erik4

Ed, they appear to have overlooked moving The Alternative Processes

Forum. Best to let them know lest it disappear.

Twelve of Brett Weston's negatives survive. They are donated to the

Center for Creative Photography in Arizona for students to learn to

print from. I read that he crossed each one out with an 'X' before

turning them over.

Scott,

<p>

There is also the Metrolux timer with cell for the cold light head to

keep output consistent.

<p>

The RH Designs Analyser Pro does not have a facility for a cell for

the cold light source.

<p>

You should get the Stop-Clock Vario and the ZoneMaster II.

Hi Michael (Feldman),

<p>

RW is not the direct importer of all their brands. There is a Mamiya

UK for instance. RW buys its Mamiya stuff from it just like any

other UK dealer. The profit margin is already built in and selling

them to Americans at those prices RW still makes a healthy profit.

RW is not giving away the farm here. Recover from your shock. This

only means that Mamiya USA has been way over-pricing their products.

There are also the respective Schneider, Toyo, Rodenstock, etc. UK

distributors. About the only brand which RW imports directly is

Ebony Camera from Japan.

<p>

It is not because RW is undercharging. Mamkiya USA and until

recently, HP Marketing have been over-charging.

<p>

HP Marketing has actually lowered its Linhof and Rodenstock prices to

keep more or less in line with international pricing recently. This

is to be applauded as a consumer friendly move.

<p>

To some extent, I can understand the plight of the USA distributor as

the bulk of the world's professionals are working in this market, the

highest fees are paid here, the biggest photography market is here,

they sell mainly to professionals, so why not charge them higher

prices than elsewhere. It goes with the territory.

<p>

The internet has pretty much put paid to that idea as borders

dissolve. You got to take the bad with the good and expect service

levels to fall though. Remember that their American service and

sales teams have to eat and want to live well too. This cross-border

buying certainly has an impact on them.

Meanwhile, any discussion of the erstwhile Princess Di is verboten as

well. Achtung! Let's keep this board to Leica only as the fuhrer

would have it.

RW, far from being the good guy that he is (I'm not saying that he is

not a good guy), is merely the lucky beneficiary of questionable

usurious pricing by Mamiya USA and HP Marketing. RW's prices on

these products are no better than what can be found around the world

or any other UK agent like Teamwork Photo, for example. With so much

free press from this and other forums and being one of the first to

capitalise on e-commerce, it pays RW to provide good service to his

American custonmers.

<p>

Certainly, it has never occurred to the Americans to attempt to knock

down his prices further; his prices look like a relative bargain

compared to American domestic prices so it has never occurred to an

American to bargain him down. Many are too happy to accept what RW

offers.

<p>

It is amazing that Mamiya USA and HP Marketing have not responded to

this in an appropriate fashion i.e. to make their prices fall in line

with international pricing. Their recalcitrance has benefited RW the

most and every day that they dawdle RW gains by not even trying.

Check out Mr Cad in the UK for used Durst 138 condensers.

<a href="http://www.mrcad.co.uk">Mr Cad</a>.

Guillaume

<p>

Look for a Sola Hevi Duty step-up transformer of the appropriate VA.

Brand-new, they are expensive but you can often find them at much

reduced prices at surplus electronics stores. Do a search on Google.

This thread seems to make RW out to be some kind of a knight in

shining armour. The fact is: RW isn't. RW is simply capitalising on

the recalcitrance of American distributors to price their equipment in

line with international pricing. The more recalcitrant they are, the

more RW gains as his prices look low in comparison. The funny thing

is they are really helping to make RW rich by being intransigent. RW

did the right thing by jumping in on e-commerce early and had the wits

about him to offer good service to boot. He doesn't have to lift a

finger as Americans do not even try to drive a bargain.

<p>

Americans get gouged, RW wins by not even trying. www.teamphoto.co.uk

also has similar 'very good' prices and service but hardly anybody

mentions them.

Quality Light Metric is certainly the place to go and your meter will

be better calibrated than before. I had all my meters of different

makes calibrated by them to one standard a few years ago. They have

not failed me since.

"Digital is MUCH better than analog sound, despite what the purists

and their Sondek TTables say". This is not an audiophile forum so I

won't turn this into an audiophile debate but let me disagree with you

vehemently on this statement, Richard, and I am no purist. I will

just say that you have not heard a good analogue set up, Linn Sondek

or not. Let me just say that you have to qualify your adjectives.

Anytime you use adjectives like 'MUCH better' (emphasis yours) you

open a huge can of worms. And it is the same in digital versus

analogue photography. So let's not make blanket statements like that.

We, vinyl buffs, are not delusional and the superiority of analogue

versus its digital equivalent in quality are real, and often in areas

which you least expect.

<p>

I am writing this to register my protest at a blanket statement, not

to start an argument.

Or you could simply call up the Leica distributor and pay to have the

chrome cover and bottom plate replaced with black ones.

