Visitors Respond @ imaginginfo.com

Dan, I can understand your biased, and parochial opinons. It is the consumer not the supplier that drives the market.The digital age is far from being pollution free, and it is a gross consumer of energy.

When Agfa Gevaert " sold" off their photo business without real money changing hands it was all too obvious that it was the means to get out of what was an unprofitable business given their huge staffing commitments and manufacturing costs in Germany. We are still waiting for the final legal outcome in Germany many of those like us were left with years of prepaid service costs that were not honoured. The Australian and New Zealand branches were profitable and still for all administration a part of Gevaert. We still use the Agfa digital labs today.

It was a sad day for me to hear of AGFA closing. I was hired as a local one hour film processing store in August 1987 by COPAL, Minnapolis, MN. At the time my store was using a COPAL MS7050. COPAL joined hands with AGFA and I started using an MSC101 minilab. I purchased it new in Feb 99 and used it until I closed down Nov 07. It was a great machine and served my customers well. I just think we have lost a great company and some great processing equipment.

Thank You Ilford, When you really know your stuff b/w film is the only way to go for fantastic images, sure i shot digital also but only because we are forced into it. Anyone can take a "good picture" with a digital camera, Heck they are all stupid proof, and then you have computers to make them "nicer". Darn it, I still love my b/w films and the "pollutants" that go with them. Once again Ilford to the rescue.

http://www.humanfiles.com/slideshows/look3_07/publish_to_web/look3_07.htm

Thank you Scott for coming to our defense. I am a 4x5 photographer and now a 12x20 shooter as well. Ilford has opened its doors to us and they deserve our respect and admiration. Its amazing how many narrow minded people are out there (daniel).
Film is not dead. It is very much alive! My clients shoot film. I shoot film. It will not change. My Nikon D200 is a piece of junk compared with a 4x5 neg. The same with the MF DBs. I have used them all. Film has a look and feel that you just cant simulate with digital. You can try but its not the same.

thanks, Mike. I find your points here relevant in my learning of macro photography. Indeed helpful and relevant as I am exploring on different factors for taking better pictures on macro,such as flash, diffused lights, tripod or monopod, focal length and shutter speed of sharpness of subject and background.

thanks once again.

Dan, For someone who speaks so loudly about progress and the acceptance of change you are certainly narrow-minded. While Digital has added to the repertoire of the modern day photographer, who are you to say that film is dead? The entire process of large format shooting is different than that of any other. Some of us photographers prefer to use this technique to produce a specific result. There are many other reasons that one could argue to bolster the position of the analog user. The very narrowness you speak to reveals your limited scope when it comes to the wonderfully diverse options open to todays photographers. Open your eyes!

Film is dead,. face it. The only people trying to keep it alive are those still selling the polltants and those who cannot accept progress. Digital rocks and ads to the art of photography. Would a painter accept the fact that every brush stoke was final and could not be changed or painted over. The artistry starts with the click of the shutter. It does not end there. Hey if it makes you happy, stay with your horse and buggy.

Dan Chase
age 72 and still learning and creating

Nice and informative article.And it cleared few doubts I had regarding digital noise and imager sizes relation ship. Thanks for pointing at the new and correct term
"Croping Factor" for "35mm Equivalents" in lens focal length dilemma.

GRINS2GO ROCKS OUT LOUD