toms

<p>I am thinking about purchasing an Epson Stylus Pro 3880. Does anybody know if Epson is coming out with a replacement/upgrade any time soon. Does anybody have any reason why I shouldn’t buy this printer. Thanks for your response.</p>

<p>Bueh - Thanks for the Suffusion recommendation. I have been playing around with it since yesterday and can't believe how versatile and customizable it is. </p>

<p>I love photography and have my own web site, but I don’t do it for a living. So far I have about 80 photos on my site. I consider these photos examples of my finer work. (Notice how I resisted calling it fine art photography, even though I know how awesome I am – at least in my own mind) I am now considering adding a photoblog to my site. More than anything, I am curious to learn how to do a blog since I have no experience with it. I had zero experience setting up a website either, but it was fun learning. I also love to travel and it seems like this would be a good theme for a photoblog. Like many of us, I have some travel shots that are interesting to look at (no really, they are pretty good), and can tell a nice story when grouped properly. However, I would not consider many of these photos to be at the same level of artistry as the ones already in my gallery. So I am left debating the pros and cons of adding a photoblog to my website. On one hand, it can: show another side of me; make my website experience more personal; add a nice dynamic aspect to a relatively static site; express a slightly different creative urge, etc. On the other hand do I risk creating the perception that my work is somehow less professional, that I’m just another point and shoot travel hack that may have gotten lucky a few times, that I am the embodiment of everything that’s gone awry with modern photography . (Let’s all play along and assume for the sake of this post that none of this is true.) Seriously, I would appreciate hearing from anyone that has an opinion on this issue. Thank you.</p>

<p>Finally - the weekend is here and I get to work on some of the really good shots I got from a recent trip out west. I did some bracketing with my new Nikon D90 – I think I’ll go ahead and download Photomatix and try my hand at some HDR’s. Okay, all set - I’ll just throw a few raw files directly into Photomatix to see what happens. Wow! Very cool, I think I may like this. Maybe I will quit my day job after all and turn pro. Okay, what if I tweak the raw files in camera raw a little then save them all as TIFF’s, then run them thru Photomatix. What if I tweak the raw files, then let Photoshop merge them to HDR, then run the HDR file through Photomatix. What if I converted the raw files with Capture NX2, then save them as TIFF’s, then run them through Photomatix. After all, Nikon was good enough to give me a 60 day free trial. Oh wait, I have been processing everything under the details enhancer tab, now I have to go back and do everything again under the tone compressor tab. I almost forgot I could also just blend exposures. I’d better go back and do everything again that way, you know, just in case. Wouldn’t it be interesting to take a detail enhanced image and a tone compressed image and run them back through Photomatix. Naturally I would have to do this using the details enhancer, tone compressor, and exposure blending methods. Okay, what if …. wait a minute it’s Monday morning, I need to get to work. When was the last time I slept. Why isn’t the lawn mowed. Why don’t I have any prints of my vacation. Where’s my wife. How did I use up 50GB of disk space so fast. “Jane! Stop this craze thing!” </p>

<p>I have decided to purchase a Nikon D90. I have also narrowed my lens choice to either the Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO or the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR DX. </p>

<p>I understand the potential compromises involved in lenses with these types of focal ranges. However, I shoot mostly while traveling and don’t want to carry multiple lenses and don’t want to expose the sensor while changing them out. I shoot landscapes and print up to 13” x 19” on an Epson R2400. I do this mostly for my own enjoyment but occasionally do show and sell my work.</p>

<p>Two review sites that people seem to respect have written the following:</p>

<p>SLR Gear.com, comparing the 2 lenses writes: <em>“The Tamron is noticeably sharper than the Nikon in the majority of focal length / aperture combinations, except at the telephoto end (200mm) where both lenses produce similarly average results.” </em> While this is only one sentence of a more comprehensive review, this struck me a quite a remarkable statement. Can Tamron really claim to have outdone Nikon on this one?<br>

