Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/02/25

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Subject: RE: [Leica] A Grudging Concession to Digital, Made With Regret
From: "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 23:24:17 -0500

Marc,
I think that you grossly exaggerate costs to transition to a mostly
digital set up.  If you stay in a flat bed scanner the new Epson 4800?
Is $449 and scans up to 4X5 at 4800dpi with a stated density range of
3.8.  Therefore you could scan most of your original negatives/slides
with this latest release.  On the printer side, the newest HP is about
$299 for a 8X10 machine and the latest Epson/Canon are under $500
reaching A3 sizes.  As with all technology, by buying newest out it will
remain competitive for about three years. However, just like your used
lenses, if it does what you need, then there is no need to change or
upgrade.

If on the other hand you don't change your habits, the Epson 3200 will
become a few hundred dollars and a used Epson 1270 might be as low as
$100.  With reasonable PS skills both will produce good A3 prints.

I suspect that the digital revolution has reached a plateau just as PC's
and Mac's have.  You can get newer, but it doesn't really do what you
currently do any better so why upgrade?  With respect to digital
camera'a, the difference between the 8MP and the replaced models (5-6MP)
at 11X14 size prints were negligible.

In any case, welcome into the light.

Don
dorysrus@mindspring.com

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Marc James
Small
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 7:32 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] A Grudging Concession to Digital, Made With Regret

At 03:56 AM 2/25/04 -0500, Dan C wrote:
>Just think of what the results will be when you use a better scanner
and
>printer.
>

Thanks, Dan, for a most thoughtful post.  The truth is that I am
astonished
at the results I am getting from an inexpensive scanner and mid-range
printer.  I do not want to find myself so committed to digital that I
have
to spent $12,000 every six months to upgrade my scanner and printer just
to
stay current.  I have normally been satisfied with the purchase of used
Leica lenses, and I will probably continue to buy technology from the
last
generation.  Darkrrom technology pretty much settled out before the
Second
World War, and the advances after that were incremental, as in the
change
from normal enlarging lenses to APO models.  Once digital reaches a
similar
position of stability, if it does during my lifetime, I will be more
interested in purchasing new and top-of-the-line gear.

Marc

msmall@infionline.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bąs fir gun ghrąs fir!


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