[Yossarian]

and don't get me started on platinum prints..

i won't...

you'd recommend them (metro london) for large colour prints in the future then? any tips on drum scanning? there is a place in sheff but i'm not convinced.

a larger format appeals to me but convenience and cost then weigh in. 35mm meets my needs at the mo.

if you want quality over any other consideration then absolutely.  they've won so many awards no-one else comes close in my opinion.  and re drum scans - they are expensive, but it makes so much difference if the technician really knows what they're doing.  and i've never had any film damaged by their scanning people.

you might not believe this, but i reckon medium format is cheaper than 35mm.  i burn loads of film when i'm shooting 35mm. with MF you tend to think about things a bit more carefully... and 35mm it's easy to get overwhelmed with using lots of lenses and other paraphenalia.  my 6x7 has a fixed 80mm lens - roughly equivalent to 50mm on a 35mm camera, and my 6x9 has a 65mm, equivalent to 28mm.  i do the vast majority of stuff with those.  and you can pick up something like a fuji gw670 for a few hundred quid.

although i wouldn't start getting into MF film photography unless you're really willing to persevere with it

[cofe]

i have been thinking about it for the future. seeing some of Johnny Brown's 645 transparencies helps you realise the difference. you also have quality and fast aperture on your side with those kind of standard lenses. decent lenses for 35mm (AF) don't come cheap, it's taken me a while and a better paid job just to own one.

the 15" prints we had done though earlier this year were excellent and so i can't find fault with the coolscan IV/peak imaging combo in that case. there really was zero loss of detail from 35mm trannies. any bigger though? who knows...

[Yossarian]

i think scanning always softens an image a tiny bit.  but maybe you only notice it looking through a loupe...

if you guys are doing anything photoworthy that doesn't need long lenses then give me a shout.  i haven't done much climbing stuff for a while.  probably because i haven't been climbing much for a while!

[SA Chris]

You will always loose something when transferring between media, whether it is noticeable or not. Price of 2nd hand MF and LF film cameras has definitely come down a bit since digital  became popular, no doubt, but it still bloody expensive. A s much as I would love one I know I would never have the discipline to actually carry it around.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

i have been thinking about it for the future. seeing some of Johnny Brown's 645 transparencies helps you realise the difference.

If you want a play with a 6x7 give me a shout when I'm back, I've got a full RB kit with four lenses, two backs and a polaroid back gathering dust. Thinking of getting shot of it maybe as I'm not using it commercially currently. I agree with Yoss about wasting less film.. and 6x7 contacts are the biz.

[dave]

something else to consider - you're working on a laptop so it might be worth acquiring a cheap/free CRT monitor to plug in the back to properly view the colours/contrast etc. the laptop screen won't be doing you any favours.

update

been listening to the coefield CRT workout plan.

managed to get hold of a cathode rizzay, gotta say its way better than an LCDIzzle for photos and shit, like everything just looks so much better and sharper word. Its like tasting garlic bread or chicken tikka for the first time. Co$t to moi - FREE-NINETY-NINE!! thats my dogg.

rode a plane, rode a plane, rode a plane, rode a plane.

[Jonboy]

Dave, been looking through your site Beardown Productions..... you should do a calendar for next year...dont know much about photography but very nice pictures.   Can I set any of them to 800 by 600 screen size as a desktop wallpaper :?:

[dave]

Can I set any of them to 800 by 600 screen size as a desktop wallpaper :?:

you can but they;ll look shit cos the ones on the site are only 500 wide at most. If you want any one in particular then let us know and will sort you one of the proper size.

[Jim]

Having just tried the jessops up the road (for convienince) I have taken all the photo's they printed me back and got a refund cos they were shit.

Who are people using these days to print there digital stuff?

[cofe]

depends what you're printing jim, but if it's just normal shots, up to say 10x8 or 12x8 i'd recommend Photobox. They're cheap, quick and good quality.

[Jim]

Cheers Cofe. Will give them a try

[dave]

peak imaging.

in my experience all the highstreet style quick-n-easy type places (boots, jessops etc) were all equally shit, and from what i could gather they all subcontract their printing to the same firm anyway. basically if you see the following logo on their website then it will be shit: