jim_kirk1

<p>[Windows 7, loads of RAM, fast hard drives, good LCD monitors and calibration hardware. Probably something Core i5 based.]</p>

<p>I'm with Wouter but my list is a little different. An Asus P6T Deluxe V2 motherboard with a Core i7 920, 12 gigs of ram, one 500GB WD Caviar Black system drive, dual mirrored 1TB WD Caviar Black internal data drives, one 1TB WD Caviar Black external drive (ESATA), and two reasonable NVIDIA video cards (since PS4 uses the GPU on them now). All running 64bit Windows 7 (since PS4 has 64bit support)</p>

<p>I chose the Ci7 path because the motherboard will take the upcoming Intel 6 core processor with a bios update. And while Toms Hardware testing indicates that the Ci5 seems to be a touch faster because of the Turbo Boost, I have to wonder what the two additional cores will provide. Hopefully Turbo Boost will be a part of it as well.</p>

<p>I currently run Vista 64 Ultimate on a Core 2 Duo with 8GB ram, three 320GB Seagate SATA drives and a single NVIDIA video card with PS4. Oh yea, and a 1TB external drive (ESATA)</p>

<p>I bought a fresnel years ago for my Toyo 45c and it has been great. You will still want the loupe. Toyo has a kit you can purchase with all the required mounting hardware. Part number at B&H is TOF45K and it is in stock. Here is the http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=TOF45K&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=submit to the B&H page.<br>

Look around on Photo.net for other discussions on dark clothes as well. I bought a BlackJacket ( http://www.quietworks.com/FRAMES_FILES/BJ_SPECIFICATIONS/BJ_NEW_HOME_FRAME_.htm ) several years ago and love it. It does get a little toasty in the summer though. Still, provides great dark viewing of the gg. Have fun.</p>

<p>Making the plunge. I'm using the Microtek M1, scanning 4x5. I have not been happy with the stock mounting trays. There is way to much flex in the transparency when mounted. Even with minor modification there is a great deal of varience across the film. So... bought Lumina fluid and Dual scanner kit from Scan Science and will mount on the glass tray. For just under a $200 start it may well be worth it if the scans are improved. We'll see how it goes.<br>

Jim Kirk</p>

<p>Unfortunate that Microtek has opted to shutdown North American sales and is now strictly OEM.<br>

http://www.microtekusa.com/<br>

http://www.noydcom.com/press_release/microtek/new_focus/<br>

I like my M1, had it for about a year now. It is slow but still, with Silverfast I am happy with the scans.<br>

jk</p>

Yup, you would have to scan at over 6000dpi to get a 4x5 inch up to 6x8 feet. I would say that is beyond the resolution of most films. An 8x10 however would put you back into ballpark with 3000+ dpi scans. That is if you don't want to do any interpolation. I have read of many photographers who regularly print large with 2 times interpolation and get excellent results. Keep in mind that file sizes will be in the 1 to 2 gigabyte range just for 8 bit files. If you want 16 bit you will be in the 3 to 5 gigabyte range. That for 300 to 360 dpi prints, at or near the native resolution of most inkjets. Lightjets go off at 200dpi so slightly smaller files for it. This all takes significant quantities of processing power. You will want to look at what your computer is capable of handling as well. Or work with a great print house. West Coast Imaging comes to mind. Not sure if they go this big. I thought they had something in the 60 inch catagory though.

 

Whatever you choose, good luck in your adventure. I have had great fun and have some very nice 24x30 prints that are just mind boggling. Some of them have even sold ... to people I don't even know no less. go figure.

Early morning and evening is best for the falls. Same is true for the coast. Even if it's going to be hot that day, there is often an early morning fog on the coast. What Bob said about the deep woods is true as well. I would use mid-day to hit the woods but also to plan for that evening and the following morning. The question is ... do you have 3 days, a week, two weeks? Time colors what you can accomplish.

 

Alan.... seriously, come out of your fog.... go East young man... cross the great mountains... and you will not only see the light... but witness for yourself .... the source... ok enough of the hog wash

 

Former Seattleite

Has anybody had the need to collect on a loss from the insurer that Photo.net has

suggested, Hilb Rogal & Hobbs. I am interested in the insurance, wondering a little

about what the pitfalls are.

 

Thanks.<div></div>

Matt has it right. The "professional" photographer knows how to get the best from the tools they have at hand. It is irrelevant if you still use a Pentax K100 to H3D to 20x24 large format cameras. It IS all about understanding your photographic requirements, the capabilities of the equipment at hand to meet those needs and then pushing those capabilities to the limit to capture images. OBTW, capture is only the first stage. Post processing is the completion of photographerﾒs vision and is every bit as important as the capture. For film or digital. All of this requires the vision that comes from thoughtful interpretations of what is before us.

 

Of course I just bought a 40d. But I still shoot film with my Canon EOS 1 and Toyo 4x5 and I love them all for what they can do. The new L glass has made a big difference though. My suggestion? Any of the bodies you mention will do the job. Fit your budget first with quality glass that meets your photographic requirements. Put the body you can afford after your lens purchase on the lens and start shooting.

 

Good shooting<div></div>

I asked this same question on the Mamiya forum. They suggested that two extensions would be impractical. As I thought about carrying two extensions, I decided to opt for something else. Others have suggested the many Tele optics. I chose the Schnieder 400 APO-Tele-Xenar Compact. It's "only" two pounds but better, its flange focal distance is 285mm. Well within the range of the 320mm or so of the Toyo A cameras. I wanted to go longer though, so... I didn't get the Toyo A. I opted for the 45C. Only three pounds more.... OK, I'm nuts but I still think it was worth it.