Digital BW, The Print

James, i'll answer your question but do not want to start a long discussion between ink prints and silver. People do whatever they feel comfortable with. I love this forum because I do get a lot of hints on how to handle my epson printer.
If you want you can look at my web site. I'm working on developing a program that helps with digital negs. I have been in the darkroom all day and I'm very pleased with the results. I'll be improving the software to add more features.
http://www.PierreOlivierTavernier.com/Joomla

Now to your question. I think digital is great for a lot of things. I'm talking about camera. The thing is it's like computers, a new one with better technology comes out every month. I have a Nikon F5 and the only thing manufacturers are improving is the film. I just tried the new Kodack portra NC and it is quite similar to the Fuji Pro S. I do portraits and digital gives too much details on a face.
Anyway, 95% of the time, i get my shot with a Nikon F5.
The Fuji Frontier is the machine that wal-mart or sams uses. I tried Costco with their noritsu but did not get the same quality. The thing is that you need to get acquainted with the same lab worker to be able to get good and reliable results. I'm not fooling myself. I'm sure in 5 years film and chemicals could be gone. So i'm doing it as long as I can.
I just got some odorless fixer from Photographer's formulary. It works great.
When you get a scan from wal-Mart, it will come at 4x6 300dpi. To increase the resolution, you'll have to use a plug-in in photoshop and sharpen. I have done 16x20 enlargements but could not do them in-house. I can only do 11x14 max here. If i do bigger, i have to use Mpix. They do true B&W but uses RC paper.

So after I got my photoshop curve from my program, i just print an 8x10 of my file and contact print it under my enlarger. The enlarger is just a light source. period.

I bet you can get enlarger for nothing nowdays. I was given a Ilford 2150 print processor with dryer that is sitting in a crate in my garage. I have no clue what to do with it.

I use dye ink in my epson. I get holes in the nozzle print sometimes when the cartridge re initialize. If i leave the printer alone for 30mn, it's fixed. I think they are air bubles. I'm amazed by the inkjet technology.

So the bottom line, i use the best of both worlds. There's no way i could retouch blemishes on a portrait under the enlarger in a traditional way. I'm not that good.

Hope I answer your question.

Sincerely,
PO
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: James Irelan 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2007 6:00 PM
  Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Re: Help....


  Ironically, it's this idea, or an earlier version of it, that got me 
  into digital in the very beginning, with Dan Burkholder's book, 
  except that those negs were for contact printing. I tried, got bad 
  results, and realized that working that way wasn't for me. At the 
  time the scanning and printing tools weren't adequate or affordable 
  enough to make an enlargeable neg- I'm talking the Stylus Pro XL and 
  back when a 1,000 ppi Agfa desktop printer cost $5,000. So I gave up 
  with that idea. Now I'm intrigued to learn that it can be done- is a 
  Fuji Frontier one of those lab-only scanners? Have you done this on 
  something like a Howtek 4500? But you have to contact print? What 
  happens when you try to enlarge the Frontier neg? I'm not fond of 
  8x10 prints...

  thanks for the info. Interesting. Not sure that I'll set another 
  wet darkroom up, but as I say, it was my first love.

  James

  On Dec 22, 2007, at 4:41 PM, Le Globe Trotteur wrote:

  > That's why I create digital negative. The best of both worlds. I'm 
  > currently in front of photoshop and in the darkroom. I shoot Fuji 
  > Pro and the new kodack portra. If you have these films scanned on a 
  > Fuji Frontier, you get no grain. It's beautiful. I do portraits so 
  > I like Film better.
  > I go in photoshop, convert to B&W, dodge burn....Then I print 
  > another contact neg on my Epson R220. I go under my enlarger and 
  > turn on the light to expose my Ilford Fiber paper (contact print). 
  > I process it in my wet darkroom and I get a print that matches the 
  > one on my monitor.
  > Just my 0.02...Not starting a new thread on digital vs analog debate.
  >

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