indian hill imageworks

Alternative Light Source

by EveNSteve

By Stephen M. Schaub

First off let me be VERY clear…the Figital Revolution is not one of those sites where reviews are paid by advertising dollars (we have no dollars) and this site is not the place to go see and read all about the next piece of crap you don’t really need.

Having now cleared that up I had the chance this last week to look at a new item I feel may just fit some photographers’ needs, both for film and digital (imagine that!) I got this idea in my head that wouldn’t it be great to have an on-camera light (not flash) that could be dimmed, daylight balanced, light-weight and rechargable. Drumroll please…Presenting Vidled. Yes this product which is really intended for video purposes can be mounted in your hot shoe using a small ball head (very cul) and allow you to see exactly what you light is going to look like and by the use of a dimmer on the unit tweak it perfectly…and it is really a nice quality of light…for some things. My initial idea was to use this with a wee bit of a softening gel over the light for intimate portraits where flash just wasn’t right and big hot light wern’t either. Problem is that LED lights are really bright and difficult to look at even with my diffuser installed. Additionally, the light output is not huge so doing a portrait at say a distance of 7+ feet requires near full power which of course is going to blind your subject. But this brings me to the area where this handy little gadget in my opinion could be useful: MACRO and CLOSEUPS as well as still subjects that need just a little bit more light at, say, a distance not past 8 or 9 feet. You could also paint your subject with light and do some amazing long exposure stuff. The battery (depending on the version) lasts from 1.5 – 3 hours on full blast…not bad. The weight is equal to my Sunpak 383 with batteries so…reasonable. For more information on this product and to view their different configurations just visit: vidled.com

Let The Games Begin!

by EveNSteve

It’s that time of year again when the excitement for the new and fantastic is palpable. Is it Christmas? Is it my birthday? No it is Photo Convention time! What?

It’s the hypnotic time of year when new cameras, printers and photo accessories are released upon the photo community at a frantic pace in an attempt to convince you that the gear you bought last season is now somehow dated and inferior.

Be Smart. Be Figital.

Look at the reality of what is new and is it movement or is it progress? Yes, there are new and wonderful products and some meaningful upgrades but REALLY look and don’t just buy into the hype.

Steel Versus Plastic…the Final Word!

by EveNSteve

I have heard old time photographers and newbies alike swear to the professional quality and unmatched superiority of both steel and plastic reels. This is just such a ridiculous argument that I will end NOW once and for all. Who is right you ask? Answer…(drum roll please) BOTH. Once again the choice (and choice is good) is yours based on your working style. Just let it be known that most mid-size labs run Jobos or similar processors for their 135 and 120 films and guess what those machines use: PLASTIC reels. Steel reels are great especially if you are willing to buy good ones like Hewes but plastic is hard to beat if you are on a budget. I personally find plastic easier to use as it does not bend and loads very quickly- cleanup is also a snap. I have both in our studio and use them interchangeably so there you have it…you pick which one you like and lets now have a discussion about something important like what your work is really about.

Where Have All the Point and Shoots Gone!

by EveNSteve

OK- so where HAVE all the professional point and shoots gone? To the grave yard or Ebay as the Photo Industrial Complex has realized that there is alot more money selling crappy little digital point and shoots with upgrades every month rather than making quality ones like:

Olympus XA
Nikon 28Ti and 35Ti
Leica CM
Leica Minilux
Konica Hexar
Contax T2, T3
Rollei S, SE

Now we get tons of plastic with resolution that is subpar and noise (digital grain) oozing out of every crack and crevice. Having a quality point and shoot in your bag in my opinion is a must but now days it is getting harder and harder to find one. Ever seen a great drum scan from a negative made by one of the above listed cameras? Compare it with the new digitals and you may find yourself singing along with the Figital Revolution…

Another Week Goes Bye!

by EveNSteve

It’s been an exciting week here in Vermont…I have been testing a new (new to me) film by Fuji (Acros 100, 120mm) in PMK developer for purposes of scanning and the results have been outstanding! And if the almost-not-there grain and beautiful creamy highlights are not enough for you consider the amazing reciprocity failure (or lack of it) this film has…no compensation necessary for long exposures until 120 seconds (2 minutes to most of us)… and no development change to boot. WOW! I will post examples in a few days but for now go order this film so we can keep it in production! No really, go buy this film NOW!

Almost forgot to mention that the packaging and handing of this film is really sweet…no band to lick thanks to Fuji’s peal-off sealer on 120mm film…very cul, very Japanese.

