[Leica] Next e-mail: help

[firkin at ncable.net.au (Alastair Firkin)]

If you read the last one, you will know that after a month in Nepal and 
a full week in the darkroom, I failed to finish off the printing. 
Clearly I need to look at my "system". At the moment, I'm thinking that 
I will finally give up too much colour printing and in future do purely 
b/w in the darkroom. So ifff I am to go digital, do I need to change 
camera systems, or not.

Those who know me know I have too many cameras: many of us do. I am 
loath to bring another system into my already crowded life, so if I am 
to go for a digital camera, I would have to "trade-in" beloved 
mechanical beasts and a whole bevy of lenes, something I would prefer 
not to do. If I stick to b/w darkroom work, I could "survive" with the 
M, my Rollei, perhaps keep the Blad and X-pan, and do away with the R 
(unless the back is really worth it), the Rollei 3003 and a  range of 
Minoltas etc. I could then concentrate on colour with a "new" digital 
system and stick to b/w film BUT -----

Can I still afford to use film?

This question rests with the ability of "scanners". Will a scanned 
negative file match one from a dedicated digital camera pixel for 
pixel? Is there a scanner which can do the scanning without me having 
to sit for hours, ie a feeder? Please help. I have a week to go before 
coming to the USA and visiting Chicago: the subject of the next e-mail 
and I could be tempted to do something on that trip.

Cheers and TIA

Alastair