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david_simonds

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Posts posted by david_simonds

    Tripod selection: is it more than just kit weight

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>Friends, I am in the market for a new set of legs. The Feisol pod I have been using gratefully died recently. As I was locking one of the legs, the clip that secures it in position broke. No great loss. While it was light and fairly stable, the collar locks are a pain, requiring multiple turns to lock/unlock. Had to coax the legs out of the collar as well as time passed. The center column extension was very unstable, and then got cross threaded. Got my money out of it though.<br>

    So I am looking for a new rig. My LF camera kit is a Toyo 45 and three lenses from 50mm to 240mm. I am not sure what the weight is for certain. But the box is about 6 lbs. Lens can not weigh more than a pound. I use an Acratech head that probably weighs about 1.5 pounds or less. And then there is the film holder. So the whole shebang is under 10 lbs. But when you look at the specifications of the kind of tripods they try to sell you for such LF kits, they tend to be the biggest ones in their lines, with weight capacities that are between 3 and 5 times what my kit weighs. See:http://www.indurogear.com/products_details_CT414.html#5. This nice looking alternative to the "G" is recommended for LF kits. And the max weight is 55lbs. And it is, of course, the heaviest and most expensive. Conversely, the smallest, lightest and cheapest in their line is rated for 17 lbs, at least 70% more than what my kit weighs. Even a big SLR Nikon lens like the 500mm weighs in at about 8.5 lbs, and with a big body would not approach the max limit. Although the center of mass is way out and away from the tripod axis. That would be a consideration, but not so much for LF where most of the mass is right over the ball head.<br>

    So is the weight capacity a marketing thing and is getting one suggested for LF, which is likely to be the biggest and most expensive, just overkill? Otherwise put, how light can you go and still have a stable platform, recognizing that a fully extended bellows is a nice sail in a breeze. And the fact that you can always hang your bag from the center post for considerably more stability. More to the point, I am looking at the Induro CT213 which is rated for 27 lbs, is just over 3 lbs and packs up nice for backpack shlepping.<br>

    Thanks for your thoughts.<br>

    David</p>

    Digital B&W questions

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Brian, I am not prepared to commit my 7800 Jon Cone's system, but I do have a 2400 (?) that I have not used since I got its big brother. That may be a more practical option.<br>

    I like your suggestion of a workshop. Earlier today I was checking out the offerings at the Maine Photographic Workshops, which close to my home. George DeWolfe is doing a fine art printing week in the fall. Terry Abrams and George Schaub are leading some groups as well. I am basically self taught on PS, working my way up the upgrade food chain. Would be a treat to immerse myself in a print-making course. And then I need to spend some time with someone who can get me off first base with my 4x5 field camera.</p>

     

    Digital B&W questions

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Thanks for all your kind replies. Lots to consider.<br /> Edward, I had a question about your caution to use 16 bit for adjustments. The scans I get from the Eversmart are in 8 bit. There is a 16 bit "DT" plug-in but I have not had much success with it. If I scan in 8 bit and convert in CS5 to 16 bit before any adjusting, will I get the same benefit as if I were scanning in 16 bit?<br />No one has mentioned Harmon Gloss FB as an alternative for B&W. I have used it with color with good effect. Any love out there for this paper for B&W.<br /> David</p>

    Digital B&W questions

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>I just got back from a show featuring Paul Caponigro's work at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine. While he has a wonderful eye and splendid camera skills, it was the quality of his print making that made the magic happen for me. He is all analog and I am all digital - well mostly. I shoot in MF (Rollei 6008i) and 4x5 (Toyo 45A). I scan the chromes with an Eversmart Pro II and print on an Epson 7800.<br>

    I have printed a few converted B&W images on what I think was Crane Silver Rag. I though they looked pretty good until I saw the dynamic range that Mr. Caponigro achieves with his "old school" technique and materials. Is it possible to replicate that kind of wide tonal range through a B&W digital process with chromogenic inks? I have a new 64 bit Dell box with CS5. It has a B&W function that seems pretty sophisticated. Are there better ones out there? And for those of you using Epsons for B&W prints, what kind of paper do you favor - especially for dense blacks.<br>

    Obliged,<br>

    David</p>

    Upgrading to CS5 - without CS2 disc

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Friends, thanks for all the responses.<br>

