At 05:55 PM 9/5/1998 -0700, you wrote:
>1700 dpi for a 35mm scan is - politely speaking - unimpressive. Similar
>devices are in the 2400 dpi range for lower cost (HP Photosmart $359) and a
>little higher - well ok, a fair chunk higher - will get to 2700 dpi (Nikon
>and Polaroid). Minolta recently introduced a model that does both 35mm and
>120 format. 4x5 devices, for those who can afford them ($10,000 - gulp!),
>have been around for a while.
>
>There is no question at all the digital movement has already changed the
>face of professional commercial photography. Now the amateur market will
>get the full force of the next wave as the technology becomes more
>affordable and usable. Low cost, high resolution output devices,
>specifically printers, are here now. Read/Write/Rewrite CD's are getting
>cheap. Other devices will follow soon. An OM-Digital that accepts all my
>Zuikos and neat attachments like auto-tubes and bellows......Ahhhh, the
>stuff of dreams.
>
>It this a great time to be alive or what!
>
>John P
Hi John,
I entirely agree with the last statement. Digital outcomes from
conventional photographic processes are very exciting to me. But even if I
could have a CCD or CMOS whingding to throw in the OM-1 where a roll of
film is supposed to go, I'd be reluctant to abandon film anytime soon. I'm
not sure there is yet a digital medium that can capture as completely and
relatively inexpensively what film can. I read somewhere that it would take
a resolution of 5400 ppi to equal what can be resolved on Velvia or
Kodachrome. At resolutions that high you'd have to carry your computer into
the field to download every other frame. Also different films offer
different characteristics that are enjoyable. I suppose I could develop a
"Velvia filter" in Photoshop, but I'm not sure I can visualize that just
yet. A Velvia slide scanned through my N**** Coolscan at 2700 ppi is all
my computer, RAM, and printer can handle right now, but the results are
very satisfying and a "finished" scan can be sized down to a
reasonable-sized JPEG. I think for some time to come I will enjoy the best
of both worlds, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I will
exploit the ways digital technology can expand my enjoyment of conventional
photography.
Joel
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