 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| PhotoKB HomeDiscussion Groups Digital Photography Digital PhotoDSLR CamerasZLR CamerasPoint & Shoot CamerasFilm Photography 35 mmLarge FormatMedium formatDarkroomFilm and LabsOther EquipmentPhoto Technique Nature PhotographyPeople PhotographyTechnique GeneralGeneral Photo Topics General TopicsAustralian PhotographyUK PhotographyDirectoryPhoto Clubs |
Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / May 2008Wet photography is really dying
Another depressing data point: today I saw an Omega enlarger put out on the curb on my way home. (A little 35mm one.) Nearly complete.  SignatureThe best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. - Attributed to Winston Churchill > Another depressing data point: today I saw an Omega enlarger put out on > the curb on my way home. (A little 35mm one.) Nearly complete. You picked it up, didn't you? There's still a few people buying them on eBay. On 5/8/2008 8:16 PM Ken Hart spake thus: >> Another depressing data point: today I saw an Omega enlarger put out on >> the curb on my way home. (A little 35mm one.) Nearly complete. > > You picked it up, didn't you? > There's still a few people buying them on eBay. Nah, they're practically worthless. I see them at my favorite recycled-goods store in Berkeley (Urban Ore) all the time. Used to think of buying them to sell them, but there's really no market there. (As an example, speaking of eBay, I got my 5x7 Elwood there--for $9!) SignatureThe best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. - Attributed to Winston Churchill > of buying them to sell them, but there's really no market there. (As an > example, speaking of eBay, I got my 5x7 Elwood there--for $9!) And I got the 8x10" Saltzman free. Live it up, David! "David Nebenzahl" wrote > Wet photography is really dying "He not busy being born Is busy dying." R. Zimmerman > today I saw an Omega enlarger put out on the curb on my way home. Compared to how many computers put out for the trash? The purpose of existence is to make garbage. The National Lampoon in 1970(?) proposed a "Value Subtracted Tax" - A manufacturer would be taxed 15% of $999,000,000 for reducing $1B of forest to $1M worth of tacky coffee tables; Consumers would be taxed 15% of $1,000,000 for reducing $1M worth of tacky coffee tables to $0 worth of garbage. It made a lot of sense to me... SignatureNicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Darkroom Automation: F-Stop Timers, Enlarging Meters http://www.darkroomautomation.com/index2.htm n o lindan at ix dot netcom dot com > The National Lampoon in 1970(?) proposed a > "Value Subtracted Tax" - A manufacturer would [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > reducing $1M worth of tacky coffee tables to > $0 worth of garbage. It came true. The Super Fund. > Another depressing data point: today I saw an Omega enlarger put out on > the curb on my way home. (A little 35mm one.) Nearly complete. So are we, but live it up! They cannot take it away from us. When I take a walk, I am carefull to not to stop for a moment by someone's trash for fear that I will be taken. > Wet photography is really dying > > Another depressing data point: today I saw an Omega enlarger > put out on the curb on my way home. (A little 35mm one.) Nearly > complete. I suppose it depends on which end of the glass one is trying to drink from... Today, I have the best darkroom I have ever had. Finest equipment. Best supplies. Easily handles all formats from half-frame 35mm to 8x10. Prints possible from reductions to 20x24. All b&w, no color - but that's by preference, not lack of market availability. Closed loop exposure and developing systems. Computerized tempering water faucet. High quality and consistent enlarging papers, both graded and variable contrast. Excellent developers, stop baths and fixers. (Homebrew, in my case.) Easily obtainable chemicals at reasonable prices, from the most basic to the incredibly esoteric. Even a bottle of Rodinal which, if memory serves, has been continuously manufactured since well before the end of... not last century... but the century before. The list goes on and on. Best ever of everything, hands down. Today, I have the best film cameras I have ever had. Some vintage. Some pristine vintage. Some brand new. All users, and all used. And it's possible today to purchase brand new film camera equipment in all formats. Small, medium, large, ultra large, panoramic, stereo. View cameras and field cameras, 4x5 to 20x24. 35mm rangefinders and SLRs (not many, but there's still a few new ones out there). Single and twin lens reflex medium format. Fixed lens medium format and full-blown, interchangable lens systems. Both mechanical and electronic. Manual focus and autofocus. It's all there. Today, I have the best film available in history. Ilford (bless 'em) for everything one would ever need in b&w, Fuji (bless 'em) for damn near everything else color - and some pretty good b&w of their own. Even Kodak has recently been spied lurking again in the shadows of the analog back alley. Slow, medium and high speed films. Infrared films. Negative films. Positive films. Hell, I recently even purchased some fresh Kodachrome from a small, local drug store. So it's all there. Just for the asking. And all the finest quality since Niépce started this whole mess in 1827. Sometimes, I think it's worth remembering that the heavy end of the glass works better on the bottom. Ken > I suppose it depends on which end of the glass one is trying to drink > from... > [... snip great post ...] Whether the glass is half-full or half-empty depends upon whether you are serving or drinking. Today we are drinking from the bottle being emptied by those moving to digital. It's good. >> I suppose it depends on which end of the glass one is trying to drink >> from... [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > serving or drinking. Today we are drinking from the bottle being emptied by > those moving to digital. It's good. Those moving to digital have not enabled Kodak to continue manufacturing their Elite Fine Art paper, which IMAO was the best paper I ever used. Signature.