Hi Corey
I have a ciba lab as well, I print both digitally and optically, I have stated in many other posts that there are considerations for both printing styles.
Sharpness is best obtained from original slide optically to ciba material. I am finding more problems in the last few years finding readily available clmk and cfk for those images of higher contrast range which creates a huge challange controlling contrast and colour saturation.* Gone are the Days of clients willing to spend 2-3hundred dollars on complicated masks for this purpose*
As well printing 30x40 murals from smaller format is a challange from the get go . *cleaning original to perfection, no glass carrier because of this problem therefore transparancy popping and soft edges, contrast control and long exposures.*
In these cases I find the digital method more convienient , to clean image, sharp from corner to corner, and as well the unlimited local contrast and colour controls available.
We look at each transparancy and or slide on an individual basis to determine which printing method will produce the best result for a final image.
I really don't think one method is better. Just another option to get good resuts.
Re: the continuous tone issue. maybe you are looking at prints produced on lower resolution or onto materials that cannot hold the detail like cibachrome.
We have printed the same images opticaly and digitally onto cibachrome at 15x mag and louped the results and like what we see as side by side comparisons. This was an issue for me before we invested into any digital devices.
For what it is worth, a scan in my opinion, no matter how well done is a second generation, much like an interneg , there will be loss .
Cibachrome from phase or high end 35 digital devices -direct to cibachrome do not suffer this generation loss and mimic a natural print.
I think this is where the new printers and materials will find their niche.
Bob
boyooso said:
For Whatever it is worth,
I have a ciba lab...
www.cibachrome.com or
www.ilfochrome.com or
www.hiddenlightllc.com
Ilfochrome classic is the most beautiful color print material available.
It is so sad to see so many apugers talk so negatively about the posibility of optical color printing... I realize there aren't very many of us left, and I'm scared.
While it it more convenient to have digital prints made, there is nothing like an optical print....
There is something very natural, organic, about the gradiation, graduation of tone with optical prints. There are many to say digital is continuous tone, but it is NOT.
Ilfochrome is So beautiful.
Corey