Digital BW, The Print

Thanks all for your input and I'll take any more anyone has to give.  

Ken, I have not shot with a 120 film cam--only 35mm.  I posted from the site so you'll see I spent some time with a Pentax 67II today but, of course, didn't shoot any film.  I do have a pro and con list and way up there on the con side is the time/expense of processing/scanning, etc.  I don't print 40" x 60" either--though I have had very large 'posters' made and mounted by a graphics company for a client.  The largest I have had printed (again, for a client) were 18 x 24.  My own prints are limited by my  2200 at 13 x 19 for the time being.

The person at the store today (the mgr) truly believes that the tonality, color and dynamic range just can't be beat by MF (except by LF of course)--he shoots 'casually' with a 20D and an MF for 'serious' work.  He also believes most people probably wouldn't see the difference LOL--and I concur with that--but that isn't really the point for me I guess.

I would like to stress again I'm not interested in a darkroom---but am certainly going to look into some of the 'alternatives' to a full blown darkroom from the suggestions.

BTW--I shoot landscapes,  urban landscapes, 'not quite' macros, and still lifes primarily.  (I do shoot parttime commercially for the furniture and textile industries but digital is great for that--and doesn't enter into this).  I'm pretty proficient in PS, use Quadtone RIP for B/W (not sure if I said that originally) and I lean toward b/w, but seem to be processing more color recently.

Diane Fields
www.pbase.com/picnic

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: kenstrain2000 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Friday, August 26, 2005 2:19 PM
  Subject: Re: [Digital BW] A bit OT....MF to b/w print


  Diane,
  here is advice perhaps not even worth 2c, and also against the grain
  of the replies thus far.
  My last (of 3) 120 cameras/systems was sold 18 months ago (SL66 with 3
  Zeiss lenses, wonderful!). 
  The difference is that now I have very much more depth of field for a
  given image quality, no struggles with scanning and no dust spots (wow
  yes!). And, mainly, *much better prints* (but I don't print 40x60).
  The quality issue is fundamental - sensors are many times more
  sensitive to light than any film, in some styles of photography this
  matters, in others it matters not at all. 
  Whether 6x7 is right for you depends a lot on your photographic style.
  It is not clear whether you have used a 120 SLR before but it is
  certainly worth trying one on your normal subject matter before "going
  for it". 

  Good luck!
  Ken





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