    I spent a little qualtiy time chatting with an Adobe rep. She brought me into the resigtry to see if the was a CS2 serial number. There wasn't. And that was as far as she could take me. Now why she did not suggest that I go into the program as Andrew suggested, I can not say. But I did as he suggested and found the serial number for PS9, with a reference to the CS2 Application. I must have bought CS2 as an upgrade. So now I wonder if the serial number which I think is associated with PS9 will work. I suspect not since that goes too far back. But the Adobe rep did say that I do not need the CS2 disc, just a legit serial number for CS2.</p>

    Upgrading to CS5 - without CS2 disc

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Andrew, Thanks for the quick reply. I am not that far along yet. My new computer is being delivered tomorrow so I have not even tried the install yet. Your question (and my futile search) makes me wonder if I ever had a disc. Seems to me that Adobe let you use the program for free for 30 days and then buy it on line. But I have it loaded on two computers so there must have been something "hard" in my possession some time. Any ideas?<br>

    Regards,<br>

    David</p>

    Upgrading to CS5 - without CS2 disc

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Friends, my family recently got me a CS5 upgrade. I have been using CS2 for several years now. Not only am I looking forward to using this new program, it gave me the perfect excuse to upgrade my computer to 64 bit/Windows 7. Problem is that I can not find the CS2 disc. I can find 5.5 and 7 and dozens of utterly useless relics. But no CS2. So I am wondering if it is possible to somehow copy and install the working CS2 I have on my old Dell and load it into the new box, and then do the CS5 upgrade. Thanks.<br>

    David</p>

    Setting up NEC pa241w

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Question about one of the cables. It is called the D-Sub. It has an asymmetrical shaped USB type plug that does not mate with my computer. I have connected the blue and white cables, and plugged in a USB as well as recommended in the Au link above. Monitor fires right up and appears to produce a full image. Is this D Sub some sort of optional cable? Thanks.</p>

    Computer build - suggestions welcome

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Friends,<br>

    Kindly comment on my v.1 configuration. This is to process (in PS C5) scanned medium format and 4x5 chromes - files sizes 500mg to 1 GB.<br>

    Box: Corsair Graphite 600T<br>

    Power: Corsair Professional Series AX750<br>

    RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16 GB ( DDR3)<br>

    MoBo: ASUS P67 Sabertooth 3.0<br>

    CPU: Intel Sandy Bridge i7 2600 3.4 Ghz<br>

    Cooler: Corsair CWCH50-1<br>

    Hard Drive: Unsure - Have looked at the Crucial Real SSD C300 125GB SATA III to run OS and as scratch, or just run those within conventional hard drive below.<br>

    Storage: WD Caviar 2TB 7200<br>

    Video Card: Not sure about this. Suggestions (I may end up doing some video editing)?<br>

    Appreciate any help with this. My first build.<br>

    David</p>

    <p> </p>

    New computer for processing big files

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Gentlemen, I am grateful for your kind advise. Like most of the uninitiated who have always bought built boxes, it never even occurred to me to build my own. Rather like that famous line, "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." But after pricing out a Dell box with components that can be bought at Newegg for hundreds less, it is pretty obvious how they make their money.<br>

    I am going to work on a component inventory over the next few days. I have solicited the help of my 20 year old son who is a game artist, but has never built a box. What a nice, 21st century father-son experience. A digital Norman Rockwell moment.<br>

    Given the size of the files I generally work with (500mg+) I like the idea of having an SSD for the OS and Photoshop scratch, with a large internal just for storage. I assume that I can configure Windows 7 to this drive and then identify the SSD as the scratch file in Photoshop?<br>

    Wayne, thanks for the step by step link, and Bob, I will check out you Tube tutorials and appreciate the invite.<br>

    David</p>

    New computer for processing big files

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>With your suggestions in mind, I have configured the following Dell box. Thoughts? I did not know what the best hard drive option would be so took a stab at it. Lots of RAM. Yummmm. Got upgraded video card in case I want to do some video editing. Blue Ray just comes with this iteration.<br>

