Digital BW, The Print

From one reluctant techie:

Three weeks ago - give or take a few days - I got a Minolta 5400. 
Proceeded to lash it to my system (Power Mac 7600 with 
newly-installed 500mHz G3 upgrade, Epson 1270 [color] and 
1160 [b/w]). Made a few tests. Made a few prints (11x17" for b/w, 
13x19" for color). Jumped out of my chair...for "quickie" scans 
made with a minimum of "A-R"*  fuss, this was wonderful - 
detail, scale, and...no interpolation! No more "digital Hamburger 
Helper" for large prints.

I'm now convinced that you can never have too much RAM *or* 
scanner resolution, even for 35mm. I saw the difference in scans 
with the "broken" Polaroid SprintScan 4000  I was given a little 
while ago (and sucessfully fixed) compared with my previous 
Minolta (2900, which my 5400 replaces). I can also see the 
difference the 5400 makes over the Polaroid. Overkill for certain 
films? Maybe (a scan of Neopan 400, pushed one stop, probably 
benefitted marginally, but benefitted nonetheless), but I also 
shoot with a few slow films, including Konica Impresa 50, which 
absolutely benefits (ask Paul Roark about this film - he did 
something amazing with it in tandem with my favorite compact 
35, a Ricoh GR1). Color print tests on an Epson 2200 I got just 
last week drive the point home even harder.

As for the new Nikons, the only advantage I can see is in 
scanning speed. So it's a question of speed versus resolution, 
perhaps, but resolving power is hardly all the 5400 offers (too 
much for me to go into here). I can only speak for myself, but I'm 
absolutely sold on it.

As for upgrading the 3000: I'd try a new scanner first, then 
decide; the benefits of casting aside the necessity of 
upsampling for larger prints, IMO, cannot be overstated. And the 
Epson 3000 is a solid printer for b/w.

And, if you'd like, I'll gladly make a scan of a negative for you to 
test-print (he says while racing to put his new computer system 
together).

- Barrett

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, 
ArleneLoveL@a... wrote:
> I need advice on upgrading to new scanner & printer
> 
>I work in 35mm, exclusively in B&W (Kodak T400CN). My 
>present scanner is 2720 dpi and my Epson 3000 prints max 
>1440 x 720. Different tech experts tell me different things. One 
>says get a Minolta DiMage 5400 and another says Nikon 
>8000. The price difference is enormous, and the Nikon scans 
>medium format, which I don't use, so why pay for it? The Minolta 
>scans at 5400, and the Nikon scans at 4000. What's your 
>consensus? I use PS7 and MIS quad inks carts.  Trying to fill 
>the carts was a disaster, and I won't even contemplate CIS.
>Is there an advantage to upgrading my printer from a 3000 to a 
>7500 when they both print at a max 1440 x 720? The 7600 is 
>2880x1440 - and is $3000! It would be a big stretch - is it worth 
>it?    I will continue to dedicate my printer to B&W , and my prints 
>are always 11 x 14 and 16 x 20. Can a  35 mm neg  go larger? I 
>appreciate all the input you can give. I'm not a techie and don't 
>understand half of what you all talk about, but am boundlessly 
>grateful for this forum. Thanks to all.
>                      Arlene
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]