RE: Seeking 8x10 scanner advice

Judy (and the rest of the digital-only folks out there),

I, for one, am very happy that you are happy with your choice of equipment,
and I wouldn't try to change your mind for anything in the world. That
said, I just love my 8x10 and 4x5 cameras, and I couldn't imagine having to
give them up (and I would give nearly anything to get my hands on an old
8x20 or 7x17). Sure, the 8x10 is heavy, especially with lenses, film
holders, and a tripod, but there is just something about seeing an image
come to life, full-size, in the ground glass. There's the element of
surprise, when you don't know exactly what you have gotten until it's
printed. There are the constraints of having to frame and focus and balance
and everything else to capture the image you want the first time. There are
the disappointments of watching the light go while you fumble with one more
film holder to make sure you got the shot or discovering an ugly billboard
right in the middle of a scenic landscape you just hiked all over hell and
creation to shoot. And there's the can't-wait-to-see-it excitement as you
progress through each step of the process.

Now, I don't begrudge anyone a single binary digit for using digital
components in their work. If it works for you, then have at it! But as
wonderful as digital is for you, it's (currently) just a format for shooting
snapshots for me. For other folks, it's a means to making large negatives
or fixing problems with an analog image, and for still others, it is the
work of the Devil, Him/Herself.

Here's to diversity!

-Schuyler
Received on Mon Sep 27 15:56:00 2004