<br /> Dpreview.com writes <em>“It [the Tamron] the stands up well in comparison to both the Nikon 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G ED VR and the Canon EF-S 18-200mm F3.5-5.6 IS; it's softer than the Nikon at wideangle and the Canon at telephoto, but beats both in that mid-range.”<br /> </em></p>

<p>I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone that has an opinion on this subject.</p>

<p>It’s time for me to order some new paper so I’m looking for opinions on the best of the best. I am using an Epson R2400. I print both B&W and color and seem to be using the photo black ink most of time now, so I am looking for photo black compatible paper.<br /> <br /> I have been using the following papers:<br /> <br /> <strong>Museo Silver Rag</strong> . I like the look and what I consider the medium textured surface of this paper. It is very warm (yellowish) and not right for everything. I has a kind of a hard curl on the edges that I don’t care for, I would like to see it lie flatter. There is no questions that it stays my list to reorder.<br /> <br /> <strong>Innova F-Type Gloss Ultra Smooth</strong> . I like the heavier texture of this paper and neutral base color. It’s not as warm as the Silver Rag and not nearly as white as the Harmon (below). I am not happy with scratches on find on the surface, the dark embedded specs, the tendency to flake. I will probably pass on ordering any more but would like to find a substitute with similar tone and texturing.<br /> <br /> <strong>Harman Professional Gloss FB AL</strong> . This is by far the closest in look and feel to my darkroom papers. It even smells like darkroom paper. I am mentioning this as a point of reference and not as the primary indicator of quality. This paper seems to give excellent results over a wide range of subject matter. It is very smooth and white. I will order more of this and probably the warmtone version as well.<br /> <br /> I have read good things about the Epson Exhibition Fiber and the Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk and would consider trying both of these.<br /> <br /> Any opinions and recommendations are welcome and appreciated.</p>

I would like to do some winter shooting of landscapes/natural environments. I

am near Dallas and would like to be able to drive somewhere worthwhile in

about 10 hours or so. I was thinking about Angel Fire, NM, although I am not

familiar with the area.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for shooting in northern NM.

Would I be better off driving a bit longer to go to Colorado or southern

Utah? I will have at least 4 days, and perhaps as many as 6.

 

Thanks for your input.

Thank you all for the informative responses and exchange of ideas. My apologies also for being slow to respond.

 

I believe that Silver Rag and Innova papers are archivally sound. My personal opinion is that they are most certainly exhibit worthy. I should disclose that I am not a professional photographer and would also be interested to know if any professionals are using these papers in their exhibits.

 

Thanks for letting me know about Hahnemule Fine Art Pearl - I look forward to experimenting with it.

 

I generally review my prints under incandescent lights in a room well lit during the day. I also walk them over to the window to assess them under natural light. I will certainly add looking at them under glass, with a matte in between of course to prevent contact. Looking at a matte print under glass does make a difference.

 

I have not had any quality issues with the Innova F-Type, but my personal preference leans towards the Silver Rag.

 

To Mr. Wisniewski: thank you for the historical perspective - it's always good to keep sight of the big picture.

 

My digital workflow involves bringing the image into PS(CS2) and using layers (levels, curves, channel mixer, etc.) to optimize the image, never altering the original image. Then I save the image, create a duplicate, and close the original image. Working with the duplicate, I flatten the image, sharpen it with either smart sharpen or USM, then send it to the printer.

 

I readily admit that I don't fully understand all the printing options and setting in PS, although I am actively trying to improve on my knowledge level. I select the following: Print with Preview, Let Photoshop Determine Colors (when I select Let Printer Determine Colors it turns out way too dark), Perceptual, Black Point Compression. Under printer profile, I use either the Silver Rag profile that I downloaded or the closest Epson equivalent (e.g. Premium Luster Best Photo).

 

In the R2400 properties screen, I again select the most appropriate Epson paper on the menu list, best photo, and also select Advanced B&W Photo.

 

These setting generally give me what I expect based on what I see on my monitor (an HP Pavilion dv8000 17" widescreen laptop).

