Film Lover's Lament

Just remember "she" might actually be Tony Polson.

--
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home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
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A sample chapter from "Haight-Ashbury" is at
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"Tony Parkinson" wrote in message
...
"Tony" wrote ...
There is nothing like the security of a piece of medium that has to go
through a chemical bath process run by a minimum wage kid more
interested
in
oogling the better looking customers

Well, when I take my films in I say "let her look, damn it" !!

;^)

In article ,
Summer Wind wrote:

"Jeremy" wrote in message
newsaXRf.11561$Km6.8735@trnddc01...
"Summer Wind" wrote in message news:a4MRf.53999


Where I think we will experience some dissatisfaction is with the decline
of photofinishers. I suspect that lots of retail outlets will get rid of
one-hour or overnight film processing, so they can make better use of the
floor space to sell more profitable items. It may be that we'll have to
mail our film out, or will have only a handful of local outlets that will
handle it over-the-counter. But that is years down the road.


The disappearance of photofinishers is indeed a worry, but they are
currently printing digital files and I hope that keeps them going. I still

A lot of digital customers print more than a hundred at a time. If they
keep doing that, I don't see digital being a threat to retail
photofinishers.

--
"Never argue with a fool. They will drag you down to their level and win
by experience."

... Until the stuff is scanned and residing in multiple locations,
negatives or slides are
no safer than the physical medium you use for your digital pictures. As
long
as there is only one copy, the chances of the picture being lost are the
same with any medium.


One of the nice things about the digital domain is that you can do a high
resolution scan of a precious negative as a backup. Negatives are fragile
too, but I'm more comfortable with an analog rendering that I can simply
look at to assess its condition. A digital file can give you a false sense
of security because it could be corrupt and you don't know until you try to
read the file.

I wonder if anyone is archiving digital images on film?

SW

"Gregory L. Hansen" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Summer Wind wrote:

"Jeremy" wrote in message
newsaXRf.11561$Km6.8735@trnddc01...
"Summer Wind" wrote in message news:a4MRf.53999


Where I think we will experience some dissatisfaction is with the
decline
of photofinishers. I suspect that lots of retail outlets will get rid
of
one-hour or overnight film processing, so they can make better use of
the
floor space to sell more profitable items. It may be that we'll have to
mail our film out, or will have only a handful of local outlets that
will
handle it over-the-counter. But that is years down the road.


The disappearance of photofinishers is indeed a worry, but they are
currently printing digital files and I hope that keeps them going. I
still

A lot of digital customers print more than a hundred at a time. If they
keep doing that, I don't see digital being a threat to retail
photofinishers.


But the floor space that is currently dedicated to one-hour film developing
will probably be gone. They might offer to send film out for processing
off-site, but I doubt that most retail locations will continue to maintain
the equipment and handle the chemicals as they do now. Making digital
prints will be much easier for them, because the process can be handled
without the need for trained employees and can be done in a smaller space,
like that used by the Kodak kiosk.

"Jeremy" wrote in message
news:kAMSf.2301$bu.2198@trnddc04...
"Gregory L. Hansen" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Summer Wind wrote:

"Jeremy" wrote in message
newsaXRf.11561$Km6.8735@trnddc01...
"Summer Wind" wrote in message
news:a4MRf.53999


Where I think we will experience some dissatisfaction is with the
decline
of photofinishers. I suspect that lots of retail outlets will get rid
of
one-hour or overnight film processing, so they can make better use of
the
floor space to sell more profitable items. It may be that we'll have
to
mail our film out, or will have only a handful of local outlets that
will
handle it over-the-counter. But that is years down the road.


The disappearance of photofinishers is indeed a worry, but they are
currently printing digital files and I hope that keeps them going. I
still

A lot of digital customers print more than a hundred at a time. If they
keep doing that, I don't see digital being a threat to retail
photofinishers.


But the floor space that is currently dedicated to one-hour film
developing will probably be gone. They might offer to send film out for
processing off-site, but I doubt that most retail locations will continue
to maintain the equipment and handle the chemicals as they do now. Making
digital prints will be much easier for them, because the process can be
handled without the need for trained employees and can be done in a
smaller space, like that used by the Kodak kiosk.