    Studio XPS 9100 Studio XPS 9100 91002H [224-9595] 1<br />Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64bit, English W7P6E [318-0455]<br />Processors Intel® Core™i7-930 processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.80GHz) RXI7930 [317-4596] 2<br />Memory 18GB Tri Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 6 DIMMs 18G136D [317-4905] 3<br />Keyboard Dell Wireless Desktop Keyboard & Mouse WRLSKM [330-1258] 4<br />Monitor No Monitor N [320-7810] 5<br />Video Card ATI Radeon HD5970 2GB GDDR5 AT5970 [320-9229] 6<br />Hard Drive 1TB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 500GB SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) 1TBR0 [342-1492] 8<br />Mouse Mouse included in Wireless, Laser or Bluetooth Package N [310-1966] 12<br />Modem No Dial Up Modem Option N [313-3137] 14<br />Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language AAREAD [410-1867] 15<br />Optical Drives Blu-ray Combo Drive (8X BD-R, DVD+/-RW) with DVD+R double layer write capability BDCOMBO <br />Sound Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Titanium XFIE [313-8763] 17<br />Speakers No Speaker Option N [313-2198] 18<br />Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook DSTART [410-0450] 22<br />Security Software McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months MCPL15M [410-9449] 25<br />Hardware Support Services 2 Year Basic Service Plan TT2O [420-8878]<br /><br />Recovery Tools Recovery DVD for Windows® 7 Professional OS, 64bit, English RDW7P [421-4605] 699<br /><br />TOTAL: $1,974.99 <br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /></p>

    New computer for processing big files

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Time to upgrade 7 year old Dell box. Since I got it I have been shooting medium format (6x6) and 4x5 chromes. I have a Nikon 9000 for the MF chromes. In 16 bit and highest resolution, I am getting files in the range of 500mb. I scan the 4x5's with an Eversmart Pro II. Even in 8 bit and medium resolution, the files are large enough to gag my old Dell box.<br>

    Would appreciate suggestions for configuring a new Dell box that could handle these files fine tuned in CS5.<br>

    Much obliged.</p>

    Are 16 bit scans = 8 bit scans converted to 16 bit in CS2?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Friends, I have an Eversmart Pro II which I use to scan 6x6cm and 4x5 chromes. The Oxygen software scans in 8 bit, though there is, I understand, a plugin that converts to 16 bit. My question is whether an 8 bit scan that is converted to 16 bit in CS2 responds to color management in the same way as a file originally scanned in 16 bit. FWIW, I do most all the color adjustments prescan with very modest adjustments in CS2. Since I am scanning 4x5 chromes, the 16 bit scans would be twice the size of already processor choking files in 8 bit.<br />Thanks,<br>

    David</p>

    Is my monitor dead?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Peter, thanks for yours. Never heard of "degaussing" but I will check out that Nokia app. Now you mentioned the influence of "stray magnetic fields" as the possible culprit. I live in rural Maine in the middle of the woods. Can not even get cell service at the house. So I can not implicate an outside source. BUT, I have in the same room as my monitor two very large hybrid speakers with two very large ribbon componants(<a href="http://www.newformresearch.com/r645v3.htm">http://www.newformresearch.com/r645v3.htm</a>). I never thought of them as magnetic, but perhaps they are throwing something off. I will take the monitor from the studio and try it in another area to see if the shift is replicated. Very much appreciate your kind assisatnce.<br>

    David</p>

    Is my monitor dead?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    <p>Friends, I have been using a Dell UltraSharp 19" monitor for my PS work. It is four or five years old and does not get a great deal of use - perhaps 5-40 hours per month depending on the level of my ambition. Last evening I was printing some images and created a new canvas in CS2 to print multiples of the same image. The canvas was 24" wide, the same as my printer and I had three black and white images across. And as I dragged over the three 7" images and put them on the canvas I noticed a distinct color shift between the one on the far left and the one on the far right which had a reddish tint to it. So I moved that "tinted" one on the right directly under the on the left. Presto. The two images now looked the same. So it appears that thre is some sort of color shifting going on within the geography of my monitor, from left to right. This might explain why some color prints I get are dead on, and others have a poor monitor match. Time for a new monitor? I will try to calibrate it tonight to see if the same thing happens. If a new monitor is in my future what are favorite choices these days? My work is generally with scanned medium and large format images printed fairly large - 24" wide on an Epson 7800. Much obliged.<br>

    David</p>

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