 

I am not necessarily trying to duplicate what I get in the darkroom, I mention that I get close as a point of reference. I am more concerned about what is satisfying to my eye. I believe that a well made B&W printed on silver is beautiful and satisfying to the eye.

 

Thank you all again for your comments. This wonderful forum has made me be a better educated, more informed, and more open minded photographer.

Why would anyone use the matte black ink cartridge in the Epson R2400 printer

for B&W prints?

 

I have been a traditional B&W darkroom printer, now transitioning to digital

and inkjet printing. I am printing on an Epson Stylus Photo R2400 using

Photoshop CS2.

 

In the darkroom, I printed on good quality fiber based paper, such as Kodak

Polymax Fine Art, Ilford Multigrade Warmtone, and Oriental Seagull.

 

During my transition to digital, for some reason (that I can't explain at this

point) I was under the impression that printing on matte paper with the matte

black cartridge was the equivalent of using fiber paper in the darkroom and

thus the only choice for serious B&W printing. Conversely, using the photo

black cartridge and associated media would be the equivalent of using RC paper

in the darkroom.

 

Unfortunately, I was very unsatisfied with my Epson B&W prints. I used some

good papers: Epson Velvet Fine Art, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, and Moab Kayenta to

name a few. Even though I found these papers to have beautiful textures and

nice weights, they were also so completely flat that they seemed to suck the

life right out of certain images.

 

Fortunately, Helen Bach left me a post about Crane Museo Silver Rag and Innova

F-Type Gloss papers. Printing on these papers (with the photo black

cartridge) is an absolute joy. You get rich, satisfying blacks, an incredible

and smooth dynamic range, and just enough of a reflective surface to bring the

prints alive.

 

Although ink jet prints are different than silver prints, some of my prints

are virtually identical to what I have pulled out of the darkroom, and overall

the quality is generally at least as good as a silver print.

 

I refer back to my opening question - why bother using the matte black

printing cartridge?

 

I welcome and encourage anyone to give their opinion on this matter. I have

spent hundreds of dollars on matte black ink and papers and would not mind

being proved wrong.

 

Thank you.

Silver Rag is certainly very intriguing. You have to be curious about a paper that inspires such passion, yet at the same time is described as odd and compared to the cardboard packaged with men�s shirts! I already went ahead and pre-ordered a couple of boxes and can�t wait to get them. It seems to make sense that a rag paper designed for use with the gloss black ink would produce deep rich blacks. I hope it lives up to it�s hype and the production run maintains the same level of quality as the beta version.

 

To answer David I am not currently using a RIP. I have been printing in Advanced B&W mode. My standard adjustment to the default settings is to set the brightness at �6 to �8. Right out of the box, the prints from the R2400 were, to my eye, perfectly neutral. So far I have not noticed any metamerism. That being said, the Pete Myers articles that you provided a link to made a strong case for using a RIP, even with the K3 inksets. Pete�s articles were very well written and informative. It has certainly inspired me to begin researching this subject more thoroughly.

I would like to get opinions on inkjet papers for fine art black &

white prints. I have been a traditional darkroom printer, now

transitioning to digital and inkjet printing. I am printing on an

Epson Stylus Photo R2400.

 

The finer quality inkjet papers I have experimented with so far

include Epson Velvet Fine Art, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, and Moab

Kayenta. I am also trying various papers from the Red River sample

it. I find that these papers have beautiful textures, nice

weights, and are well made.

 

My problem is that these papers are so completely flat, that

sometimes they seem to suck the life right out of certain images.

The silver papers, in comparison, have that beautiful luster that

makes the images seem more alive and that I find very appealing and

satisfying. I have tried a few of the satins and luster inkjet

papers, but these just look to me like silver RC papers.

 

The papers I use in the darkroom include Kodak Polymax Fine Art,

Ilford Multigrade Warmtone, and Oriental Seagull.

 

I am not trying to make inkjet prints that looks like darkroom

prints, I understand and accept the fact that they are just

different, but does anyone know of any fine art quality inkjet

papers that have just a little bit of that type of luster found in

quality fiber based silver papers?

 

Thank you for your opinions.