Digital BW, The Print

"They are delicious, a joy to hold and

use, and the optics are the best in class, period."

And no "mirror slap". And leaf shutter, too. Add a tri-pod and cable 
release. One of the best combos I've ever used. Can't be beat.

Scott



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, sandersm@a... 
wrote:
> A few observations:
> 
> 1.   If you are considering MF but have never shot it before, 
consider the 
> Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex as a camera.   They are delicious, a 
joy to hold and 
> use, and the optics are the best in class, period.   And you can 
buy a good 
> user on eBay for a few hundred.   (Insert all standard disclaimers 
here.)   
> Nothing else in MF comes close.
> 
> 2.   Someone else, considering a return to film, asked for labs to 
process 
> B+W.   If you want to give MF film a try but don't want to process 
your own film 
> (which, really, is easy and a lot of fun), buy some Kodak 400CN 
film -- it 
> gives a B+W image but develops in color C-41 process, so you can 
have it 
> developed at your corner one-hour photo.
> 
> 3.   As for processing, you can use JOBO tanks without the expense 
and bulk 
> of the JOBO bases.   You can roll the JOBO tanks on a tabletop by 
hand, or buy 
> a used Omega or Beseler roller base for $25.   I use JOBO tanks 
like that all 
> the time for my 4x5-inch and 5x7-inch LF work, and they are dreams.
> 
> 4.   Which leads to my final thought:   If you're going to take the 
plunge 
> and come back to film, why not do it in style and go to a large 
format camera?   
> There is nothing, absolutely nothing so inspiring as a big 
sheetfilm negative 
> fresh from the fixer.   For the sort of work you are doing -- 
landscapes and 
> still lifes -- a view camera is perfectly-suited.   The learning 
curve is not 
> steep.   The equipment is cheap.   And the results are 
incomparable.   If 
> nudity does not offend, stop by my web page, www.mcnew.net -- I am 
shooting nude 
> portraiture entirely in 4x5-inch and 5x7-inch formats.   
> 
> 5.   One of the benefits of shooting large format is that the Epson 
flatbed 
> scanners will give you more than enough scanning power to get a 
first-class 
> inkjet print -- that will save you a lot of cash and bother on the 
scanning side. 
>   BUT BE WARNED!   Once you start messing with big negatives like 
these, you 
> might conclude, as I have, that they really want to be printed onto 
silver 
> gelatin papers.   And then you will end up doing something stupid 
like buying a 
> 4x5 enlarger and and 
> 
> Sanders McNew
> www.mcnew.net
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]