Digital Darkroom/Studio Considerations I’ve broken this down into categories. 1. Cameras 2. Computers & Accessories 3. Software CAMERAS: Hey ya need a camera! You can stick with the system you used for your 35mm work, your use this as a chance to switch. The major players are Nikon, Canon, and Olympus. If you’re a Nikon shooter, the good news is that you can still use your old lens. Now using these lenses, you need to know that the requirement for focus on the film plane and that of an electronic senor are different. Your old lenses will have a factor of about 1.5 magnification. If you’re a Canon shooter, unless you had upgraded to the very latest Canon system at the turn of the century, your old lenses will not fit the new bodies. The specs on the Canons are “better” than those of the Nikon. But we’re talking on a micro level were 2 to 4 second differences are a big deal to you. Olympus has been a major player and innovator in digital photography longer than Canon or Nikon and is worth a look see. I’m a Nikon shooter so that’s the system I know, and will recommend. But you can visit a great web site, Digital Photo Review, http://www.dpreview.com/, which compares camera models in an extremely fair way. So you’ll be able to look at my recommendation and still be able to compare an research other camera models. A. Nikon D300s, $2400.00. This is the latest mid-level pro camera. Get the “kit” so you’ll have a good auto-focus lens designed for digital shooting. The basic design difference between a “pro” and “entry-level” DSLR camera is body design. The pro level cameras are magnesium bodies not plastic. They are also faster, with better placement of the controls you’ll need when shooting. Entry-level DSLRs are designed for people who are upgrading from Point & Shot cameras and don’t know the mechanics of photography. This is a “DX” format and is not a “Full Frame” sensor. A “FX” format which is a “Full Frame” sensor which is more expense. B. Canon G11, $560.00. This is a compact camera, a “Point & Shoot”. The DSLR is a big (heavy) camera and you may not want to carry it with you all the time. Whereas a compact camera, you can put in your bag or pocket, and keep with you always. I recommend this camera because it has manual setting, much like the DSLR cameras. I have the Panasonic LX-3, which is smaller and has a Leica lens. Panasonic stopped making this camera, and has produced the Panasonic GF-1, which has removable lenses. Very nice, small but not pocketable. It’s part of a new breed of cameras being produced now. Small cameras with interchangeable lenses under $1000.00. They’re even worth a look see as an option to getting a mid-level pro camera, if you want to travel light. If this is a possible consideration you may also want to look at the Olympus Pen E-P1, $800.00. COMPUTERS AND ACCESSORIES: OK, here comes the “Big Debate”! Do you go with a Mac or a PC? First, it makes no difference. It’s all about what you like. I prefer a PC. It will stand the test of time. The last “new” computer desktop I bought was in 2002. I will probably get a new desktop in late 2010. Pe ople I know who bought a new Mac at the same time I did have bought at least one new computer during the same time frame. But again, that’s neither here nor there. (My PC bias is starting to peak out, so I’ll stop!) The main thing is that you want to buy for the future, so here is where your major expense should be if you are not a geek at heart. 1. You want to get a fast computer that will be ready for 64-bit world. You want to get the fastest CPU you can afford. I would recommend a Quad Core Processor running as fast as you can afford. On average the Macs are All 64-Bit. a. If you go with a Mac (Do not get a MacBook or an iMac!), get a Mac Pro Quad- Core, One 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor. 6 GB of RAM, 1 TB hard drive, bay 1, 2x NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 512MB, two Optical Drives, 24 inch Cinema Flat Panel display. About $2400.00 b. If you go with a PC, there are quite a few manufactures, Dell, HP are a couple of good places to start. In general, any PC that is designed for Gaming is a good choice for imaging as well. I’ll just over an HP desktop. You can use this configuration to compare other PC desktops. HP e9280t series, Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-975 processor Extreme Edition [3.33GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache], 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard Drive, 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4850 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters], HP w2338h 23-inch 16:9 Full HD Widescreen Monitor (for $50 more you can get a 25 inch monitor, it all depends on the space you have), 2 DVD drives, one is Blu-Ray). About, $1800.00. c. Be sure to have enough ports to connect stuff to your computer. Be sure to get USB about 6 or 8 ports, a couple of Firewire ports, and a SATA port. Firewire comes on a couple of flavors. The latest is Firewire 800 (IEEE 1394b), but there are still a lot of Firewire 400 (IEEE 1394) devices out there and is slower than 800. Since you’re getting a new computer I’d get the 800. However, many non-pro video devices run on iLink, which is Firewire 400. d. The great thing getting a new computer is that it will have the latest Operating System, with everything working, theoretically! You have no choice with the Mac, it’s going to be the latest version of OSX, Snow Leopard. On the PC side, there a few flavors of Microsoft’s new OS, Windows 7. I recommend, Windows 7 Pro. Be sure that the 64 bit version is installed on your computer. 2. OK, now that you’ve got the computer, you’re going to need a couple of accessories to put it all together. a. A Scanner, or two. Because you have a large library of negatives and slides, you’re going to need a film scanner. I would recommend getting a dedicated film scanner. It’s much faster and sharper than a flatbed scanner that also does film. I recommend getting the Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED, $1100. This is the latest 35mm film model. You may be able to get an older model either recertified or new at a lower price point. I would not buy a used scanner from a user, unless you know the person or institution. b. As a photographer you probably have prints, but no negs, so you should get a flatbed scanner for prints and other flat material, like album covers. Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner, $250.00. Or the Epson WorkForce GT-1500, $350.00. The V600, is designed for photos, and it can to transparency scanning, but the bed is 8½ x 11. The Workforce is designed for general document scanning, but its bed is 8½ x 14 inches. So, that’s something to consider. Personally, I would forgo the “photo” bells & whistles for the bigger scanner surface. c. The Printer. The Printer is what brings everything together. These days the technology for the printer is outstanding. So the question is; How big do you want to print? If 11x14 is as big as you think you want to get, then you’ll want a 13 x19 inkjet photo printer. If you think you would like to go up to 16 x 20, then you’ll want to get a 17 x 22 inch printer. I have an Epson. It’s an 8 year old Stylus Pro 4000 that prints up to 17 x 22. I love it! There are a couple of things to consider when buying a print. Unlike the camera and the computer, the printer must be constantly maintained with ink and paper. So consider this: 1. The bigger the printer, the more the ink cartridges cost. They’ll hold anywhere from 110ml to 200ml of ink. My print holds eight carts, and each cost $53.00. That’s about $425. Now, you buy the cartridges as you need them, and they don’t all empty at once. 2. The smaller the printer the less the carts cost. These printers use about 8 – 10 cartridges at a cost of around $12.00 to $20.00 each. That’s about $96.00 to $120 depending on the model printer. 3. Now here’s the thing. You’ll use more cartridges during a year with the smaller printer, so your cost will be MORE than the bigger printer if you print the same about of 11 x 14 prints. However, if you are not printing a lot of prints, say about 10 a month, the smaller printer will feel less expensive to maintain, because your outlay, seems less during a half year period. However, if you’re selling prints, the printer’s ink maintenance will pay for itself. 4. Next is paper. There’s good paper and there’s crap.