has definitely come of age already, assuming you spend enough. I'm still on film, but that's due to economics. Digital has certain other disadvantages that digi-bashers take glee in making mountains out of, and you should research and be aware of those before making the plunge. Still, I think for 90% or better of all amateur shooting (pro too for that matter), these disadvantages are not issues.

    <p>

    For one example of comparisons (the author has been accused of over-enthusiams, but I think the images speak for themselves), see Luminous Landscape's articles on this. Here's just one of them, a report on the now-obsolete Canon D30. Check these images, and you tell me, is digital ready? :)

    <p>

    <a href='http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/d30/d30.shtml'>D30 Review</a>

    Minolta Dimage Scan Dual II -vs.- HP Photosmart S20 Scanner

    in Accessories

    Posted

    I'm not sure it's fair to call the S20 a "flatbed". Although it can handle small reflective originals, it's not a traditional flatbed at all. That said, the Minolta will likely be the superior unit.

     

    As to "color correction", that has nothing to do with the scanner hardware. Which has the superior software out of the box I can't say. VueScan works with both, I believe.

     

    "Color depth" is 12-bit with the HP, and 16 with the Minolta (although some reports suggest the effective range to be about 14 bits). Again, Minolta leads. Note that in order to take advantage of color depths above 8 bit the scanning software has to support saving files of greater than 24-bit depth. Most don't. In addition, your image editor has to support working with these high-depth files. Again, most don't. Ask. Hardware specs mean nothing if you can't get the data out and manipulated.

    MF Nikon Optics - choices

    in Nikon

    Posted

    Be aware that the "consumer" Nikon DSLR, the D100, does not meter at all with any non-CPU lens. That means practically all MF lenses. If you need metering with MF lenses, you have to go to the D1 series. Bring lots of money.

     

    Me, I'm (reluctantly) going in the other direction - slowly replacing my MF lenses with AF. Not because I particularly need or want AF, but because Nikon is really cutting back on support for non-CPU lenses with the newer bodies. I want to go digital in the reasonable future too, and a $4,500 D1x is out of the question.

    Semi-Digital Workflow

    in Medium Format

    Posted

    <i>Can a B&W print (comparable quality to traditional) be done on the computer for a reasonable cost?</i><br>

    I would say yes, but it depends on what you mean by "reasonable" and "comparable". Some folks think it can't be done, but I've seen prints that I find fully satisfactory, and some others, with far more B&W experience than mine, say the same. Some disagree. It is not (yet) a plug & play process. Expect a considerable learning curve.<p>

    <i>Is the best I can expect more of a quick proof quality?</i><br>

    No, that would be an overstatement. The best you can expect is very, very good. Whether it is "as good as" the best silver prints is where the debate lies.<p>

    <i>Should I send the negative or the digital file to the print lab?</i><br>

    The digital file. elsewise you both lose control, and have to pay for them to scan it. Part of the beauty of scanning is you are in control. All you have to work out after that is how to get your final image to look the same way on paper as it does on the screen. This can be a not-insignificant task.<p>

    All just IMO.

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