chris_maupin

<p>Thanks Mike and Stephen, this is definitely the type of info I'm looking for. I've read Adam's "The Print" out of sheer curiosity, and as far as real printing goes (not from a digital printer), I have a huge respect for the folks who have mastered it. They are true artists in themselves. </p> <p>I think my takeaway here, if it clarifies things, is how much editing will I be able to do with scanned color film, and should I worry about it being limited relative to 35 mm DSLR RAW files I'm used to "developing" in Lightroom prior to them being printed using a digital print process. </p>

<p>Hi all, <br> I started out with a full manual 35 mm minolta SLR as a kid/teenager, and learned the fundamentals of shooting at a very young age. What I did not learn about film is anything practical about processing/developing and printing, especially on a large scale. </p> <p>I moved on to DSLR, and continue to shoot only in full manual since it is my comfort zone and gives me the most control. I've been shooting using this platform for a decade now, and one of the things that has become my true love/crutch is the ability to process RAW-format images in excruciating detail to my taste before producing a print. </p> <p>Now, I love medium and large format prints. They are transcendental for me. Seeing a large print of a medium format image is a visceral experience, and getting nose-close to 6 foot long print before noticing artifacts just gets to me at very animalistic "holy crap" level. </p> <p>So I want to try medium format.</p> <p>But, there is nothing about a digital back on a medium format that is in my budget. What is in my budget, is a used Mamiya 645 super in excellent condition (as graded by the shop) at a local high end shop. Once the image is exposed on the film, I know nothing about the process from there. How to I get the image to have the all the nuances I want (contrast, dynamic range, lightening of dark areas, etc. etc.) that are easily obtainable in Lightroom with DSLR, using film? </p> <p>Is there a particular way the film needs to be developed to achieve one certain result versus another?</p> <p>Will a high resolution 16 bit TIFF file of a scanned slide or film give me similar flexibility in Lightroom as a true RAW file?</p> <p>In summary, I want to shoot medium format film, but I am chicken when it comes to how flexible my processing options will be vs. true RAW file from a DSLR sensor. </p> <p>Thanks!!!!</p>