It’s About More Than Pixels Guys!

by EveNSteve

I’ve got a bone to pick…(who me?) I am getting really tired of reading “reviews” about how much better the release of new “X” digital camera or capture back is than film. Recently I’ve been noticing that many of these “experts” are making claims that 4″x5″ film has now been beat or surpassed.

Excuse me, but- what? Do I really need to say it? It’s about more than pixels, guys!

This is, we should all be aware, an argument designed first and foremost to part you from your pocket book. As in: spend, spend, spend!

Consider this… in order to get a capture device that will equal high-end film scans from, say, a medium or large format camera, you are spending $30,000+ dollars on bleeding edge technology (whoops- is it the technology that’s bleeding… or is that us?). Furthermore, remember its life-span is about equal to that of an ant when compared with the legacy of film-based cameras. Realistically, unless you have clients willing to spend tons of money for your services (great for you) or you are just really rich there is NO WAY to get back your financial investment in this type of system before the camera industry trumps your purchase and convinces you that, once again, it’s time to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade! I’ve been down this road enough to know that it is very difficult indeed. These days, I personally prefer the upgrade expense of a new roll of film or sheet of film, it just seems a bit more sustainable. Call me crazy, but I’d rather spend my money on technology that is immediately meaningful such as a better monitor or of course more RAM.

Not to mention, it really is about more than pixels… seriously! There is an inherent “look” to everything: a great film scan, a great digital capture, and to the finished prints from both types of files…you have to choose which you like. That’s right! Despite what you’ve heard, each one is okay. Ultimately, the choice is up to YOU. I will confess here and now that the very high end digital capture systems do in many ways equal great film scans in terms of resolution (or get darn close) but it is different look, kind of like the difference between vanilla and French vanilla ice cream- you know, similar, but different. Bleeding edge digital capture has it’s definitive place on high-end advertising shoots and for situations where you need really fast turn-arounds, but that is a small section of the overall photography market.

Another technique of these “expert” reviewers is to compare something like ISO 100 film with 100 ISO on a digital back… we are lead to conclude that at the best of the best all things are equal or better for digital. I guess these experts want you to forget that most pro film lines are available in ISO’s like 64, 50, 32, 25 and even 15…stack that side by side with a digital capture. Hey- film has this option (or in digital terms “upgrade”). It’s interesting that when there are positives on the digital side reviewers point it out at every opportunity but when the shoe is on the other foot? Silence. The fact is that a low ISO hi-res film scan is impossible to beat with the current digital technology. But why point that out? After all, we have to move those new digital cameras somehow to make room for the next “technological breakthrough,” which at the current pace should be sometime around next Wednesday.

So, the choice is yours… but whatever you do, don’t buy into the BS “reviews” who fail to realize that different is good! Choice is good! Right now we need reviews more about working with a system day in and day out, the durability of the system long term… and YES have an honest, open discussion about how to make your personal choice and investment work. For if we can’t, photographers will just keep on bleeding at the local camera store until there is nothing left to bleed.

Hi-Def Giclee (TM) Printing at Indian Hill Imageworks

by EveNSteve

After researching current printing technologies as it relates to scanned and digitally captured images Indian Hill Imageworks in conjunction with ErgoSoft has developed Hi-Def Giclee (TM) printing. This breakthrough allows for spectacular tonality and clarity that exceeds traditional wet processes and eclipses other Giclee printers. This ground breaking technology when married with the d’Vinci Fine Art Printer allows for unparalled preformance. Add into the equation a great film scan from a Pyro processed negative and the world is yours!

If a picture is worth a thousand words than the two posted here are an encylopedia… Picture A. represents a 1440 dpi print on an industry Pro Printer on fine art paper. Picture B. represents a 1440 dpi print on the d’Vinci Fine Art Printing Platform as a Hi-Def Giclee (TM). The printed image is only 1/2 an inch in size but look at the difference in detail….Amazing! For the first time digital printing has reached well beyond the wet process and now is using 21st century technologies to their fullest.

I’d like to thank Mark Rowe, Applications and Color Specialist at Ergosoft USA (the amazing RIP software that powers the d’Vinci Printer) for his insight, clarity of thought and help.

If the Paper is a Mess then it is Time t o Confess

by EveNSteve

When will companies learn that the cover-up is always worse than the offense? Recently I became aware of two inkjet paper companies who had significant problems with a new batch of current production paper. Instead of fessing up and having an open dialog about the problem and reassuring photographers that the problem was being corrected they stayed quiet. WTF! So here I am with a large roll of paper which is not quite as useful as a roll of toilet tissue.

We the photographers need to remember- without us they have no market. Demand more. And, when something is done right, and quality control and company service is great reward it with your money… so we can put the other ones out of business!