From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 08/06/00-12:45:22 AM Z
On Sat, 5 Aug 2000, Jason Hall wrote:
> > If Kodak was going to bring back double X, I'd sell
> my stock (if I had
> > any).
>
> Sadly a realistic representation of the average
> consumer. Why bother expending time and effort to
> learn a skill/craft when you can do a passable bodge in
> a fraction of the time. Few people have the patience
> or the inclination to bother. What happens when no one
> can recall what zones are? Who's going to write the
> software then?
Actually, from where I sit (or stand) you have it backwards... it's MUCH
easier to learn to use SuperXX (which I learned in one half-day class)
than to learn control with the computer and its peripherals which until
you really do have control is -- well, I've been doing certain kinds of
digital for some time and still at intermediate level.
But once you do have control -- it is INFINITELY better. For instance I
can dodge or burn either by highlight, midtone, or shadow. Without
affecting the other values. If you haven't done that, don't knock it. It's
purely magical.
I am not aware in ANY case of digital being a "passable bodge" or a
"fraction of the time." I WISH ! Of course I don't print with any of
these methods... I'm talking about getting negatives. And I don't use a
view camera. Perhaps for some folks using a view camera and contacting
directly from the large neg, what you say ..... well, trust me, digital is
STILL harder.
I've often said I can teach a class to make a passable large neg in a
morning with a $300 2nd hand enlarger. To make that same neg digitally
would take weeks of study and thousands of dollars worth of equipment. But
it suits my purposes better. I don't want to take view camera photographs.
(Maybe next year.... but I don't think so.)
Maybe we should have a bake off -- get some of the SG is better fellows &
see if they could tell the difference WITHOUT a loupe ... (Except Greg
Schmitz is not eligible... he has some kind of out of gamut vision. I mean
regular people.) And if you say better, better for what? For platinum
printing? And? Or?
best,
Judy
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 09/18/00-10:20:30 AM Z CST