Alfie, please take a long sabbatical again.

<p>

If you think that you're being profound and deep, you're sorely

mistaken. This is as wrong-headed as it can get.

<p>

Think about what you have just written really hard. Does it make

sense at all? It shows a muddled and confused intellect.

<p>

You are a young man too in love with your own ideas. You have to show

some restraint before posting.

Original Durst condensers are the best in the business (the other are

the ones made by Leica). Condensers got a bad reputation because of

the Coke bottle-glass used by lesser manufacturers like Beseler and

Omega.

<p>

No worries about accessories as this company in HillsBor, Oregon

manufactures them under licence : www.durst-pro-usa.com . Look at how

much it is charging for a re-manufactured 138S.

<p>

If the Durst 138S is in truly good shape (and these things are built

to last in a commercial environment), and can be had for a great

price, spring for it over the Zone VI.

I am sorry. I missed this out. Pantone provides colour swatches with

the corresponding Munsell number. If you go to a graphic arts supply

house, just ask to borrow the Pantone swatch book. You should be able

to find Munsell N 7 or N 8 or whatever value of grey that you need.

It may not be as accurate as a gretag macbeth one due to the print

quality but it is can come close enough.

Err, sorry, Bill, I was just trying to be a wise ass and closing off

the HTML tags.

<p>

First, www.gretagmacbeth.com has some useful information. Then. I

followed its links to one of its re-sellers: www.chromix.com . Gretag

Macbeth has a Colour Checker DC for $279, Ouch! Perhaps it is just

what you are looking for.

<p>

Gretag Macbeth mentions Munsell N 7 as being a neutral grey tone to

eliminate colour viewing errors in its light booths.

www.creativepro.com mentioned Munsell N 8 as neutral so there is some

slight difference there.

<p>

I guess your best bet to mix your own patch would be to look for a

graphic arts supply shop or production house or a prepress house. The

Munsell colour system is the de facto standard used to define colour

in the prepress world.

Wow, 12% does seem rather dark. Since paint is made out of pigments,

it operates on a CMYK mixing system. I am not sure if you can obtain

an even set of RGB values.

<p>

If you're looking for collour neutral grey, then I'd suggest looking

at a Munsell Colour chart and getting a grey which is closest to your

needs.

<p>

www.creativepro.com has an interesting write-up on painting one's

environment a light Munsell 8 grey which can be whipped up at the

better paint suppliers. The page also mentioned others who have

achieved grey using their own stated formulae. The light Munsell 8

grey is used for the walls and ceiling of the author's workroom that

holds his graphic monitors.

I wonder if I should bother at all with setting up a conventional darkroom and instead go directly to digital scanning and printing.

<p>

Am I missing anything in my education as a photographer? I am not in love with process; I am in love with results. I haven't spent years in the darkroom as many on this board have cutting my eye-teeth on the conventional process. And I am wondering if I should make the attempt now.

<p>

Space and time constraints, the terrible smells, and the wonderful expediency of the digital process have put me on the horns of a dilemma.

<p>

Yet I feel as if I should pay my dues to the wet process or my journey as a photographer printer won't be complete. Can I recognise what good Dmax is digitally without having experienced good Dmax conventionally? Can I get the range of tones that the wet process engenders? Is split toning even possible digitally?

<p>

Certainly, those are the masters of their printing craft like Bill Nordstrom, have spent a good part of their life in the conventional darkroom before going digital completely. They bring the knowledge and eye honed in the wet process over with them into the digital realm.

<p>

Will someonewho has bypassed the conventional process be disadvantaged in any way? Or perhaps digital is a new way of seeing and one should not try to replicate the look of the wet process?

<p>

May I tap the collective wisdom of this board.

<p>

Does the conventioanl process still have a place in the education of a new photographer today?

<p>

Too many rambling questions. Please bear with me.

<p>

Erik

<p>

P.S. I am still shooting film. And will always shoot film as long as it remains available.

I'll take the bait.

<p>

The new M7 looks like the old M5. Current devotees raise a hue and

cry. The new shutter is nosier and instead of having the seductive

sound of silk tearing, it has the raucous roar of kitchen aluminium

foil ripping. Leica aficionados hate it.

<p>

I agree with Andrew. It eats batteries like pop corn, has a

viewfinder like the Hexar RF, and a film-back that opens the 'right'

way, much to the chagrin of the Leica crowd.

<p>

All in all, the Leica traditionalists will reject it, sales plummet,

the M7 is discontinued after two years, and if not for Panasonic and

its digital Leica (see other thread), Solms would nearly be bankrupted

by this fiasco. Panasonic buys Leica, lens production moves over to

Japan a la Contax, Leica acolytes claim that it is not what it used to

be, Japanese manufactured lenses are just not the same, used prices go

through the roof, and... and...

<p>

Cold chills. I need to wake up from this nightmare. Will I get pie

in my face?