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Re: [OM] Type R

Subject: Re: [OM] Type R
From: Mike Veglia <msvphoto@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 09:24:14 -0800
In a message dated 11/26/2002 Bill Pearce writes:

<< Get used to it. Both Kodak and Fuji have announced the end of that paper,
in 2 years for one, and 3 for the other, can't remember which is which. I've
seen the results from a variety of high end production printers, and I'm
here to tell you that you will be happy. Contrast, in particular, is lots
more manageable. All the R&D money is going into paper for prints from
negatives. Those of you in the lab business know that both companies are now
changing over to "digital" papers, that are optimized for use in both
traditional enlargers and digital (laser, led, and crt) printers. As I
understand it, the difference is in a wider range of acceptable exposure
times. >>

I am used to it ;-) I didn't mean to make it sound like a negative, rather
to push the point home that change is in the air to some "digital doubters"
here <g> We all need to get used to it really.

The print quality of a "custom Type-R" from my lab (Bay Photo Lab in Santa
Cruz) is better than ever now. They use a very high end scanner with digital
ice to scan the slide, and the printing process is still monitored and
adjusted by human eyes. The most noticeable part is in the area of contrast
management, as you noted. An 8x10 is around $13.00 printed this way. If I
send them a digital file (scan from film or digital camera file--doesn't
matter) via their internet service the price drops to around $3.50 and I can
pick the print up the next business day if I upload before 8:00pm. Exactly
the same paper, enlarging/processing machine, and process (except for the
scanner of course). The only reason I do not use them more is because labs
like photoaccess and printroom, etc., ship direct to my print customers. But
as Bay Photo gets their ecommerce programs on line, they are certainly one I
will be looking seriously at since they are local, do all my E-6, I have a
pro account with them already, and a good friend is head of maintenance (so
I know who to complain to <g>).

It is the wave of the future for sure in color printing. Because of this it
really doesn't matter quite as much if the file came from a film scanner or
good quality digital camera. E-10 files printed this way are very much a
match for Provia F 100 at 11x14 print size. As I mentioned before, the first
time I made this comparison was with the owner of the lab and one of his
managers when I was picking up a couple prints--all three of us agreed the
quality of the prints were amazing and very comparable. The lab owner has
been in this business a very long time. I have too. My first ever job was as
a grunt in a rental lab in Monterey in the (very) early 1970s (in a location
Bay Photo now has one of their stores). I do not think the three of us have
"low standards" so the results from a 4 megapixel digital camera, when
printed well, can be quite good.

Mike Veglia
Motor Sport Visions Photography
http://www.motorsportvisions.com



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