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642. /V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939. /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org ^^-^^ 09:05:01 up 3 days, 1:37, 3 users, load average: 4.55, 4.36, 4.19 > Today, ... > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Ken Today we have silver gelatin and electronic photography. Today we have acoustic and electronic guitars. Dan >> Today, ... >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Today we have silver gelatin and electronic photography. > Today we have acoustic and electronic guitars. Dan Yesterday, a friend of mine could afford a Gibson guitar. Today she cannot afford one, Signature.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642. /V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939. /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org ^^-^^ 07:30:01 up 4 days, 2 min, 0 users, load average: 3.94, 4.00, 3.99 On 5/9/2008 9:29 PM Ken Nadvornick spake thus: >> Wet photography is really dying >> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > supplies. Easily handles all formats from half-frame 35mm to 8x10. Prints > possible from reductions to 20x24. You know, it's great you have all that stuff; it really is. I don't mean to take anything away from that. But how on earth can you propose that since *you* have all this great stuff that the state of wet photography is OK? It is for you, for the moment, but as others have pointed out, what happens when manufacturers inevitably start not producing film and paper? What will we do then? In fact, the very fact that it is now so easy to equip such a darkroom as you have is further evidence on my side. The stuff is so cheap because it's being pitched overboard because of digital. I don't think film and paper will ever go completely out of production, but it will probably soon be relegated to boutique status, and will be much more expensive, much less widely available, and with much less variety. (Perhaps much like vinyl records today.) Enjoy the ride while it lasts, I suppose. SignatureThe best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. - Attributed to Winston Churchill In article <48275c59$0$11167$822641b3@news.adtechcomputers.com>, David Nebenzahl nobody@but.us.chickens says... > You know, it's great you have all that stuff; it really is. I don't mean > to take anything away from that. But how on earth can you propose that > since *you* have all this great stuff that the state of wet photography > is OK? It is for you, for the moment, but as others have pointed out, > what happens when manufacturers inevitably start not producing film and > paper? What will we do then? Wet plates. :-) > In article <48275c59$0$11167$822641b3@news.adtechcomputers.com>, David > Nebenzahl [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > > Wet plates. :-) And dry plates, and homemade paper. But there are too many film cameras in use for film to disappear anytime soon, if ever. Even rollfilm sizes like 620 and 127 are still available. SignatureCharles Hohenstein (to reply, remove Gene Robinson) "The sad huddle of affluent bedwetters, thumbsuckers, treehuggers, social climbers, homophiles, quavery ladies, and chronic petition signers that makes up the current Episcopal Church . . ." ---Thomas Lipscomb On 5/11/2008 4:22 PM Charles Hohenstein spake thus: >>> You know, it's great you have all that stuff; it really is. I don't mean >>> to take anything away from that. But how on earth can you propose that [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > in use for film to disappear anytime soon, if ever. Even rollfilm sizes > like 620 and 127 are still available. Yes, but read what I said about that: It won't disappear, but it will be expensive, hard to find and restricted in variety. SignatureThe best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. - Attributed to Winston Churchill In article <chohensteGeneRobinson-55996A.19222911052008 @newsclstr02.news.prodigy.com>, Charles Hohenstein chohensteGeneRobinson@sbcglobal.net says... > And dry plates, and homemade paper. But there are too many film cameras > in use for film to disappear anytime soon, if ever. Even rollfilm sizes > like 620 and 127 are still available. 620 is just respooled 120, you can slit and respool 120 to make 127, so those formats can continue as long as rollfilm is available and people can be bothered to mess around with it. I was surprised to note that apparently even 110 and 126 are still commercially available - these aren't so easy to DIY because of the registration holes. > You know, it's great you have all that stuff; it really is. I don't mean > to take anything away from that. But how on earth can you propose that > since *you* have all this great stuff that the state of wet photography is > OK? It is for you, for the moment, but as others have pointed out, what > happens when manufacturers inevitably start not producing film and paper? > What will we do then? I believe there will always be film and paper, however I am afraid it will be terribly expensive. One thing that really bothers me is the Rollei film marketing - overpriced and it comes in its own cute little wooden coffin. > > You know, it's great you have all that stuff; it really is. I don't mean > > to take anything away from that. But how on earth can you propose that [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > One thing that really bothers me is the Rollei film marketing - overpriced > and it comes in its own cute little wooden coffin. I'm always curious what people are doing with the Rollei stuff. I've never felt the urge to try it (largely because of the price), but I'd like to know what people are doing with it and why they like it. SignatureCharles Hohenstein (to reply, remove Gene Robinson) "The sad huddle of affluent bedwetters, thumbsuckers, treehuggers, social climbers, homophiles, quavery ladies, and chronic petition signers that makes up the current Episcopal Church . . ." -‹Thomas Lipscomb > I'm always curious what people are doing with the Rollei stuff. I've > never felt the urge to try it (largely because of the price), but I'd > like to know what people are doing with it and why they like it. Ain't it just rebranded stuff made in Croatia and the Czech Republic? Anyway, the only people I know who have used it are guys who shoot maybe 20 rolls of film a year. Everything's a one-shot experiment to them. They never settle down, never get right with a film and developer combo, then they write a "review" of the film so that their ignorance spreads like a viral meme. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.