Silver Gelatin B&W Prints Direct From Digital Files

Led Zeppelin Portraits by Herb Greene

Image Source: http://ledzeppelinportfolio.com/

 

I love to make monochrome images. I enjoy shooting black and white film, but I also really like doing digital conversions to black and white.

 

Digital Silver Imaging uses a laser enlarging system to produce real wet chemical silver gelatin prints directly from digital files. They can currently produce these prints up to 20" wide.

 

(Click Here) to go to Digital Silver's website.

 

Well, Digital Silver is using a Kickstarter campaign to increase their maximum print size to 48". This requires a significant investment in new equipment. If you contribute to the campaign (many levels of contribution available, from $15 to over $10,000, you can claim rewards varying from a small print from one of their existing images, to a limited edition set of portraits of the rock band Led Zeppelin, signed by photographer Herb Greene. Importantly, you can also contribute at levels that get you prints of your own images, or even high quality scans of your own negatives.

 

I like this campaign because it's not fighting the battle between film and digital. It's using the best technologies available to provide the highest quality traditional chemistry prints from digital files.

 

(Click Here) to go to the Kickstarter page for more information. The campaign ends on May 17, so hurry!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Disclaimer: I have no relationship or interest in Digital Silver Imaging. In fact, I've never even seen one of their prints. So, I'm trusting the descriptions they provide at the links I've provided above.

 

 

 

How About A Modern 4x5 Film Camera For Travel? Kickstarter Campaign for the Wanderlust Travelwide 4x5.

The Wanderlust Travelwide 4X5 Camera,

Image Source: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wanderlust/travelwide-45-camera

 

I have participated in a Kickstarter campaign in the past, to help one of my favorite bands fund an album. Here's another cool campaign, this time by Wanderlust Cameras. They are trying to fund manufacturing of two different 4X5 film cameras, designed for easy use and lightweight travel. The Travelwide 90 includes a helical focus mechanism, and is designed to use a Schneider Angulon 90mm f6.8 lens. The Travelwide 65 is a single focus point design, and uses the Schneider Super Angulon 65mm f8 lens at hyperfocal setting. The lenses are generally not included with the cameras, but they've targeted around $100 price for the bodies.

 

Finding a good used large format lens is left up to the customer, which I think is a risk for the product. In fact, they offered Kickstarter deals that included used lenses, and those are already all taken. I think they need to pay attention to the fact that many people would prefer to pay a little more for one-stop shopping and buy the camera complete. The 90 also needs some type of rangefinder. Finders are simple metal frames, but I think many people will want to add an optical finder.

 

In any case, I really like this type of innovation.

 

(Click Here) to go to the Kickstarter campaign and get your own Travelwide 4x5 camera!

 

Wanderlust already has a wide pinhole product on the market, designed for Micro 4/3 digital format cameras.

 

(Click Here) to check out their homepage.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com