The first step in eliminating dependence on the photofinishers is to get a
good film scanner. Then, after you are happy with the results of the
scanner, you can start developing your own film. Start with B&W, and then go
on to developing your own color film. All you need to do this is the
chemicals, some canisters, and good temperature control.....A darkroom isn't
necessary. Once you get the film out of the canister and onto the reel of
your developing tank, you can do everything else in the light. A good
quality inkjet printer can do as good a job as the photofinishers, and the
quality of these things is climbing, even as the price is dropping.

Exactly what would you back up on film - a picute snapped of the computer
screen, or a picture taken of a print? both are going to be vastly inferior
to the original.
As to corrupted files - it can happen - which is why you should open up
the file and look at it before putting it away as your only archive. Isn't
that sort of a given? Or do you expose enlarging paper, carefully cropping,
dodging and burning for the best print quality and then put the paper away
undeveloped?

--
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html

"Summer Wind" wrote in message
. com...
... Until the stuff is scanned and residing in multiple locations,
negatives or slides are
no safer than the physical medium you use for your digital pictures. As
long
as there is only one copy, the chances of the picture being lost are the
same with any medium.


One of the nice things about the digital domain is that you can do a high
resolution scan of a precious negative as a backup. Negatives are fragile
too, but I'm more comfortable with an analog rendering that I can simply
look at to assess its condition. A digital file can give you a false
sense
of security because it could be corrupt and you don't know until you try
to
read the file.

I wonder if anyone is archiving digital images on film?

SW

"Tony" wrote in message
m...
Exactly what would you back up on film - a picute snapped of the
computer
screen, or a picture taken of a print? both are going to be vastly
inferior
to the original.

Not that I'm suggesting this, but surely one would use a film writer - so
it's not going to be "vastly" inferior. Anyway this is inevitable: in any
medium, converting from analogue to digital inherently involves throwing
away information; converting from digital to analogue need not in theory,
but in practice it always will unless you want to make HUGE copies...

As to corrupted files - it can happen - which is why you should open up
the file and look at it before putting it away as your only archive. Isn't
that sort of a given? Or do you expose enlarging paper, carefully
cropping,
dodging and burning for the best print quality and then put the paper away
undeveloped?

I should think everyone knows that. Whether everyone does it all of the
time is another question though ;-)


Peter

"JimKramer" wrote in message
oups.com...

Bandicoot wrote:
"Tony" wrote in message
m...
There is nothing like the security of a piece of medium that has to
go through a chemical bath process run by a minimum wage kid
more interested in oogling the better looking customers than
keeping an eye on his machine.


But if security of the medium is your interest, then that isn't the sort
of
place that you get your processing done, now is it?


But, here at least (Chapel Hill/RTP/Raleigh/Durham), it is hard to find
anyone but that to do the processing, I've been through all of the
local labs including the "professional" ones and I still get obvious
drip marks and scratches on my slides and mis-mounted slides. If I pay
a premium rate I expect a premium service and that doesn't seem to be
available here.


Unless I lived in a very major city - been there, done that, glad I don't
anymore - I wouldn't necessarily expect this sort of service locally. I
post my films off to be developed. I could drive to the place and back in
an afternoon if I really wanted to I suppose, but I have better things to do
with my time and using Special Delivery nothing has ever been lost so far.
The lab. also offers a motorbike courier service for anything
urgent/critical, if it's worth paying the price - though maybe if I had film
with a shot of Elvis waving from his flying saucer, I would take it there
myself...



Peter

"Tony" wrote in message
m...
Exactly what would you back up on film - a picute snapped of the computer
screen, or a picture taken of a print? both are going to be vastly
inferior
to the original.
As to corrupted files - it can happen - which is why you should open up
the file and look at it before putting it away as your only archive. Isn't
that sort of a given? Or do you expose enlarging paper, carefully
cropping,
dodging and burning for the best print quality and then put the paper away
undeveloped?


See this article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_recorder

SW

"Summer Wind" wrote

I wonder if anyone is archiving digital images on film?

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/dpq/site/...veStorageMedia
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/dpq/site/.../i9600_product


--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com
Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm