anthony_fernandez1

I'd like to hear some age 20-25 members respond to why they've stuck with analog instead of digital. I'm twenty-one, studying photography at the second-highest rated photography shool in the nation, and it saddens me that even here, most of my friends are in love with digital. Most of them say that it's easier, that they can color balance a print in a few minutes with Photoshop. That's fine, but whatever happened to giving yourself a challenge? Working with an enlarger and actual physical light, instead of sitting on your you-know-what and clicking a mouse for ten minutes? Or taking the challenge to learn how to print on Ilfochrome? I'm afraid that in twenty or twenty-five years, printing in the darkroom will have become a conscious artistic choice, an alternative process to digital like the alternative processes of gum bichromate, Van Dykes, and so forth today are alternatives to traditional gelatin-silver and C-prints. But I'll still be around, with my RB 67 which was made before I was born, for the same reason I prefer listening to vinyl and tubed amps rather than digital playback and solid-state amps: better, more beautiful reproduction quality.

Anthony

Hi Becca,

I have an upgraded Kiev 88cm from KievCamera and it's actually pretty decent; the only problems I've had are a light leak in one of the two backs, and a weird shutter banding problem at 1/60th (both problems promptly fixed by Mike at KievCamera). But I also have a Mamiya RB67 Pro-S, and that's what I'd recommend to you. At KEH, you can get a body, WL, lens, and back for about $500 if you buy their "bargain" material, which is actually quite good mechanically and cosmetically as well, and about the same price as a new 88cm. The RB's reliability is legendary, the lenses are sharp, build quality is just as good as a 'Blad, I could go on and on. My Kiev doesn't see much use any more. I'm also an advanced photo student and I wouldn't trust my work with anything less than the Pro-S, especially when my crits are coming up and I need to do important shoots. If I were you, I'd rent an RB67 Pro-S for a weekend and see if you like it.

Hope this helps,

Anthony

P.S. Good luck in school!!

Hello all,

I just bought a Pro-S with WL from KEH for $150, in "bargain"

condition because that's all I can afford right now. There were

others with a WL in the same condition for less, but I bought the

highest priced bargain body thinking it would be in better condition

than the lower-priced bodies. So anyway, for those of you who have

bought bargain-condition gear from KEH, what can I expect? Perhaps

it's too late for me to be asking this, as I've already coughed up the

dough :) But I rented an RB 67 Pro-S last weekend and fell in love,

the negs are just gorgeous. Impulse buyer, what can I say...

Thanks,

Anthony

Scott,

Actually, I'm not an amateur and so I don't buy into "cool alternatives" or use products to seem "cool". Like most of you guys here, I've tried Kodak Portra and Fuji Reala and NPS. The former had way too much of a warm bias to it for my tastes and the Reala and NPS were both too cool-biased. I've found that Optima isn't overly contrasty and gives a nice neutral balance to it when I print on Crystal Archive--probably because that paper is balanced cooler than Kodak's papers, which I've stopped using. And when I print 15.5x15.5" off a 6x6 neg, the grain just isn't visible. Of course it does show up at 30x30", but as we all know the viewing distance for a print that large isn't very close. Haven't tried NPH, but I'll definitely give it a try.

Anthony

Hi guys,

What do you think about Agfa's Optima films? I've had some great

results with the 200-speed, enlarging out to 15.5" square on Crystal

Archive. Beautiful. No grain, great color rendition, etc. etc. What

are some similar films? Thanks.

Anthony