[filmscanners] RE: Digital Darkroom Computer Builders?

["Laurie Solomon" <laurie@advancenet.net>]

First of all, I truely doubt if there is any such thing as a standard custom
configuration for digital darkroom work ( at least one that is any different
from the configurations used by any sort of graphic arts, fine arts, or
photographic industry operations).  What one needs will be very dependent on
the the types of specific work the one plans to engage in, what one intends
to be the sort of input that one will work with, and what will be the
intended output that one will be sending the work to.  It will also be
dependent on if the digital darkroom will be a high mass production
commercial operation processing volumes of images at high speed and capcity
or a low volume and speed custom quality professional, fine arts,and/or
personal digital darkroom.  Is is it a darkroom for a commercial
professional lab or for a photographic studio?

Secondly, what specialized configurations that do exist out there are
typically closed ended systems that revolve around a give piece or set of
equipment - like systems configured around the Chromira or the Lightjet
laser and/or LED direct digital to photographic paper printers.  In fact,
the examples of specialized workstations you suggest are all specialized
only in so far as they rely on either special higher then normal quality 3D
graphics cards and/or sound cards for the most part to perform efficiently
in carrying out their work.  Before you can establish a digital system
configuration for a digital darkroom, you need to establish not only what
you will be working on in terms of types of work to be done but also the
peripheral components to be used in the darkroom - digital and non-digital.
How will the output be printed - to film and/or to paper by an inkjet
printer, a laser printer, a dye sublimation printer, an offset press, by a
chromira or Lightjet to photographic paper which will be wet processed, and
/or to a film recorder.  What will be the input - scanned in images from
film and/or from prints, image files sent via the internet, CD-Rs, etc., or
digital images taken from digital cameras, flash cards, or hard drives that
were connected to digital camera backs?

-----Original Message-----
From: filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk
[mailto:filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of gannet@intnet.net
Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2002 12:31 PM
To: laurie@advancenet.net
Subject: [filmscanners] Digital Darkroom Computer Builders?


I'll apologize right up front for the cross-posting, in case you see
this same question elsewhere.  My excuse is that I'm not doing this
because I'm lazy or in a hurry.  Rather, I've been poking at this
question for a while in various places and I'm getting zero answers or
leads.  I also think this question may be of interest to many besides
myself.

The question is: does anyone know of any PC builders who are offering
machines specifically tailored for the digital darkroom (DD)?

You can get specialty gaming machines, digital audio workstations, 3D
graphics workstations, digital video workstations, etc., etc., but I'm
not seeing any PCs optimized for DD work.

Yes, I can certainly spec out my own machine from a custom builder,
and in fact I'm looking around at various builders to do just that.
The problem is that there is a dearth of machines and options
applicable to DD work.  For example, massive RAM and massive storage
are a given.  Data redundancy and dual processors are highly
desirable.  Absolute max CPU speed is nice but not really that
important, and 3D graphics speed is not important.  The usual "custom
machine starting points" you see on websites simply aren't geared for
this.  Server class boxes are usually the only ones that come close,
and they often have other unneeded features.

As an editorial comment, I think these vendors are missing out on a
market.  Why is it that we have lots of people lined up to pay
multi-4-figure and 5-figure amounts for digital SLR systems, and yet
these same folks are expected to limp along with an inadequate
computer or else learn to be a hardware guru themselves and put one
together?  I think there's money laying on this table.

Maybe I'm all wrong and these vendors are out there.  If so, please
point me to them.

TIA

Gannet
St. Petersburg, Florida

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