Digital BW, The Print

Paul D. DeRocco writes:
 > > From: George Hartzell [mailto:hartzell@...]
 > >
 > > The monitor and calibration tools you use will make a *big* difference
 > > in the quality of the work that you're able to produce.  The
 > > hot-rodded CPU and big RAM, etc.... won't have any effect on the
 > > quality of what you're doing, just the speed at which you can do it.
 > > If you're working on 4000dpi scans from 35mm film, you could certainly
 > > buy a simpler machine and it'd still feel like an amazing upgrade from
 > > the box you've been using.  Upgrading components in the box itself
 > > will be easy going forward, and prices will only keep dropping....
 > 
 > I would disagree only about one thing: when you're editing large images,
 > having a ton of RAM makes a _huge_ difference in the usability of the
 > system, much more so than any other single factor. But you're right about
 > CPU speed, disk speed, video card speed--not worth spending a lot of money
 > on for photo editing.

True enough, although it depends on your definitions of large and
usable.  I routinely work with 16 bit 4000dpi scans on my 500MHz G4,
and it's "usable".  Would I prefer a fast dual G5?  Yep.  Would I
trade that for monitor calibration?  Nope.

Big drum scans might well be a different matter entirely....

It looks like a Gig of RAM is going for $150 to $200 (depending on the
flavor), but that'd get you an Eye-one display on Ebay.....

A couple of months from now, that second gig might only be $80....

g.