Digital BW, The Print

Michael Hung wrote:



> Nikon View and the NEF plugin which is free will open the file with
> the custom or auto WB just fine.

Thanks for this suggestion; it is one we explored. As I have already 
suggested, there is no universal answer to all photographer's problems. 
This free blackbox software doesn't necessarily help someone who may be 
required to (among other things) tell lawyers the algorithm used to 
suppress zippers in the image, nor is it necessarily helpful to Joe 
Wedding Shooter who wants to retain their existing bulk processing 
methods and is now eyeing their upgrade path. This is regrettable - I'm 
not gleeful about it, I'm disturbed by it.


> Passing down the $100 Capture software for $1,300 to the customer is
> definitely a very good business outcome.

Billing a client well over bid is not the kind of "good business 
outcome" that I'd like to often repeat. And the bulk of the time 
resulting in this billing (and the unbillable losses we absorbed) was 
spent researching Nikon's freebie software, determining its apparent 
unsuitability, and talking to Nikon about alternatives. Although we did 
buy software from Nikon, we did not inflate that cost to the client as 
you suggest.

I wish I had been involved in the capture of the image; we could have 
done a bit better.

Sorry to further clutter the list; I just didn't want to let slide the 
apparent gratuitous smear.

-- 
Jeff Medkeff
Eagle River, Alaska